Bill and I started our first SXSW day early since we wanted to get SXpress movie passes. The line was long, but we got our passes just in time to get to the first session for SXSW Interactive. We spent most of the first day in the Austin Convention Center, except for lunchtime and the evening movies.
Bill and I picked up our badges and guides for South by Southwest (SXSW) this afternoon at the Austin Convention Center. SXSW Interactive and Film begin tomorrow. Music starts later next week.
I accompanied movie-lover Bill to the soft opening of Austin’s newest Alamo Drafthouse last weekend. This eat-in movie house is located in the Mueller neighborhood, the site of Austin’s old airport. We weren’t enthusiastic about the movie (The Red Turtle), but we loved the Alamo Mueller!
Last week Bill and I attended the opening reception for the 2017 People’s Gallery at Austin City Hall. For the rest of this year, 96 Austin artists are displaying their work throughout the building. Visitors can vote on their top three favorites through the end of October. The winner—“The People’s Choice”—will be announced at the 2018 reception and added to the city’s permanent collection.
It’s been a long time since my last Construction Update. There’s lots of exciting Austin construction news to report, especially on the western side of downtown.
Two of Austin’s art museums, The Contemporary Austin-Jones Center and the Blanton Museum of Art, recently completed major renovation projects. Both museums are worth a return visit if you haven’t been there lately.
A new exhibit, Stories to Tell has recently opened at the Harry Ransom Center, a research library / museum located on the University of Texas campus. This exhibit consists of over 250 items which demonstrates the wide range of the Ransom’s Center collection. Stories to Tell remains open through mid-July. Admission is free.
Last Saturday I joined over 40,000 demonstrators at the Women’s March on ATX. People of all ages and ethnicities rallied at the Texas State Capitol and marched through the streets of downtown Austin. The crowd was predominately female, but quite a few men participated, too.
To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I attended Austin’s MLK Community March on the Monday holiday. The route began at the University of Texas campus, stopped at the Texas State Capitol, and then continued to Huston-Tillotson University.
A new monument has been unveiled on the Texas State Capitol Grounds: the Texas African American History Memorial. Created by sculptor Ed Dwight, the monument portrays the history and experience of the African-American community in our state. It is installed on the southwest lawn near Congress Avenue and 11th Street.