A whooping 807 artists are featured on this year’s East Austin Studio Tour, announced Big Medium the non-profit organization that presents the event.
The 18th annual free, self-guided tour — arguably Austin’s largest arts event — EAST 2019 will happen Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 23-24 from 12 noon to 6 p.m. each day.
Those are new hours, if you’re recalling past tours. It’s a change made in response to input from participating artists as well as attendees.
There are other changes too. This year EAST spotlights not just those artists in their studios, or in a friend’s studio, but even those artists participating in group exhibitions and collaborative projects. Each artist involved in EAST will be identified individually on the tour. Hence the breathtaking number of 807 when all artists are counted.
Check out the list of artists here: east.bigmedium.org/artists
Venues have been reconsidered too. Given the changing landscape of East Austin as it increasingly urbanizes, gentrifies and gets more expensive for everyone, Big Medium said its strategy this year was to put “less emphasis on venue, so that we can highlight art as it happens anywhere.” Hence, exhibitions at more unconventional spaces like coffee shops, restaurants, bars and boutiques are looped into EAST. “(Artist) studios are still at the core of what we do,” Big Medium emphasized in its release. Hence studios will get special designation in the EAST catalog.
Other tweaks include a broad category of EAST Events to umbrella all the demonstrations, workshops, performances, artist talks, opening receptions and panel discussions that go happen not just on tour days, but between the two weekends as well. A separate printed EAST Event guide will be disseminated widely through all Austin Public Library branches.
And the Community Partners category highlights collaborating non-profits, artist-run groups, schools, and other community-based entities in the mix of the arts scene.
Sound overwhelming? There’s an app for EAST now!
Austin advertising agency Third Rail Creative last year developed the East Austin Studio Tour app, and this year ti has even more features. You can filter participants by artistic medium, category and neighborhood; create a custom list and share it; and map a route of your favorites.
For more information, visit east.bigmedium.org and follow along at #eastaustinstudiotour on Instagram.
