But, I Could Do That
Thu. 06/28 | 8:00PM - Sun. 07/01 @ The Off Center (East Side)
a shockingly-joyous, blindingly-comical performance extravaganza featuring an original score by Cari Palazzolo -- lead singer of Austin's indie-pop sensations, Belaire. Sur…more»
The Pillowman - Extended until July 21
Thu. 06/07 | 8:00PM - Sat. 07/21 @ Hyde Park Theatre (Campus)
Sold out the first 4 weeks...NOW EXTENDED until July 21st.In this very black comedy indeed, a short story writer (Jude Hickey) must answer to the police when his horrifying--and unpublished--f…more»
The Threepenny Opera Thursdays-Saturdays @ 8pm; Sundays, 5pm
Fri. 06/01 | 8:00PM - Sun. 07/08 @ Austin Playhouse
The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill June 1 - July 8, 2007 Austin Playhouse proudly presents Brecht and Weill's sexy, sinister, and groun…more»
Jesus Christ Superstar
Thu. 05/24 | 7:00PM - Sun. 08/12 @ ZACH Scott Theatre (South Austin)
By Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice May 24 - July 15, 2007 ZACH's Kleberg Stage Buy Tickets From The Passi…more»
Parallel Lives: The Kathy and Mo Show
Thu. 06/21 | 7:00PM - Sun. 07/08 @ City Theatre Co (North Austin)
Two actresses, twenty-five characters, one seriously funny comedy!!! Thursdays - Saturdays 8pmSundays 5:30pm Tickets $15, Students $10Pay what you can June 21 512-524-2870info@c…more»
Master Drawings from the Yale University Art Gallery
Fri. 06/01 | 10:00AM - Sun. 08/12 @ Blanton Museum of Art (Campus)
ScheduleJune 1 - August 12, 2007. Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 10am - 5pm, Thurs 10am - 8pm, Sun 1pm - 5pm AA-S Best Bet: "Master Drawings from the Yale University Art Gallery," the Blan…more»
Cantaker/us: The Cantanker Magazine Staff Show
Fri. 06/01 | 10:00AM - Fri. 07/06 @ Else Madsen Gallery (Downtown)
Schedule June 1 - July 6. Mon. - Fri. 10 am - 5 pm, Sat. by appointment From Austin360:AA-S Best Bet: In honor of its one-year anniversary, Ca…more»
Sterling Allen: Writesy Drawsy
Sat. 06/09 | 7:00PM - Sat. 07/07 @ Art Palace
Schedule June 9 - July 7, 2007. Saturdays 12-5pm, Wednesdays 7-9pm, and by appointment. XL Recommended - 'Sterling Allen: Writesy Drawsy': Seems long over…more»
Dress Up: Portrait and Performance in Victorian Photography
Every Sunday 7:00PM @ Harry Ransom Center (Campus)
September 4 - December 30, 2007Tues., Wed. and Fri. from 10am - 5pm Thurs. from 10am - 7pmSat. and Sun. from noon - 5pm
Power Craft new work by Whitney Lee
Thu. 06/28 | 6:00PM - Sat. 08/04 @ Women & Their Work (Downtown)
Opening Reception : Thursday, June 28, 6 -8 pm Women & Their Work presents new work by Austin based artist Whitney Lee. Lee has subverted the craft world by interjecting sexy la…more»
'Interchange: An Exhibition in Three Parts'
Sat. 06/30 | 7:00PM - Sat. 08/25 @ Creative Research Laboratory
Profile AA-S Best Bet: "Interchange: An Exhibition in Three Parts" presents work from 15 master of fine arts candidates from the University of Texas. The show is curated by six …more»
New American Talent: The Twenty-Second Exhibition
Fri. 06/15 | 7:00PM - Sun. 08/19 @ Arthouse at the Jones Center (West Sixth)
The twenty-second in a series of annual juried exhibitions, New American Talent features the work of emerging national artists working in a variety of media including sculpture, painting, phot…more»
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by Andrew Long
August 2007
A noticeable shift in this year’s New American Talent (NAT) exhibition, at Arthouse in Austin through August, is the curator’s exacting attention to photography. Digital technology is increasing the amount of photography being created and presented today.
Image
Dave Woody
Amelia
2006
Digital print
38 × 30 inches
While photography is intermittently included in survey exhibitions, NAT would suggest that the kids are now being allowed to sit at the grown-ups’ (i.e., the painters’) table. Although the photography in NAT often feels like an afterthought, curator Anne Ellegood of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., has made a bold move in bringing the medium front and center. The overall quality of the photographic works from the 850 applicants is surprising, given that many photographers are reluctant to apply to this annual juried exhibition due to its exclusion of this medium in past years.
The major weakness of NAT is the presentation of too many subsections, resulting in the feeling of a clump of work here, a clump of work there. This is true of theme (race and alienation), medium (ink, found materials and works on paper) and style (juxtaposition, overlay and sparseness). The unifying factor is the very lack of resonance — not one part jumps out or tends to be all that exciting.
NAT artists ask more questions than they provide answers to the exhibition’s question of what is new. To paraphrase choreographer Martha Graham, You can’t make up work, you have to discover it. But it seems as if many of the artists are mimicking one another’s styles rather then forging new ground. (This may simply reflect a national trend as more and more artists are graduating from MFA programs.) What you get here is fewer tour de force, whizbang pieces and more of a slow burn. While the former can sometimes be too much sugar, not enough substance, there are several exceptions.
Image
Mark Schatz
Moving Gehry
2007
Cardboard Installation
Dimensions vary
Dave Woody’s large, meditative photographic portraits are a rare treat. Their power lies in their simplicity: you carry away only what is present. With so much recent attention garnered by European photographers like Rineke Dijkstra and Thomas Ruff, the portrait is hard to make fresh. But Woody conveys a newness through a reduced color palette and the positioning of his subject, thus encouraging us to look full on. Allison Wermager’s BEEEEP, a sound installation of found answering machines, is perfectly done. Most of the messages are trivial and inconsequential, lacking any real interpersonal connection, although at times a more emotional message surfaces. Wermager serves up these vestiges of late technology in a huge jumbled pile, where distorted voices, power cords, and telephone wires have been preserved in a bizarre chasm of posterity. Roberto Bellini’s video work Landscape Theory captures the artist at work attempting to tape a horde of black grackles gathering at sunset. An older man approaches off-camera and warns Bellini at garrulous length that he can’t tape the birds: “People are on edge. Looks like you’re videotaping that overpass. The police have been making arrests for things like that.” The whole interaction is heard as a voiceover to other sunset images. Normally difficult to pull off, Bellini’s post-9/11 discourse speaks brilliantly to our collective loss of innocence and public space.
Image
Rebecca Rothfus
Untitled (highway one)
2006
Gouache, pencil and paper on panel
14 × 11 inches
The setup to Damien Gilley’s Parking Lot Miracle video piece starts off predictably –– a man walks across a deserted parking lot, sees a boombox on the ground, then continues on. Seconds later he returns to look around, and realizing he is alone, he presses play and begins to dance. The payoff to this short video is a memorable section halfway through: As the dancer is in the middle of a midair barrel turn, Gilley suspends the tape and jogs the frame back and forth a number of times, mimicking the break-beat scratching of a cheesy Casio keyboard loop. The gravity-defying choreography is charming and humorous and fresh even upon multiple viewings. Equally engaging is Elizabeth Axtman’s video American Classic, which effectively moves the race discussion forward in a cunning, yet direct manner. Framed by her hair, Axtman faces the camera directly and lip-syncs lines lifted from old movies about racial passing. Although we see her underlying torment, Axtman could also break out laughing at any moment as the joke is on the viewer, or at least on those viewers with bigoted perceptions. There are several other strong race-based works present, including Sonseree Verdise Gibson’s Let’s Discuss the Word “Nigger” and Brad Farwell’s An African Mask Looks at Sites of American Blackness: New Orleans Superdome.
Image
William Hundley
Checkers
2006
Digital print mounted on Plexiglas
22 1/2 × 30 inches
Several works of note for their material investigation include William Hundley’s photographs of suspended fabrics; Jonathon Durham’s Foreskin, composed of tobacco, oil clay and a remote control helicopter; Suzanne Wright’s large-scale colorful drawing “Rainbow Highway” (G.W.B.); Wonjung Choi’s delightful mixed-media installation evoking a kindred spirit to the fish imagery of Lee Bontecou; and Ansen Seale’s crafted screenprint Oil for Food, with its purposeful substitution of the artist’s blood for ink.
Relational works in NAT abound: Jenene Nagy’s topologically themed sculptures; Joseph Phillips’ works on paper; Miguel-Angel Avila and Michael Cambre’s use of collaged imagery; the sparse nature of both Jennifer Nelson and Wura-Natasha Ogunji’s works on paper; Felice Grodin and Elwyn Palmerton’s migrating Mylar ink drawings; and the organized line qualities of work by Tom Mueske and Kirk Stoller.
On first view, NAT seemed exciting in its new commitment to photography, but subsequent viewing revealed an overall palette that felt gray, both in tone and vision. But this is the current state of the union, is it not?
Buttons and Bows Show: Hilah's Dollhouse
Tue. 06/05 | 8:00PM - Sat. 07/21 @ Salvage Vanguard Theater (Campus)
Hilah’s Dollhouse is a patriotic moral farce presented by Buttons and Bows, featuring original songs and script by Mark Stewart, as well as American classics by Livingston and Evans, Bud…more»
Radio Silence
Every Sunday 8:00PM - Sun. 08/31 @ The Vortex (East Side)
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Radio and its dwindling efficacy as a modern medium becomes the lens through which performance poet Zell Miller III tackles current events in his newest show. ‘Radio Silence’ features performances by Miller along with Wanda Holland and Ebony Stewart. Choreography by Ananda Maya Moss.
— Jeanne Claire van Ryzin
more at austin360.com
Will van Overbeek: Photographs of Barton Springs
Sat. 05/19 | 7:00PM - Wed. 08/22 @ Austin Museum of Art (Downtown location) (West Sixth)
Will van Overbeek graduated in 1978 from the University of Texas where he studied under photographer Garry Winogrand. Van Overbeek's first major project was a photo documentary book entitl…more»
Artistic License: WorkSpace Artist Josefina Guilisasti
Thu. 06/28 | 7:00PM - Sun. 10/21 @ Blanton Museum of Art (Campus)
Artistic License is a chance to get up close and personal with Blanton artists. Meet leading Chilean artist, Josefina Guilisasti on June 28 when she discusses her installation. Her work is fea…more»
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The Blanton Museum of Art is showing the artwork of Chilean artist Josefina Guilisasti in the exhibition titled “WorkSpace: Josefina Guilisasti.” The exhibit features eight canvases called “Marfa/Puerto Viejo,” influenced by the artist’s 2005 trip to Marfa.read more at austin360.com
The Constant Wife
Fri. 06/22 | 8:00PM - Sat. 07/14 @ The Vortex (East Side)
A comedy by Somerset Maugham Directed by Norman Blumensaadt Showtime Thursdays - Saturdays 8pmSundays 7pmNo performance Sunday June 24 Pick your price: $15, $20, $25 or $30…more»
Testimonio
Thu. 03/08 | 7:00PM - Fri. 08/31 @ La Pena
Testimonio La Peña Gallery 227 Congress Ave Austin, TX 78701 March 8 – August 31, 2007 La Peña proudly presents “Testimonio…more»
Leanne Venier's "Abstractions"
Sun. 07/01 | 12:00AM - Fri. 08/01 @ New World Deli
New World Deli is now featuring the energetic and sensuous abstract oil paintings of Leanne Venier. The artist breathes life into paint, and what emerges in her works is provocative and often …more»
Our Town - 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, 3pm Sundays
Fri. 06/15 | 8:00PM - Sun. 07/01 @ Howson Hall Theatre
The Quintessential American Play Set in turn of the 20th century Grovers Corners, New Hampshire, Our Town explores the universal themes of family, community, marriage and death. This time…more»
Moonlight Cinema
Every Sunday 8:00PM @ The Belmont (West Sixth)
Funny Films for Free. Every Sunday at 8 pm.Join us Sunday nights for an interactive film viewing experience with live action entertainment, sing-a-longs, and contests.Host Jerm Poll…more»
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The Belmont continues its outdoor theater series this month with four films starring Matt Dillon. Tonight’s taste of Dillon is ‘The Flamingo Kid.’ The film is shown on the big screen and features dinner specials.read more at austin360.com
KNOCKED UP -- 12:05p, 3:35p, 7:15p, 10:20p
Fri. 06/29 | 7:00PM - Sun. 07/01 @ Alamo Drafthouse Village (Campus)
KNOCKED UP Rated R; 129min; Director:Judd Apatow On the heels of 2005's blockbuster The 40-Year-Old Virgin, writer/director Judd Apatow again mines hilarity from the rel…more»
6.07 Works
Fri. 06/22 | 7:00PM - Sat. 08/18 @ Salvage Vanguard Theater (Campus)
Come and enjoy the premiere exhibition of 6.07 Works with art from Adde Russel and Debra Broz.Tickets: Free AdmissionDates: June 22-August 18, 2007 Times: Tuesday-Saturday 7:00pm-11:00pm
Testimonio
Thu. 03/08 | 7:00PM - Fri. 08/31 @ La Pena
La Peña proudly presents Testimonio at La Peña Gallery. This exhibition showcases the ceramic and sculptural work as well as honoring the life of Marsha Gomez. Marsha Gomez was a…more»
'An Almost Holy Picture'
Fri. 05/18 | 7:00PM - Sun. 08/05 @ ZACH Scott Theatre (South Austin)
Schedule July 19 - August 26, 2007. Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pmrofile XL Recommended - 'An Almost Holy Picture': In Heather…more»
“Dress Up: Portrait and Performance in Victorian Photography” explores how the culture differed in this period from current times. Photography started in the Victorian era, and it distinguished itself by creating tableaux of imagery and theoretical visions.read more at austin360.com