One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the winter. (Henry David Thoreau)
A Little Bit of Summer
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Author Archives: janis
The Contemporary Austin at Laguna Gloria
The Contemporary at Laguna Gloria is located west of downtown Austin at the end of West 35th Street. When I last visited, this location was called the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA). A few years ago, AMOA merged with downtown’s Arthouse at the Jones Center to form a new entity, The Contemporary Austin. The Laguna Gloria site now focuses on outdoor sculpture and art installations and is home to The Art School.
Harry Ransom Center
The mission of the Harry Ransom Center is to “advance the study of the arts and humanities.” Located on the west side of the University of Texas campus, the Ransom Center is primarily an archive and library. The first floor is open to the public and features two small permanent exhibits: a Gutenberg Bible is on display, one of five complete copies in the US, and also the first photograph, taken in France in 1826 or 1827. Larger, rotating exhibits are assembled from the Center’s extensive collection. Two of my recent favorites have been Radical Transformation: Magnum Photos into the Digital Age and The King James Bible: Its History and Influence.
Election Night: 2014
Polls for the mid-term elections just closed here at 7 PM CST this evening. It will be quite interesting to see who wins the local races for Austin mayor and City Council seats. Outside of Austin, Texas is a “red” (Republican) state, so those state-wide contests are most likely to be won by Republicans.
F1 Fan Fest: 2014
The 2014 Formula 1 US Grand Prix just ended a few hours ago. Bill and I didn’t go out to see the race at the Circuit of the Americas, but we did watch some of the action on TV this afternoon. As in previous years, downtown Austin was relatively quiet during the daytime when everyone was out at the racetrack. Evenings were crowded, especially on Friday, which was also Halloween.
Texas Book Festival – Day 2: 2014
After a busy and thoroughly enjoyable Saturday, I spent a full Sunday at the Texas Book Festival as well. TBF organizers couldn’t have asked for a more picture-perfect weekend, although the crowds seemed a little lighter this year. Perhaps attendees were spread out over more sessions, but I’m guessing this was because there weren’t really any big name celebrity authors in town.
Texas Book Festival – Day 1: 2014
Last weekend’s Texas Book Festival featured over 250 authors, many of them from the Lone Star State. Sessions were free to attend. Proceeds from merchandise, donations, and vendor fees benefit the state’s public libraries. The festival was centered around the Texas State Capitol. Huge tents were set up on the surrounding streets for additional sessions, live music, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities, and vendors. Two downtown churches were used for sessions this year since The Paramount Theater was reserved for the Austin Film Festival.
Viva la Vida: 2014
Organized by the Mexic-Arte Museum, the Viva La Vida festival celebrated the Dia de los Muertos traditions of Mexico. The actual Day of the Dead holidays run from October 31 through November 2, but this festival was held earlier in mid-month, probably due to downtown scheduling conflicts.
Oktoberfest: 2014
Ich bin ein Oktoberfester!
ACL Fest – Day 3: 2014
Bill and I started the last day of ACL Fest with no definite plan in mind. With this year’s clear skies and cool-ish weather, we weren’t as tired on Sunday as in previous years. It also helped that we didn’t stay for most of the late evening headliners. ACL Fest Weekend Two is coming up, but it will be tough to beat the perfect weather of the first weekend. Most of the same bands are playing at both weekends, with a few exceptions (Lorde is only playing Weekend Two, for example).