On Tuesday, The Austin Bat Cave is hosting a screening of the film Ice Storm with Rick Moody, upon whose novel the Ang Lee film is based, all of which follows a discussion of the book with Moody and Evan Smith. The event takes place at the Blanton Auditorium, will also feature cocktails, and costs fifty bucks. more ›

It's the first day of October, the weather is beautiful, and we are in a mood to celebrate. Fall in Austin means tailgate parties, ACL Fest, Art Outside, Fun Fun Fun Fest, East Austin Studio Tour, and many other fantastic opportunities to enjoy our culturally rich and climatically temperate autumn. The Blanton is marking the season of change with an opening reception for a new exhibit, Turner to Monet: Masterpieces from The Walters Art Museum. The show will feature forty paintings from 19th century master painters and Impressionists like Claude Money, Edgar Degas, and Gilbert Stuart. The Blanton has also put together an exhibition of some of their permanent collection; Repartee will feature prints and drawings from 19th century artists to compliment the works in Turner to Monet. more ›

Looking for something to do tonight? Experience some high-brow culture on a low-class budget at the Blanton's Third Thursday event. Admission to the Blanton is free every Thursday, and on the third Thursday of each month, they stay open until 9pm and host special events. The evening kicks off with yoga in the galleries starting at 6:30pm. Yogis of all levels are invited to stretch and bend right alongside some inspiring works of art. At 7:30pm, Blanton curators will lead a tour and discussion with art collectors Mike Chesser and Faith and Dewayne Perry. Both Chesser and the Perrys recently donated new art to the Blanton that is being displayed in the summer exhibition New Works for the Collection. New Works features more than sixty new acquisitions and strengthens the museum's already strong collection of printmaking works, contemporary paintings, sculpture, and new media art. more ›

There are many great art events taking place around town this weekend. Here are some of the highlights: Celebrate the East Side in the heart of the 'hood on Saturday at Domy Books from 7-9pm. Photographer Rama Tiru will be giving an artist talk and signing copies of her book, Austin East of I-35. Through interviews and vivid photographs, Tiru captures the unique culture and history of the East Side of our fair city. more ›

With so many great openings and events taking place over the next few days, this is shaping up to be a busy weekend for art lovers. Here is a brief rundown of some of the highlights. See you at the galleries! BiRDHOUSE Gallery (1304 E. Cesar Chavez) is hosting a reception for Corinne Loperfido's new show Not Everything Will Be Okay But Some Things Will on Sunday from 6-10pm. Loperfido's carefully stitched and penned work often suggest traditional folk art, seen through the lens of contemporary, dry wit. BiRDHOUSE's openings always deliver all the charm of a neighborhood block party, so come out and toast our early spring. more ›

February is the month in which to celebrate all things hot and sexy; never mind that we're sopping wet, freezing cold, and that a stupid rodent prophesied six more weeks of winter. Lucky for us, the Blanton Museum of Art is ushering in February in style with their new exhibit, Desire. The group show, which opens on Friday with a very special B scene art party, includes recent work by international contemporary artists responding to the complex human emotion of desire. This major exhibition, commissioned by the Blanton, includes a full roster of events including special guest speakers, a film series, and gallery tours. Singer songwriter Suzanna Choffel and DJ Nicknack will entertain at Friday's B scene opening reception. Attendees can tour the new exhibit, participate in art activities, and join the Austinist crew to play an interactive game designed to facilitate mingling, art appreciation, and maybe even love connections! As always, the Blanton will provide free appetizers, tours, and access to a cash bar, and because this month marks the opening of a new exhibit, museum members get free admission to this event (general public tickets cost $12). more ›

Don't miss the great art events taking place around town this weekend. Here are just a few of the highlights: For those who prefer art that is generated on an 8-bit processor, make sure to be at Club DeVille on Saturday night. The Austin Museum of Digital Art is putting together yet another Digital Showcase with music and visual art in the key of geek. Canadian indie dance party rapper, Cadence Weapon, will headline the show. Participating visual artists include Varelsen, a Swedish motion graphic designer, CandyStations, a multidisciplinary artist who has provided visual projections for Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, Calexico, and M. Ward, and Mark Charles Brown from Baltimore's Wham City Art Collective. The show starts at 9pm and costs $10 for general admission and $5 for AMODA members. more ›

A few notable art exhibitions are opening this weekend, here's a rundown of the highlights. New American Talent returns to the Arthouse with its twenty-fourth annual juired exhibit. NAT:24 has been juried by Hamza Walker, the Curator and Director of Education for the Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago; he will be at the museum on Saturday at 3pm for a discussion about the latest exhibit. Past New American Talent exhibitions have featured emerging contemporary artists with work in a variety of mediums. Out of the twenty six artists selected to be in this year's show, twelve live and work in Texas. Admission to the talk and the Arthouse is free. New American Talent: 24 runs through August 23. more ›

Don't miss the great art related events taking place this weekend! Here's a rundown of some of the highlights: This is the last weekend to see the Blanton's The Birth of the Cool exhibit. The museum is offering public tours of the Midcentury show (on Saturday at 2pm, and on Sunday at 2pm and 3pm) and is extending hours on Saturday until 8pm. The Blanton will also be screening the film Visual Acoustics a documentary study that follows architectural photographer Julius Shulman. Filmmaker Eric Bricker will be on hand to give a Q&A. more ›

Usher in the summer in style tonight at the Blanton for yet another B scene art party. This month's event marks the final big celebration of the museum's impressive multi-disciplinary Birth of the Cool exhibit. The show covers visual art, architecture, interior design, music, and film from Midcentury Modern masters such as Charles and Ray Eames and Miles Davis. In fact, Austin's own jazz trumpeter Jeff Lofton and his quartet will be performing a Miles Davis Tribute set to get everyone in the mood to be cool. more ›

There are so many great upcoming and ongoing art events taking place this weekend, here's a rundown of the highlights: Tonight the Blanton is celebrating all things art with yet another B scene party. This month will focus on "art in motion"and will feature the Cohen New Works Festival, a biennial exhibit organized by the UT Department of Theatre and Dance. more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

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. more ›

On Sunday, the Blanton Museum of Art debuts their latest special exhibit, Birth of the Cool. The show focuses on art, design, and culture from the West Coast from around the mid-century. This ambitious exhibit encompasses not only visual art, but also the architecture, furniture design, film, and music that have come to exemplify the mid-century modern aesthetic. more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

This Friday, join the staff at the newly expanded Blanton Museum of Art as they host their monthly art party, B scene. For February's celebration of all things art and parties, the museum is focusing their attention on the passionate and scandal-filled world of Gods and Goddesses. Docent led tours will highlight pieces in the Blanton's collection that relate to Greek and Roman mythology and culture. Local indie rock sweethearts, Golden Bear will perform in the gallery at 9pm and DJ Jennifer will provide the rest of the evening's musical entertainment. B scene patrons can enjoy free appetizers and refreshing drinks from a cash bar. more ›

Don your most festive outfit and head over to the Blanton for tonight's Winter Formal B scene. This edition of the museum's monthly art party will feature musical entertainment by Austin's own Karaoke Apocalypse, the live karaoke back-up band, and of course, you on vocals. Event organizers are encouraging attendees to wear their "best - or worse - evening wear and dance the night away". We're busting out every bejeweled Christmas tree item of clothing we can find. The Reflex DJs will be spinning tunes throughout the night, and admission includes gallery tours, art activities, and appetizers. A cash bar will be set up and serving, among other things, Blantinis. more ›

This weekend, the Blanton Museum of Art is celebrating the completion of the Blanton complex by unveiling the Edgar A. Smith Building. The new facility, which is adjacent to the James A. Michener gallery building, houses the museum's cafe, a gift shop, an auditorium, and classrooms for art and education events. The Smith building also provides much needed administrative offices for the Blanton staff. The opening of the new structure makes the Blanton the largest university museum in the United States. The Blanton has plans to use the auditorium and classrooms for both UT and community events, and is working with the Austin Film Society to screen films in the 300 seat theatre. more ›

On Friday, the Blanton Museum of Art will host yet another B scene party. This month's festivities will celebrate the museum's newest exhibits, Reimagining Space and The New York Graphic Workshop. Docents will be on hand to lead tours of the new exhibitions and attendees can participate in a variety of NYC themed activities. Austin's own garage-pop quartet, The Strange Boys, will be providing the fitting auditory accompaniment for the evening. As always, patrons can enjoy free appetizers and refreshing drinks from the cash bar. Tickets to B scene are available online or at the museum and cost $5 for museum members and $10 for the general public. more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

Celebrate the heat of summer while surrounded by cool art at the Blanton's monthly B Scene party. The fitting theme for tonight's festivities is "Summer Celebration" and the museum invites its visitors to socialize and peruse art (and sip cocktails) in their many air-conditioned galleries. more ›