Underground Art: New Exhibits and B scene at the Blanton [Art Preview]

On Friday, the Blanton Museum of Art will host yet another B scene party. This month's festivities will celebrate the museum's newest exhibits, Reimagining Space and The New York Graphic Workshop. Docents will be on hand to lead tours of the new exhibitions and attendees can participate in a variety of NYC themed activities. Austin's own garage-pop quartet, The Strange Boys, will be providing the fitting auditory accompaniment for the evening. As always, patrons can enjoy free appetizers and refreshing drinks from the cash bar. Tickets to B scene are available online or at the museum and cost $5 for museum members and $10 for the general public.

The Blanton's new exhibitions both focus on contemporary art from 1960s New York. Reimagining Space presents work that came out of the Park Place Gallery, a SoHo gallery that showcased work by up and coming artists. During the 60s and early 70s, the artists who exhibited work at the Park Place Gallery were characterized by their innovative uses of geometric shapes and unique interpretations of color and space. The Blanton's retrospective show features paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from the gallery's heyday. Installations by Mark di Suvero, an abstract impressionist sculpture will be on display along with geometric paintings by Dean Fleming. Complimenting Reimagining Space, The New York Graphic Workshop exhibit focuses on conceptual art created by New York printmakers in 1964-1970. The New York Graphic Workshop was founded by three young Latin American artists whose work and events proved highly influential to the scene at large. These innovative printmakers expanded the scope of their medium with their unconventional techniques; they are credited with printing on the side of a ream of paper, holding exhibitions entirely through the mail, and distributing a cookie as a fine art original.

Reimagining Space and The New York Graphic Workshop run through January 18th, 2009 at the Blanton Museum of Art.