Currently showing at The Austin Museum of Art is American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print, a collection of works from the legendary Nashville-based letterpress shop. Started in 1897 by two brothers, Hatch Show Print is a still-functioning letterpress shop that is perhaps best known for its posters of Grand Ole Opry stars. The show is presented in conjunction with the Smithsonian and the Country Music Hall of Fame, the latter of which now owns and operates Hatch Show Print.
Art Review: American Letterpress and New Works at AMOA
Likely Stories: Fables at Austin Art Garage [Art Review]
Austin Art Garage recently debuted local artist Graham Francoise’s newest work in their freshly expanded exhibit space. Featuring whimsical characters that seem to have stepped right off the pages of a book, Francoise's imaginative scenes spark flights of fancy about mysterious back-stories begging to be told.
Tell Me What You Want: Desire at the Blanton Museum of Art
Desire, on exhibit at the Blanton through April 25, invites us to see all emotions as the continual orgasm of being. With a wide range of work from some of the top names in the world of contemporary art, the show exemplifies the nuanced contexts of desire beautifully. Stop by the Blanton tonight between 6pm and 10:30pm to enjoy Desire's final B scene party. The event will feature Texas themed food, drinks, and dancing with music from Jeff Huges and Chaparral. Tickets to the B scene cost $12 for the general public and $5 for members.
Prepare Your TPS Reports: Reclaimed Office at Dougherty Arts Center [Art Review]
Featuring fresh interpretations of humdrum office materials, Reclaimed Office is a must see for anyone who has ever worked in a desk job or a gray cubicle. Local artists Lana Chu and Adela Andea make an intriguing pairing with their office themed exhibit, featuring everything from a leaning tower of discarded paper coffee cups with 365 Days of Coffee to Redesigned Digital Office, an intricate light installation with whirring computer fans, cords, tubes, and wires all caught fast in a spider-like web.
Snapshots: Art Night Austin Under the Moon [Art Review]
A full moon lit up the sky as Art Night Austin 2010 got underway last Saturday. Art lovers in purple wristbands whet their appetites with delicious food and drink as they trekked across town from gallery to gallery.
Last Chance: New American Talent at Arthouse [Art Review]
For many, contemporary art is hit or miss - overly conceptual installations can confuse more than inspire. But when presented well, contemporary exhibits can speak to both lovers of abstract art and the casual observer. The latest incarnation of Arthouse's annual summer exhibit, New American Talent, is a great example of how contemporary art can be accessible to many audiences. Curated by Hamza Walker of the University of Chicago's Rennaissance Society, New American Talent features twenty-six artists from around the country with a particularly strong showing from Texas. New American Talent closes after this weekend, admission to Arthouse is free and they are open until 9pm on Thursday.
The Art of Memory: The Lining of Forgetting at AMOA [Art Review]
The Austin Museum of Art downtown is showing The Lining of Forgetting: Internal & External Memory in Art. The museum has hosted a series of related film screenings and public tours. In the exhibit, the artists get creative with their interpretation of memory: some of the subjects explored include family photo albums, Road Runner cartoons, and the works of Shakespeare. The Lining of Forgetting examines the ways we remember, and highlights how we often forget, rewrite, and even fabricate memory. “I had a flashback of something that never existed,” artist Louise Bourgeois writes on fabric.
A Stitch in Time: Common Sense at testsite [Art Review]
The most recent project facilitated by testsite is Common Sense, a collaboration between venerable New York artist, Sheila Pepe, and curator of Arthouse at the Jones Center, Elizabeth Dunbar. Common Sense is an interactive installation of crocheted "networks" of yarn created by Pepe, who, throughout the show's duration, encourages visitors to deconstruct her art and incorporate her materials into their personal projects. When it was first assembled in late May, two main webs engulfed the living room and dining room of testsite in shades of green and orange. After a few open knitting sessions, the installation has no doubt changed; the exhibit's closing reception and final knitting workshop will be held this Sunday from noon-6pm.
Snapshots: Birth of the Cool Opening Gala at The Blanton
The Blanton's latest special exhibit, Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture, opened this weekend and will be on display through May 17th. The show covers the diverse cultural advances and innovations in design that came out of the West Coast around the late 50s and early 60s. Birth of the Cool focuses at first on the visual art and architectural styles that typify mid-century modern design.
Be Mine?: Love's Writ at Studio2Gallery [Art Review]
In a society that often limits its definitions of love, Studio2Gallery's current exhibit, Love's Writt is a welcome expansion, particularly as Valentine's Day waves its silken-gloved hand in the distance. The vibrant collection, featuring thirteen local artists and almost fifty different works, explores passion from every angle.
Take A Seat: Texas Chair Project at AMOA [Art Review]
Sculpture artist Damien Priour has been collecting chairs for a few decades now. Although he usually works in large scale limestone and glass installations, he was inspired to create 100 miniature chairs with the same materials and tools he uses to make his larger pieces. To further his creative project, Priour sent eighty-eight of the chairs in eight inch square boxes to artists all over the state. The small chairs were accompanied with a letter explaining that the chair was a gift, but that if the recipient so desired, they could create their own chair, pack it back in the same box, and send it off to Priour. And so The Texas Chair Project was born. The diverse collection of miniature chairs that resulted from this artistic exchange is currently on display at the Austin Museum of Art.

