The folks at The Opera House are casting their net wide for tiny art to grace the 3rd Annual Tiny Brigade Art Show celebrating, well, tiny art. The show opens 7pm, May 11 and runs through May 25. Participation (and interpretation) is open. The deadline for entries is Friday, May 11, so act quick and think small.

We also hear rumors of prizes. Interested? Email for more info.

The Opera House
2209-K South 1st St.
512-440-1401

photo by xophersmith on flickr

It's an odd proposition, but according to Michael Kimmelman, New York Times' chief art critic, there are striking parallels between museums and department stores as "institutions of social change." He's in Austin this afternoon to present his argument, which will also examine the role of commerce in today's museums.

A finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in criticism, Kimmelman has authored several books on art and art history. Notable works include “Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere” (1998), voted Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year, and his latest, “The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa” (2005), which explores the art found in everyday life.

Today's lecture is free, but seating is limited.

New York Times Chief Art Critic Michael Kimmelman
Friday, April 20th
B. Iden Payne Theatre, Winship Drama Building [map]
3:30pm
Free

Photo from PBS

A prominent official at the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) and his wife were arrested this weekend, after the two were caught trying to make off with paintings from the Fine Arts Festival.

Austin Police Commander Michael Jung was on patrol near Republic Square Park early Sunday morning when he found a suspicious-looking Alexandra Sheppard, wife of former AMOA finance and operations director Nathan Sheppard, wandering around the Fine Arts Festival tents.

In the process of being detained and questioned by the APD officer, Mrs. Sheppard abruptly blurted out "something in a foreign language."

Unfortunately for the aspiring robbers, the policeman quickly realized that her Tourettic bleating was, in fact, a poorly coded warning to her husband, when he overheard the word "policia."

Cut to the chase (literally): Mr. Sheppard emerged from one of the tents, brandishing two priceless paintings, which he promptly dropped upon seeing the police officer. And then ran like hell.

Without his wife.

Of course, Sheppard didn't get very far, seeing as how it was 1 a.m. on a Saturday night and the park is adjacent to the Warehouse District, where cops roam freely (lest the striped shirts get frisky). He was nabbed by other APD officers "a short distance away."

Sheppard has since been removed from AMOA's staff page, but a Google cache indicated that he had been with the organization since 2001, and managed the "accounting, operations, information technology, facilities rental, and museum store functions."

HBMG Foundation is still inviting folks to apply for the 2007 ArtSpark Festival, a twelve-week-long creative festival and competition that pits teams of theatre junkies, video game developers, and visual artists against one another to create awesome new works. At orientation, each team is given a "spark," an object which serves as the catalyst and inspiration to jumpstart the team's creative process. If you'd like to apply but can't find a team to join, you should submit a general Talent Pool application; they'll be hosting two gatherings where you can mingle with potential teammates and hopefully get a group going. Either way, get your applications submitted post haste, as the deadline is today. We should also note that the grand prize winning team scores a smooth $5k.

[ArtSpark FAQ]
[ArtSpark Applications]

ArtSpark Festival
May 21-August 12

Somewhat longer term, the good folks behind First Night Austin have announced their Call to Artists for the third annual New Year's Eve celebration. Last year's event, for which Austinist served as media sponsor, drew yet another record turnout, with over 130,000 Austinites taking in the day-long activities.

The FNA committee is looking for proposals from both emerging and established artists in just about every discipline conceivable, including "visual/environmental/interdisciplinary and performance art, music, movement theater, dance, puppetry, storytelling, slam poetry and the literary arts, film, video, theater, wearable art, participatory craft making, circus arts, comedy, cultural arts, [and] technology art." As you might recall, First Night is made up of several different segments, starting with the Family Festival and ending with the Grand Procession. In between, there are tons of nifty involvment opportunities, like the "Neighborhood Collaborative" project, where artists are teamed up with members of the public, and "Storefront Window" installations, where you're basically given a blank (or transparent, rather) canvas to create your visual masterpiece. Best of all, First Night covers the production budget.

Because applying to First Night can seem a fairly daunting process, you should consider attending one of the two artist information meetings being offered in the coming weeks. They'll walk you through the proposal process and answer any questions you might have. All applications are due by Friday, June 15th.

[First Night Austin Official Site]
[First Night Austin Application (pdf)]

First Night Austin Artist Information Meetings
Central Market North, 4001 North Lamar Blvd.
Saturday, April 28 (10:30am–12pm)
Wednesday, May 1 (6:30pm–8pm)
RSVP to Ginny Sanders at ginny@firstnightaustin.org

Stop by Vino Vino from 6-8pm tonight for a little culture double-header. Riley Gerber of Westcave Selections will be on hand to pour from her handy dandy rusty trusty bottle while the works of local artists are presented for your viewing pleasure.

Jerry says to, "Drop in and get yourself a sip of vino and a little culture. All for the price of the air you breathe. Which is nada."

Vino Vino
4119 Guadalupe St

photo by old sarge on flickr

This entry has a slideshow. To view the slideshow your browser must have the Flash Player. (If you are using a newsreader that doesn't support Flash click here to launch the slideshow.)

Creativity thrives at the University of Texas Department of Theater and Dance, and they're out to prove it in a big way: next week, they're hosting the fourth biennial Cohen New Works Festival, a seven day whirlwind of original performances, readings, choreography, guest artist panels, and workshops.

Founded in 2001 in honor of David Mark Cohen, a UT Professor of Theater and Dance and respected playwright, the Cohen New Works Festival celebrates original works created by UT students, faculty, and guest artists. The variety of performances--98 in total--is extraordinary; on any given night of the festival, one might catch a play about Andy Warhol as narrated by famous pre-op transsexual Candy Darling, or stumble upon a dance installation where the performers are suspended from the ceiling.

All New Works Festival programming is free and open to the public, thanks to funding by the University Co-op. Approximately thirty free parking spaces at the Co-op parking garage will be made available for each day of the festival.

More information, including full festival schedule, artist bios, and maps, are available at the official website. After the jump, we've featured a selection of recommended works to check out.

[Cohen New Works Festival 2007 Official Site]

Cohen New Works Festival
April 9-15th
UT Campus
Free, Some Works for Mature Audiences

The 57th Annual Austin Fine Arts Festival is set to showcase the creative powerhouse of Austin artistry Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15 at Republic Square Park. The festival will shine a light on the work of more than 220 visual artists as well as Grammy award winning musicians. The event will also feature artist demos, local food, and art activities.

Tickets are $8, kids 12 and under get in free. Saturday's festivities run from 10am-5pm, and Sunday's hours are 11am-6pm.

If you have a little spare change to throw down on Saturday night, stick around for Art After Dark - an exclusive evening of art buying, from 7-10pm ($65.)

Local entertainers White Ghost Shivers and the Austin Figurative Project will provide entertainment, and food will be on hand from Castle Hill Cafe, Katz Coffee, Lambert's, Mansion at Judges Hill, Maudie's Cafe, NXNW, Reed's Jazz Supper Club, Roy's Restaurant, Salt Lick 360, Shore Line Grill, Starlite, Tacodeli, The Melting Pot, The Woodland, III Forks - and select wines by Grape Vine Market.

Tickets available online or at the AMOA - Downtown Store, Blanton Museum of Art Store, and both Breed & Co. locations.