Smart-looking group exhibits, some pop-up happenings and two new spaces make my top five list for the East Austin Studio Tour.
- Contemporary art meets a convenience store cum vending machine in “Sculp-chur” at Dimension Gallery. One-of-kind small sculptures are packaged and displayed retail style, a tease on the money-driven consumption of contemporary art. Playing are a great roster of Austin artists:Ted Carey, Valerie Chassonnet, Emily Coleman, Rebecca Lynn Hewitt, April Garcia, Terra Goolsby, Jennifer Hill, Sarah Hirneisen, Laura Latimer, Lindsey Maestri, Colin McIntyre, Haley Parsa, Rebekah Rauser, Jamie Spinello, Dana Suleymanova, W. Tucker, Rachel Wilkins, Dana Younger. Dimension, 979 Springdale Road.
- PrintPress is a new co-working and co-living space in a cluster of vintage Eastside cottages. For EAST, PrintPress hosts “Wild Abandon,” a show curated by the inimitable Michael Anthony Garcia. Also Frederic Archuleta’s “Graffitti Western” creations, Puro Chingon Collective’s zines, prints and arty toys, along with several happenings including a Los Taco Unidos party Nov. 18, 7-11pm 1209 E. Cesar Chavez St.
Gerado Arellano’s paintings are featured in “Wild Abandon.” - New spaces on E. 12th St. Northern-Southern gallery, 1902 E. 12th St., intelligently blurs distinctions between fine and applied arts. “Solace” features Lisa Choinacky & Kel Brown. Next door, Las Cruxes, 1900 E. 12th St., is new millennia mash-up of art and retail. For EAST, Andy Coolquitt creates one of his enigmatic installations from scavenged materials.
Northern-Southern gallery, facade by Kel Brown. - Collectives: power in numbers. Austin’s artist collectives continually to raise the bar, delivering some of the sharpest shows of local artists. At MASS Gallery, 507 Calles St., “Staycation” mines fresh, intriguing work by Austin artists. At Icosa Collective, 702 Shady Lane (next to Pump Project), Artist and Art Alliance director Jade Walker and ICOSA member Alyssa Taylor Wendt curate “From Eden to Oblivion,” featuring work that explore utopias and dystopias from all 20 ICOSA members.
Jenn Wilson, “Souvenir I,” ICOSA Collective. - TEMPO 2017 “Convergence.” It’s not every city public art program that offers a chance to emerging artists. Now in its third year, the city of Austin’s TEMPO program supports temporary outdoor installations in places. For EAST, the TEMPO projects converge at Festival Beach on the shores of Lady Bird Lake.
Steve Parker’s “Tubascape.” Philip Rogers Photography.
