East Austin Studio Tour: Our Survival Guide and Picks

Here's our shortlist of East Austin Studio Tour stops, listed in no particular order (Studio Numbers refer to stops on the official EAST map):

Where it All Started: Big Medium - 5303 Bolm Road - Studio #11 EAST began in 2003 and was co-founded by three Austin artists (Shea Little, Jana Swec, and Joseph Phillips) who have workspace in the Big Medium Studios (then Bolm Studios). Six years later, Big Medium is still at the heart of the tour - visitors can wander through the facilities that mix workshops and exhibit space for twenty artists working with all manner of mediums. Big Medium is also the place you'll be the most likely to still nab a much coveted EAST map. Read our interviews with EAST co-founder and Big Medium artist Shea Little to find out how EAST got started and how it has grown.

Most Bang for Your Buck: Pump Project Art Complex - 702 Shady Lane - Studio #76
Visiting studios during EAST is entirely free but one stop, Pump Project Art Complex, always delivers the most bang for our metaphorical buck. Home to more than thirty artists, visitors can wander into private studios to see artists hard at work and look at their final products displayed proudly in the gallery's annual Members Show. This year there's even more Pump Project with the addition of their Satellite Studios space just up the road at 1109 B Shady Lane. Last year we interviewed Pump Project manager and talented artist Debra Broz.

Good Beer, Great Design, and Giant Bamboo: The Decoder Ring Design Concern - 638 Tillery Street - Studio #44 The designers and fine art screen printers at Decoder Ring came together in 2004 to "Do work we love for clients we admire." That simple mission has taken them far - having designed for the likes of Obama's Youth Campaign, Modest Mouse, The New York Times and many others. The Decoder Ring team also heads up the American Poster Institute, organizes Flatstock, and recently opened artisan hot dog restaurant, Frank. Their studio is located on the grounds of the Utility Research Garden, a wholesale bamboo nursery. The intoxicating mix of phenomenal craftsmanship, sexy typography, all set amidst a Zen garden make the Decoder Ring a requisite EAST stop. Check out the interview we conducted last year with these shrewd designers and connoisseurs of fine brew.

So That's How You Make a Giant Jackalope: Blue Genie Art Industries - 619 Springdale Road #4 - Studio #80
Many people know the Blue Genie for their annual Holiday Art Bazaar, and although their well organized, artist run, opposite of Wal-Mart, craft fair is indeed awesome, the work that Blue Genie does year round is beyond compare. They have made the beautiful Whooping Crane statue at the Domain, the silly spinning Lil' Jerry that welcomes Artarama customers, and the ride-able Jackalope that appeared at First Night (which you can now apparently rent for your party!). Blue Genie's process defies description and involves Styrofoam, steel, urethane, and awesome robot saws. Their seemingly magical process can best be seen during EAST.

Studio We Most Wish Was Our Own: Fisterra Studio - 1200 E. 2nd St. - Studio #2
We've said it before, and we'll say it again, Fisterra Studio really embodies the whole spirit of EAST. For a few days a year, tour goers get the amazing opportunity to come into homes and private studios to see where and how creativity flourishes for our city's talented artists. Jennifer Chenoweth's studio and home are a perfect pairing of process and product. With great installations by guest artists like photographer C. Andrew Boyd and amazing succulent arrangements from Articulture Designs there's new stuff worth seeing even if you've been in years past. We challenge you not be inspired by a quick peek into Chenoweth's world (and a taste of her homemade pozole). Check out our interview with Jennifer Chenoweth of Fisterra Studio.

Supporting Our Rock and Roll Lifestyle: Bearded Lady - 3504 E. 4th St. - Studio #47 The designers and printers at Bearded Lady are behind many of the most amazing show posters that we, in the Live Music Capital, are so lucky to feast our eyes on. The Bearded Lady crew has also put their design savvy stamp on Stubb's BBQ and even done work with Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios. For EAST, their tidy and impressive production room also becomes a gallery and showroom, with lots of art, posters, and shirts for sale. Don't miss the exhibit by guest artist Abi Daniel and make sure to pet the adorable shop dogs. Check out our interviews with Josh Chalmers from Bearded Lady and Abi Daniel about her art.

We'll Take One of Everything: Splinter Group - 4709 E. 5th St. and 405 Springdale - Studio #48 and #49
Two giant warehouses at the end of East 4th Street are home to the Splinter Group, a cooperative workspace that caters to large scale woodworking, metalwork, and fabrication. Stop by during EAST to see amazing custom furniture, fixtures, and sculpture all at home among the equally impressive tools that are wielded to make them. A true artist's warehouse in the heart of the East Side, visiting Splinter Group provides a chance to see the results of master craftsmanship. Splinter Group is also home to Chris Levack, the sculptor behind the trellises at Whole Foods and the giant pollen grain statue at Mueller. We talked to Levack last year about his work and love of Austin.

Make Your Own Wedding Ring: Creative Side Jewelry Academy - 628 Allen St. - Studio #45
The Creative Side Jewelry Academy is part workshop, part classroom, and part gallery showcasing all the techniques of the jewelry trade. Stop by during EAST for free demonstrations and their daily free class giveaway. Artisan jewelry Courtney Gray has also invited The WonderCraft to park their craft-laden Airstream trailer, Stella, at Creative Side. Come on by this weekend and next to help create a group sculpture, and participate in a variety of make-and-take projects. Hmm... maybe the WonderCraft crew can even help you with your dream wedding dress design.

From Mud to Murals and More: Clayworks - 1209 E. 6th - Studio #9 At Clayworks you can see art being made from the ground up, quite literally; the studio mixes their own clay then shapes, glazes, and fires the work all in house. With a great knowledge of Texas wildlife and feel for Southwestern design, Clayworks creates tiles, sconces, address numbers, and murals that feel right at home in Austin. These conscientious creators have also made the tile markers that adorn storm drains to warn potential dumpers that the water drains into our precious creeks. In addition to Clayworks' usual cast of ceramicists, the gallery will feature the hand-stitched portraits of Barbara Lugge and the neon light sculpture of Ben Livingstone.

Arts, Crafts, and Everything In Between: Smith Road Studios - 1406 Smith Rd. - Studio #60
Smith Road Studios is home to a group of artists who work across mediums including painting, sculpture, concrete casting, and soapmaking. For EAST, they're hosting the dynamic crew from Etsy Austin, who will be selling their handcrafted wares and leading demonstrations. With a little something for everyone, Smith Road Studios is always a good place to come with a group of tour-goers.

As if that, and the more than one hundred other studios participating in East Austin Studio Tours this weekend and next, wasn't enough to keep you busy, here are a few more recommendations for galleries worth visiting during EAST:

Domy Books - 913 E. Cesar Chavez - Exhibition Space A Open year round and considered by us to be the best place to blow a paycheck, we'd like to think that we can fight our Domy dependency this weekend - but we also need to be realistic, so, we'll see you there! Artist Johnny Villarreal will bring his portable stop motion animation kiosk to the store for visitors to use to make their own videos. If you haven't already, check out the gallery's annual group exhibit, Monster Show. Also, consider this tip/warning: Domy's Project Space (at the back of the store) is currently exhibiting an amazing, but not-for-the-squeamish, installation by David Allen. For his "McCarthy's Rents 26 Dorset Street #13, Miller's Court", Allen has recreated, in graphic detail, the murder scene of Jack the Ripper's last victim. Brought to life from crime scene photographs, the installation is presented entirely in gray-scale. By no means kid-friendly, "McCarthy's Rents..." is a detailed and carefully crafted display of artistic and historical recreation.

BiRDHOUSE - 1304 E. Cesar Chavez St. - Exhibition Space E
A relative newcomer to the Austin gallery scene, BiRDHOUSE is an independently owned exhibit space run by artists. For EAST, the BiRDHOUSE team is exhibiting the Teeny-Tiny Show featuring work by hundreds of artists all in a 4"x4" format. BiRDHOUSE is not only located near many other EAST stops, the gallery also shares nesting space with Bonnie Rue of Model Citizen. Read our interview with Rue and stop by to check out all of the tiny treasures.

Art Palace - 2109 E. Cesar Chavez - Exhibition Space F
We're still recovering from news that the Art Palace will be moving to Houston this January. And although it's a great professional move for the much deserving Arturo Palacios, it's hard not to be just a little bitter that Austin is losing a gallery to the arguably more grown-up Houston scene. For the next few weeks, we'll try and forget all that and be happy that the Art Palace is in town for one more EAST. The current exhibition, One On One On One is a veritable who's who of the active contemporary art scene in town featuring work by Sterling Allen, Matthew Rodriguez, Sara Frantz, and many others.