Arthouse's FIVE x SEVEN fundraiser kicked off last night with the Art Splurge party and sale. Nearly a thousand artists, many with Texas ties, donated some of their best, tiny work. Attendees were wined and dined in the Whitley Printing Building; he fans and rented air conditioning units could barely keep up with the looming summer heat, adding to the sense of pressure to find the perfect work of art. At 9pm sharp, a horn sounded and the buying began, inciting a few cordial squabbles over some choice pieces. There are plenty of great 5x7s left (many of our favorite pieces still had "for sale" tags on them as we reluctantly left at the end of the night). 5x7 will be open for tonight's Art Social from 8-11pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. Tickets for tonight's party are still available and admission to the exhibit and sale on Saturday and Sunday is free. more ›

We're excited to be a media sponsor for Arthouse's FIVE x SEVEN art show and sale. This year's rendition of the annual fundraiser will be different from past 5x7s - the usual venue, the Arthouse, is undergoing extensive renovations and won't be open to the public until the fall. Instead of skipping a year, the careful custodians of contemporary art have decided to throw an epic party (or two) celebrating hundreds of artists and raising money for Arthouse's programs, educational outreach, and exhibits. With help from Austin's official party planner, James Moody, Arthouse has moved their big fundraiser of tiny proportions to the Whitley Building (at 301 Brazos). more ›

Next week, Arthouse is continuing another annual art tradition by presenting this year's installment of their FIVE x SEVEN art show and sale. Each year, Arthouse asks hundreds of artists to contribute one (or more) pieces of art measuring five by seven inches to the exhibit. Each work is then sold for $100 - to keep the playing field level, and to assure that everyone is buying art because they like it (a novel idea, we know!), the artist's identity remains a secret until a purchaser has handed over a crisp Ben Franklin. Artists participating this year include Sterling Allen, Leah DeVun, Sam Sanford, Fritz Haeg, and nearly a thousand others. Although each artist is constrained by a small canvas size, many do amazing things and we've seen some amazing three dimensional and multi-media pieces at 5x7's past. more ›

FRIDAY [18] festival • Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebrations at Palmer Events Center (11:30am-1pm) party • Nightster Launch Party with Riverboat Gamblers at Scoot Inn (Free Bud 8-9pm, Show at 10pm, 21+) art • Closing Reception: The Puppet Show - Puppets and portraits of Mexican artists by fourth-grade students at Sanchez Elementary at Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, 211 Congress (4:30-6pm) books • Milton Burton presents The Sweet and the Dead at BookPeople (7:00pm)... more ›

THURSDAY [17] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) art • Opening Reception: Denise Prince Martin: Things I Never Told You at Women and Their Work, 1710 Lavaca Street (6-8pm, the artist will discuss her work at 6:30pm) art • Downtown Art Night at Participating Galleries (6-9pm) art • Artist Talk: Ann Connor at Flatbed Press, 2830 E. MLK (6pm) art • Art Fix: Printmaking at The... more ›

MONDAY [14] comedy • Funniest Person in Austin Semifinals at Cap City Comedy Club film • "Willy Wonka" with Golden Ticket Giveaway at Alamo Downtown film • Music Monday: "Tim Buckley: My Fleeting House" at Alamo Downtown music • King Kong, Awesome Cool Dudes, Lalaland at Emo's music • Movie Mondays with "Style Wars" at Beauty Bar... more ›

Tomorrow night, Arthouse at the Jones Center is holding a Preview Party for 5x7: Art Splurge and Exhibition. This event was voted "Best Art Exhibition and Party" in the 2004 Chronicle Critics' Choice Awards. From the site: 5x7 is an art sale and exhibition benefiting Arthouse exhibitions and educational programs. Hundreds of recognized contemporary artists with strong Texas ties create unique works of art on identical 5” x 7” boards. Each board is only... more ›