Austin Art Goes Green

Drawing upon the success of last year's art installation in Central Park, entitled The Gates -- the record of which is now displayed in the Austin Museum of Art's Christo and Jeanne-Claude exhibition (from the Würth Museum in Künzelsau, Germany) -- Whole Foods and Austin Green Art are sponsoring a similar art project in town. Only, rather than employing world-famous artists, the "Green Gates" exhibit is having local schoolkids doing the creating (from Austin Business Journal):

Austin's exhibit, called "Green Gates," will feature 100 different gates, each standing 12 feet. The individually designed gates will all center on a theme of environmental awareness. Austin Green Art, a local nonprofit, has organized the effort.

The gates will appear on Earth day, April 22. Whole Foods will showcase three of them at the company's flagship store. The store is underwriting the cost of 25 gates designed by local schoolchildren.

"What makes this so exciting is that it is the perfect cultural fit for Austin," says Cathy Cochran-Lewis, Austin community relations director at Whole Foods. "Whole Foods Market is thrilled to support a project that so truly reflects Austin's creative spirit and love for the environment."

Meanwhile, the inspirations for Austin Green Art's eco-chic art endeavor, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, are coming to town at the end of next month for back-to-back events, which are listed below.

Lecture By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
"Work in Progress--Over the River Project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado"
The Paramount Theatre
Thursday, March 30
$20/$48, 7pm
866-4GET-TIX
(Available Feb. 1 for members and March 1 for public)

Booksigning By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Austin Museum of Art Downtown
Friday, March 31
Free (?), 12-2 pm

* Image from early artist's rendition of 6th and Lamar Whole Foods flagship store