An ominous black piñata shaped like a B-2 bomber greets visitors walking through the doors at Arthouse in downtown Austin. Around the corner stands a John Deere tractor made entirely of clay; a string of Japanese fireworks dangle from the ceiling. Five of the state’s most under-recognized artists are featured in the new Arthouse Texas Prize exhibit, which marries unexpected beauty with mind-bending artistic statements. The exhibit was designed to celebrate the broad spectrum of......

Conventional wisdom holds that watercolor paintings are often small to medium-size pictures depicting an urban or rural landscape, offering a visual narrative of an old neighborhood or perhaps a lovely snapshot of a seascape in winter. "Quaint," "homey," "charming,"—such are the words and phrases that come to mind. Not so for the new collection of works by watercolor artist Jan Heaton, currently on exhibit at the Wally Workman Gallery. Heaton’s over-sized watercolors are giant effervescent......

(FIRST) THURSDAY [7] party • Official Space Launch Celebration at Salvage Vanguard Theater (9:30pm) music • Go Motion! at Beauty Bar music • The Dollyrots, Alright Tonight, The Sweethearts, Abby Birds at Emo's music • Vietnam and Greg Ashley, The Strange Attractors, The Golden Boys at Emo's music • Scott Miller, The Commonwealth, The Gougers at Stubb's music • An Evening with Old Crow Medicine Show at The Parish Room music • Locals @ La......

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......

THURSDAY [3] film • Austin Film Festival screens "The Ballad of A.J Weberman" at Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (7:30pm Free/$4 Members/General) art • West End Gallery Night at Participating Galleries (Until 8pm) art • Blanton Museum of Art Public Tour: An Introduction to Prints at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress (7-8pm) books • Book Release Party: Collecting the Imagination: The First Fifty Years of the Ransom Center at The Harry Ransom Center (7:00pm)......

Ed Note: Please note that the Mobile Art Place opening party mentioned yesterday is not actually free, but is open to those attending Night at the Galleries. Sorry for the inconvenience. FRIDAY [23] music • Maneja Beto, The Interest Kills, The Laughing, White Denim at The Compound ($5, 18+, 9pm, 1300 East 4th Street) comedy • The Frank Mills perform their new sketch show, "One Classy-Ass Show," at Blue Theatre (DEETS) books • Abriendo Brecha......

Gallery Lombardi, having bid farewell to its warehouse on West 3rd, will present its inaugural show at the new gallery space on West 7th in a matter of weeks, but in the meantime they're hard at work on a new project with local creative "enablers" from We Manage Stuff. The endeavor is called Mobile Art Place, and it seeks to enhance our city's access to new art (and artforms) by taking them out of......

You've seen Mark Joiner belt buckles, even if you haven't even realized it. They are stunning in their mod appeal and nothing less than perfect creations in themselves. Both impressively geometric and intricately color-balanced, these belt buckles leave their the rest of an outfit looking almost insignificant. Sure, glass buckles are fashionable, but these take the cake -- not the fruitcake, mind you, but the three tiered chocolate and vanilla cake. Each buckle is......

FRIDAY [26] [party] Salvage Vanguard Theater opening party at 2308 Manor Rd (Free, 6-10pm) [link] [DJ] Escape Hatch with DJ Starsign at Shady Tree Studios (Free, 7-10pm) [link] [music] Liars, The Apes, and Deerhunter (inside) at Emo's [link] [music] Pinback and Mary Timony (outside) at Emo's [link] [music] Snow Patrol and the Duke Spirit at Stubb's [link] [music] Black Tusk, Vitality (Houston), Bitter End, Balls Out, Navajo Radio, G&G, Porch Crowd, Not The Government at......

T U E S D A Y [31] » [music] Ghetto Princess, Secular End, The Total Foxes, Tomorrow's Too Late at Emo's » [comedy] Live Comedy Happy Hour at Beerland (8pm) » [karaoke] Karaoke Explosion at The Peacock » [books] Galt Niederhoffer presents Taxonomy of Barnacles at Bookpeople (7pm) » [politics] Austin League of Women Voters puts on the State of the City dinner with Mayor Will Wynn as the evening's speaker at the Austin......

M O N D AY [ 31 ] music/party · The White Ghost Shivers' Halloween Ball at American Legion Hall! Burlesque, Independence Brew, apple bobbing with the TX Roller Girls, Tarot card readings, a kissing booth and more. The White Ghost Shivers will also be performing a live soundtrack to accompany Buster Keaton's "Cops." ($25, 9pm) music · Galactic, Mofro and New Monsoon at Stubb's music · Halloween Show at Emo's with Flametrick Subs, Satans......