Insider's Guide to WEST

Local artist shares 10 favorite picks for the 2014 WEST Austin Studio Tour

The West Austin Studio Tour is proof that not all of the creativity in our city resides east of I-35. The tour, now in its third year, sets its boundaries inside MoPac, Highway 183, I-35, and Highway 71. It is a delicious glimpse into the hidden studios of local painters, sculptures, furniture designers, jewelers and photographers. With over 200 stops on the tour, it can be hard to figure out where to start. So we at CultureMap have provided 10 worthwhile stops guaranteed to please.

Stop #62 – Casey Diebold
If you're a fan of old dime store crime novels, this spot is for you. Diebold captures the pulp drama through beautifully painted noir scenery and dames to kill for. Just make sure that doll holding the snub nose revolver isn’t aiming at you! 2812 Nueces St. Ste. 101

Stop #44 – Glenda Kronke
When you walk into Kronke’s studio, you'll think that you have been transported inside the Great Barrier Reef. Her multicolored ceramics are inspired by everything exquisite found in nature. She creates pieces that work as decorative wall art, vessels or accent pieces. 6910 Shirley Ave. Ste. A & B

Stops #96 -101
Bluebonnet Lane is a quiet street off South Lamar Boulevard full of bewitching bungalows, many of which come with a back garage or coach house perfect for an artist studio. If you find yourself on Bluebonnet Lane make sure to stop by and see the unique oil paintings of Lena Adeline or the stunning photography of Alli Schukar. Bluebonnet Ln. (multiple addresses)

Stop #106 – W. Tucker
When you first see W. Tucker’s artwork, you might think a child drew them. But if you look long enough, the ideas start to sink in. His compositions are rooted in a more primal part of the brain. He draws with his non-dominant hand to "get out of his head." So make sure to stop by, loosen up and remember how wise your inner child is. 2108 Arpdale St.

Stop #109 – Litmus Industries
Have you ever been sitting in a charming coffee house, bar or restaurant and looked around and thought, "I wonder where they got these great light fixtures, furniture, accent pieces?" Well the answer is usually Litmus Industries. The company epitomizes Austin style by using gorgeous wood, refined steel fabrication and repurposed materials. The client list includes LaV, Hotel Saint Cecilia and STAG to name a few. 2401 Thornton Rd. Bldg. B2 #400

Stop #138 – Rory Skagen
OH NO! A flying Cyclops monster is attacking the city! Or wait, is it a princess flying around on a giant fudgesicle? Expect to see these subjects and more in Rory Skagen’s colorful and fun paintings. In addition to being a painter, Skagen is also member of Blue Genie Art Industries and is the creator of many of Austin’s best (and most famous) public murals. Don’t miss this stop; Skagen’s exhibitions always entertain. 2209 S. First St.

Stop #167-172 – Austin ArtSpace
Austin ArtSpace was founded by the Austin Visual Arts Associate in 2011 and has quickly become a haven for local artists looking for studios and a place to exhibit. This year’s WEST show presents Eileen McKeon Butt, Gina Gwen Palacios, Josh Henslee, Katie Ryan and Maggi Miller. ArtSpace also promises live music each afternoon of tour beginning at 2 pm. 7739 Northcross Dr. Ste. Q

Stop #189 – Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson’s artwork contains fragments of words and materials, but no complete narrative. Instead, he leaves it up to the viewer to put together the clues and finish the story. These paintings are sweeping in scale and each one is a brand-new puzzle to solve. His work is part of a larger show entitled "Trespass" at Hotel Ella including the works of Jon Windham, Matt Lankes, Maxine Price and Charles Umlauf. Hotel Ella, 1900 Rio Grande St.

Stop #218 – Austin Art Garage
For about seven years, the Austin Art Garage has been the place to find affordable local art. And the crew at the AAG knows how to spot a rising star. Buy a piece there cheap before your favorite artist goes international. 2200 South Lamar Blvd. Ste. J

Stop #212 – Ink Tank Vending Machine – Finally, somebody made a vending machine that dispenses cool ideas and good vibrations. The folks at INK TANK combined guided mediation, retail mercantilism and the Austin cultural landscape into a solar powered groove tool. This machine is part of a public project presented by Art Alliance Austin and made possible by a grant from the Downtown Austin Alliance. The official unveiling will take place Saturday May 17 at 3 pm. Republic Square Park, 422 Guadalupe St.

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For more information please visit the West Austin Studio Tour website. WEST catalogues are available for free at the WEST Group Exhibition Location (6406 N. I-35, Ste. 2850A) and at all branches of the Austin Public Library.

Casey Diebold will be feature at stop No. 62.

Casey Diabold Big Medium

Casey Diebold will be feature at stop No. 62.

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Bring on the rasquachismo

Irreverent Chicano art exhibit in San Antonio breaks the museum mold

Weird cactus sculpture at the McNay Art Museum

Photo courtesy of Salvador Jiménez Flores

“La resistencia de los nopales híbridos / The Resistance of Hybrid Cacti,” 2016, by Salvador Jiménez Flores.

Museums may largely be imagined with pristine exhibits and austere art, but San Antonio's McNay Art Museum is dipping into an inherently practical and irreverent Mexican-American aesthetic for its next exhibit. Rasquachismo: 35 years of a Chicano Sensibility celebrates art inspired by homes, lawns, flea markets, and more from December 19 to March 16.

Rasquachismo is a term referring to the often irreverent aesthetic of the underdog, derived from — and reclaiming — a term meaning "poor" or "vulgar." The words "resourceful" and "playful" also come up often in describing rasquache art. Think of camp or kitsch as similar, if not completely parallel, ideas.

Of course, intellectuals cannot resist trying to define this style that is inherently resistant to being nailed down. One of them, critic and scholar of Latinx art Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, coined the term in a 1989 essay called “Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility," which now serves as an anchor for the McNay exhibit.

"This outsider viewpoint stems from a funky, irreverent stance that debunks convention and spoofs protocol," Ybarra-Frausto wrote. "To be rasquache is to posit a bawdy, spunky consciousness seeking to subvert and turn ruling paradigms upside down—a witty, irreverent, and impertinent posture that recodes and moves outside established boundaries."

$Salvador Jim\u00e9nez Flores sculpture$ Part of the exhibit: “La resistencia de los nopales híbridos / The Resistance of Hybrid Cacti,” 2016.Sculpture by Salvador Jiménez Flores

In the case of the much more easily defined museum exhibit, this will mean centering San Antonio artists who work with DIY elements and who reference aesthetics and items found on city streets, in religious shrines, in graffiti designs, and more, often incorporating found objects. Fittingly, the works won't be bound to a single physical exhibit and will instead be scattered throughout the museum.

Some of the works on display for this exhibit come from the museum's collection, by artists like Margarita Cabrera, Chelo, Luis Jiménez, Yolanda López, César Martinez, Juan de Dios Mora, Chuck Ramirez, and Kathy Vargas. Some other works are on loan from elsewhere in San Antonio and other cities.

The works will also demonstrate the related and only slightly newer idea of domesticana. Artist and curator Amalia Mesa-Bains coined it in 1992 in response to Ybarra-Frausto's essay; it refers to "aesthetic interventions of women in the domestic sphere," as the museum summarizes it.

Nivia Gonzalez painting McNay A subtler piece: “Untitled,” ca. 1985-1995.Painting by Nivia Gonzalez

Ybarra-Frausto himself has given the exhibit his stamp of approval and has even loaned some works from his own collection. He helped shape the exhibit as a whole and has complimentary words to offer about the McNay.

“The McNay has always stood as an example of inclusivity and a celebration of diverse cultures,” said Ybarra-Frausto in a press release. “It is heartening to have [curator Mia Lopez] mount this exhibition in honor of that legacy and in celebration of our vibrant community, whose contributions to the cultural landscape are vast and significant.”

This will be Lopez's first show at the McNay, about a year after she was hired into the brand-new position.

“Rasquachismois not a cohesive movement but instead an ethos or aesthetic,” said Lopez in the release. “And to capture that spirit, we’re presenting this exhibition in a slightly different way.”

Just paragraphs after his initial definition in the landmark essay, Ybarra-Frausto points out the futility of putting it all into words; something that makes a museum exhibit both a fascinating attempt at the impossible and a fun way to keep turning the concept on its head.

Margarita Cabrera sculpture McNay A plant made of border patrol uniform: “Space in Between: Carrizos (Teresa Sanchez Garay),” 2010.Sculpture by Margarita Cabrera

"Rasquachismo is a visceral response to lived reality, not an intellectual cognition," he wrote. "To encapsulate a sensibility into words is already a short circuit of its dynamism. What follows then is a nonlinear, exploratory, and unsolemn attempt at tracking this irrepressible spirit manifested in the art and life of the Chicano community."

For more unsolemn attempts in less complicated language, Ybarra-Frausto and Lopez will get together on November 17 at 6 pm for a public conversation at the museum.

“This exhibition is a celebration,” said Lopez. “And it’s an exploration of how Chicano and Latinx art have embodied a spirit of resilience and defiance.”

The McNay museum is located at 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. More information about the museum is available at mcnayart.org.

visual art mexican american culture