Tonight, the Mexican American Cultural Center will hold an opening reception from 7pm-9pm for the group exhibit, Heir today, gone tomorrow. Featuring the work of artists from Texas, Tennessee, and Mexico, more ›

On Saturday, from 5-10 pm, Artpost, Bay 6, Big Medium, and Pump Project will open their studio doors for the second edition of Springboard. Make your way on over to the eastside for a mid-year visual snack before the year-end buffet that is E.A.S.T. more ›

TCA is committed to advancing Texas' economy by investing in the arts and creative expression. They accomplish this mission through awarding grants to various non-profit arts organizations and individual creatives throughout the state. more ›

With the digitization of content and identity on a steady increase, there's a great cultural squashing/mashing/flattening going on that is nothing if not exciting. Of course, there's a lot more to the story and it's a subject that most with a pulse have at least a passing interest in. more ›

Of all the work featured, it was the sculptural remnants and photo documentation of TJ Hunt's performance The True Artist Carries the Weight of the World that drew me out. Though the performance has passed, the exhibition successfully pins the viewer to the donkey of sweat, dirt and burden that Hunt staged a few weeks back. more ›

The Paramount Theatre, in conjunction with Austin's creative community, is taking the politicians out of the political arena and onto the stage in order to answer public questions pertaining to the arts. At 7pm tomorrow, Tuesday, March 29, the city council candidates on the ballot for the May election will partake in this Q&A session. The evening's forum will be moderated by Evan Smith, CEO and editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune. more ›

Earlier this week, two Austin City Council members announced a plan to start sending “creative industries ambassadors” to other parts of the country. more ›

• AZ Rep. Giffords on her way to Houston for further treatment/future rehab.
• Ronald Barber remembers the shootings in Tucson vividly, except for Judge Roll's attempts to save him.
• Abortion: the GOP's next target.

As ACL hits Austin this weekend, it is easy to forget that the Fall gala event season is already upon us. Tonight's Tour De Vin at Whole Foods kicks everything off, but next week brings us one of Austin's biggest food, wine, and charity events of the year: The Austin Museum of Art's 21st Annual La Dolce Vita party. Held each year on the grounds of the museum's original Laguna Gloria location overlooking the lake, the event couldn't be more picturesque. The party is an amalgam of gourmet food, fine wine, cocktails, and the aforementioned fairytale wedding setting. more ›

Less than a year after moving to Austin from Ohio, popular internet radio station WOXY.com has closed. The station went silent around 9 am today, and a note on the station's website read: "Due to current economic realities and the lack of ongoing funding for WOXY's operations, we've been forced to suspend our live broadcasts as of March 23rd. We're continuing to explore options to keep The Future of Rock and Roll alive." more ›

Hundreds of Austinites came out to celebrate the second birthday of local arts nonprofit strataTX at este last Wednesday. Dubbed "Second on Sixth," the anniversary fête featured: a set by local musician John Pointer; hip-hop moves by the Bboy City Dancers; video installations curated by AMODA; a performance by improv troupe Paralellogramophonograph; and live graffiti art by Sloke, aka Austinite Nathan Nordstrom. more ›

Drunk man with truckload of guns arrested at Hays High School. More details released on what led to the cops closing down a section of Windsor Park yesterday. CapMetro strike negotiations resumed today. Distillery shed "a total loss" after explosion in Dripping Springs this morning. State Rep. Kino Flores under criminal investigation for sketchy travel deals. more ›

This week's news in art, books, music, and film. more ›

The week's news in the world of art, books, film and music. more ›

The world's just not as much fun as it used to be, what with all the global warming, credit crises, genocide, and other assorted world events that get us down, bum us out and convince us that, yeah, totally—the sky is falling. Thank goodness for Joe Hartman's new one man show, Overwhelming Underdogs, in its second strong week at Arts on Real. Hartman's writing and acting, Kirk German's directing, and maybe a glass of wine from the in-theatre bar is the perfect antidote to thinking about all that other stuff. more ›

Loaded Gun Theory is running their original new work The Automat at the Dougherty Arts Center. One word: Robots! 3/6-8, 12-15 @8pm & 3/9 @ 5pm. [tickets] // Austin darling Joe Hartman brings his Overwhelming Underdogs to Arts on Real. Thru 3/16, Th-Sa @8pm / Sun @5:30. [tickets] more ›

He’s a master of sampling and an early proponent of turntablism, but you won’t find Carl Stone working with Kanye any time soon. Instead, throughout his musical career, minimalist pioneer Stone has taken experimented with electronics and sound in a way that recalls his hero John Cage and other irrepressible avant-garde musicians of his ilk. more ›

Starting on Thursday evening, The Long Center is offering a Sneak Peak of the facility, with building tours on Thursday and Friday from 6-10p, and all day Saturday and Sunday from 10a-10p. The performance schedule is a tad overwhelming, so we're pointing out the theatre goodies we'd most like to see. more ›

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm. more ›

Watching the presidential primary unfold these last few weeks, the thought has often occurred to us: "When will Obama and Clinton shut up about saving the people of Darfur from displacement and genocide, and start talking about the important stuff, like plaigarized speeches and superdelegates?" Haven't had the same reaction? Tonight, a very different kind of politics will be on display at the B. Iden Payne Theatre at the University of Texas. Our city will play host to one of the great voices for democracy and social justice in post-colonial Africa. more ›

The week's news on arts, books, film and music. more ›

With incredibly varied subject matter, there is sure to be an Oscar nominated film that you really love, that is if you don't fawn over every single one. And, come on, if you hate any of the films, the next picture will start in about 20 minutes, at the most. more ›

If you're interested, drop us a line (editor at austinist.com) with your basic bio (keep it short!) and a writing/photo samples (keep it short!). We'll get back to you in the next couple of weeks if there's a match! more ›

This year's SXSW Music lineup seems to be taking shape a bit more quickly than last year, as bands have taken it upon themselves to announce showcases publicly before the official list release by SX organizers. This is a departure from prior years, but since festival officials aren't complaining, we assume they're happy to let the hype build as the acts trickle in. This week's top twelve additions: more ›

On “Cruel Thing” the soul influence is obvious, as is a touch of Burt Bacharach, on this sweet and smooth song with female backup singers, some keyboard prances and gentle layers of strings. Singer/songwriter Perry Serpa does his best Marvin Gaye on the track off A Moveable Feast. The horns, woodwinds and strings all contribute to the triumphant chorus on “Through With Love,” which has Serpa declaring just that. more ›

The Teresa Long Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Palmer Auditorium) will be opening with a bang in early March 2008. Enter: "The Earth Harp," a gargantuan outdoor stringed instrument created by these guys. /// Art thieves strike in Brazil! They robbed the Sao Paolo Museum of Art (MASP), making off with two paintings worth a total of approximately $100 million dollars. The paintings: Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (Picasso) and The Coffee Worker (Portinari). The holdings at the MASP are regarded by many as Latin America's most important art collection. more ›

• Schwarzenegger continues to make us weirdly like him. (But we're still not moving to California.)
• Castro beginning to show signs of willingness to retire.
• Monkeys are better at estimating quantities than Duke undergrads.

Psst, guess what? Refraction Arts has added a show to their blockbuster remount of The Assumption. With reported shenanigans of mustache thievery (bet it was the all-powerful mustache of man-nation) and scores of "terrifying" ad-libbed lines (a la the master, Tim Conway), it's clear these players are having way too much fun. So they're offering up "Wild Winter Wonder-F#@king-Land Wednesday," a pay-what-you-can performance, night after tomorrow. If you want to skip that awkward, "how much can I pay" moment, we've got a pair of free tickets to blow out to one lucky reader. more ›