I recently attended one of the two performances of Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers at The Long Center. This musical theater work was composed by Leonard Bernstein. Peter Bay, conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, was the driving force behind this ambitious production in honor of the centenial anniversary of Bernstein’s birth.
Along with many other cities around the country, a Families Belong Together Rally was held in Austin on June 30th. Our local rally took place on the south steps of the Texas State Capitol. The event was organized by the Children’s Defense Fund-Texas and sponsored by over 50 organizations, ranging from the Texas State Teacher’s Organization to Catholic Charities of Central Texas to the Sierra Club.
After I wrote about the new Fairmont Austin and its skyway to the Austin Convention Center, I wondered: how many skyways does Austin have? Time to investigate…
Austin City Hall is now hosting The People’s Gallery for 2018. Pieces by local artists are featured throughout the building, even in the stairwells. Visitors can vote for their top three favorites through October 26. Next year the City will purchase the winning artwork—the People’s Choice—to add to their permanent collection. The exhibition can be viewed through January 1, 2019 during regular City Hall business hours.
The Trail Bridge at Congress Avenue is now completed. This new section of the Butler Hike and Bike Trail replaces a narrow wooden bridge on the north side of Lady Bird Lake. This project was guided by The Trail Foundation and funded by local businesses and individuals.
This year I did both weekends of the West Austin Studio Tour. According to their website, WEST 2018 featured “198 Artist Studios, 155 Exhibitions, 20 Happenings, and 8 Libraries.” With a few exceptions, these locations were west of I-35, east of Mopac, south of 183, and north of William Cannon. That’s a huge swath of Austin—it’s impossible to see everything even over two weekends. So, my strategy for WEST (and EAST) has always been to pick a few places that look interesting and then visit some other nearby spots.
The Texas Memorial Museum is located on north end of the University of Texas campus. It opened in 1939 as a state natural history museum, but was eventually transferred to UT in 1959. Many of their items are donations, bequests, or discoveries by university scientists. This museum is a popular field trip for school children, but I can vouch that adults will enjoy their visit as well.
Earlier this month, Bill and I attended the annual O. Henry Pun-Off behind the O. Henry Museum in Brush Square Park. We joined hundreds of people who gathered under the large white tent and huge oak trees for a Saturday afternoon of pun.
Bill and I attended two benefit concerts as part of the sixth annual charity event called Mack, Jack & McConaughey. Mack Brown, the former UT football head coach, is now a sports commentator for ESPN. Jack Ingram is a singer/songwriter who just won a Country Music Award for co-writing Miranda Lambert’s hit, Tin Man. And actor Matthew McConaughey might be best-known around these parts for his naked bongo playing back in 1999. Daytime MJ&M events included a fashion show and a golf tournament, but we only attended the two evening concerts at the Austin City Limits / Moody Theater.
Almost 200 artists participated in the 68th annual Art City Austin. They came from all around the country, from Maine to California and many points in-between. About 20 of the artists were local, and two even traveled here from Canada. This annual fine arts festival is sponsored by Art Alliance Austin.