Food, Wine, Art: Art Night Austin

It's only February, and already, 2009 is shaping up to be a big year for regional art and Texas artists. In a few weeks, the third Texas Biennial kicks off at galleries around town, the city's major museums all seem to be opening impressive new exhibitions, and in April, Art Alliance Austin is hosting Art City Austin. The outdoor art fair is expected to bring 20,000 plus art enthusiasts to Austin to enjoy exhibits by over two hundred juried artists, community art installations, and of course, live music and local food.

Art City Austin doesn't take place until the end of April, but the event's preview night, which also serves as a fundraiser, will be held on Saturday, February 28th. Art Night Austin is a chance to get an exclusive sneek-peek at artists who will be participating in Art City Austin, all while enjoying great local culinary treats and wine pairings. A chauffeured event shuttle will take art appreciators to eight downtown exhibit spaces where chefs from local restaurants will serve up food and wine parings. The art spaces will be exhibiting exclusive previews of shows that will be featured during Art City Austin and include the Arthouse, AMOA, and Wally Workman Gallery. Participating chefs include Charles Mayes from Cafe Josie, John Wolf from The Woodland, and just to keep it authentically Austin, Joel Fried from Tacodeli.

Tickets to Art Night Austin are available online for $75 per person. The Art Night Austin After Party will be held at Mellow Johnny's and will feature food from Bess Bistro and the Belmont, cupcakes by Delish, and brew from North by Northwest. Tickets to the after party are an additional $25.

Follow this post after the jump for a complete list of art spaces and restaurants participating in Art Night Austin.