EAST Preview: East Austin Studio Parties!

We're eagerly preparing for this weekend's East Austin Studio Tour; we're plotting our destinations on the map and figuring just how much new artwork can fit in our homes. Although the studio tours don't begin until Saturday, the event kicks off on Friday evening with the Official E.A.S.T. Pre-Party. The party starts at 7pm at the Bolm Warehouses (5305 Bolm Road) and is being hosted by E.A.S.T. organizers from Big Medium in collaboration with Bay 6 Gallery. Attendees can pick up an official Tour Guide, snack on refreshments, and enjoy music and dancing courtesy of DJ Anthony Romero. The green-thumbs over at Big Red Sun (1102 E. Cesar Chavez) are also hosting an E.A.S.T. kick off party on Friday from 6:30-9pm. The nursery is celebrating the opening of Judy Paul's new exhibit at the store with art, wine, and a fire in the fire pit.

On Saturday morning, scooter riders are meeting at Cafe Mundi (1704 E. 5th Street) for breakfast and a group ride to the studios. We have similar plans, only ours involve pedal power. On Saturday night, local artist and musician Colleen Gugan is hosting her third annual "Backyard Art @ the G-Spot". The public is invited to her studio and backyard (500 W. O' Dell) for a celebration of local art and music featuring performance art from Janine de Luna-Azul, music from Attic Ted, DD Dagger, and Candi and the Cavities. Gugan has invited many local artists to display their work at the event as well.

If you're still a little confused as to what East Austin Studio Tour is all about, it's a two day open-house for galleries and studio spaces on the East side of town. Over 150 studios are participating in the free event and participants can visit as few or as many sites as they'd like (there's no starting point or sign-up). Many of the studios will have work for sale, a few artists will be practicing their craft for all to see, some studios are offering hands-on instruction, and yes, some will have free snacks (and maybe even beer!). There is a map available which includes artist and studio bios, and here at Austinist, we've compiled our collection of interviews on our EAST mini-site. We'll see you on the East Side!