Austin's Next-Generation Art Institution: Mobile Art Place Debuts

Gallery Lombardi, having bid farewell to its warehouse on West 3rd, will present its inaugural show at the new gallery space on West 7th in a matter of weeks, but in the meantime they're hard at work on a new project with local creative "enablers" from We Manage Stuff.

The endeavor is called Mobile Art Place, and it seeks to enhance our city's access to new art (and artforms) by taking them out of traditional gallery spaces, and exhibiting them in both real and virtual locations.

“The mission of Mobile Art Place is to bring the art of Austin to the world,” said Rose Russell, principal from We Manage Stuff. “Whether it’s through unexpected gallery spaces, podcasts, speaker series or virtual galleries, Mobile Art Place aims to make local art more accessible to the public, and to showcase the talent of people who might not otherwise be seen.”

Mobile Art Place will make its debut this weekend, after Austin Fine Arts Alliance's annual Night in the Galleries, with an afterparty behind Gallery Soco. The event will feature a live panel painting by Austin artists Nathan Nordstrom, Blake Bremel, Matthew Rodriguez, Zach McDonald, Cody Siegmund and Jason Schmidt, and a new video installation by Luke Savisky entitled "About Face 1.3." You may recall the latter from his installation at First Night Austin, "The I of Texas," which one of our readers said "inspired awe and wonder."

“The Map project is a great way to interject local art into unexpected locations. This creates memorable environments for the viewers and experiences with new audiences for the artists. This project feeds on other successful events like Stacked Studios, which was up during EAST 2006, and visiting artist "Pod" shows at the Art Palace locally. Globally, its format fits with the popularity of large scale 'festivals and biennials' with artists taking over convention centers, hotels, etc." said Gallery Lombardi director Rachel Koper.

[Mobile Art Place Homepage (Under Construction)]

Mobile Art Place Debut
Saturday, February 24th
Gallery Soco
1714-A South Congress Avenue [map]
10pm, Free