state of the arts

Identity and fantasy shine in these 9 Austin art exhibits in June

As the summer heat cranks up in Austin, the city's art scene is ready to provide a much-needed break from the sweltering temperatures. From the bold juxtaposition of colors in Diana Greenberg's works inspired by Havana Vieja, to the fantastical realms created by Deanna Miesch, these exhibitions invite viewers to immerse themselves in the artists' unique perspectives and narratives.

A prominent theme emerging from this month's showcases is the exploration of identity and community. Monica Martinez-Diaz's "Trajectory of Grief" presents a raw and relatable story of death and the lives it leaves behind, while the Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA) exhibition at the Austin Public Library highlights the growing tenant power movement and the importance of housing justice for marginalized communities.

Grayduck Gallery

Katie Baldwin, Rachel Comminos, and Raul Rene Gonzalez: Sense of Space — through June 22
This exhibition showcases quilts, hand-tufted yarn, and concrete. Baldwin's works, inspired by her experiences in Taiwan, depict the traces of human activity and transformations of the landscape through Fauvist-inspired drawings and hand-pieced quilted textiles. Comminos translates self-exploration into tufted bursts representing portals, blooms, open wounds, and healing, connecting her art practice to her familial penchant for crafting. Gonzalez's body of work, titled "Umspringen," explores ideas such as automatism, schematism, and physical pictorial space, drawing inspiration from the works of Frank Stella and Neo Rauch.

Wally Workman Gallery

Diana Greenbert: Songs — through June 23
Greenberg, of Cuban heritage, draws inspiration from the bold juxtaposition of colors found in the architecture of Havana Vieja, while her more monochromatic works explore subtle changes in color and light. By layering drawings, utilizing various mediums, and paying attention to negative space, Greenberg aims to evoke a sense of calm in her works. The exhibition features oil and mixed media on canvas, balancing perceived messiness with structure and precision.

Women & Their Work

Monica Martinez-Diaz: Trajectory of Grief— through July 3
Martinez-Diaz features an array of work across multiple media, including large-scale photographic installations and a photographic series, focusing on the ambivalence Martinez-Diaz feels about her grief. Through her imagery, she presents beauty tinged with an undertone of sadness, creating contrasting visuals that reflect on the concepts of life and loss. The artist urges viewers to immerse themselves in pieces intended to present a raw and relatable story of death and the lives it leaves behind.

Ivester Contemporary

Juan De Dios Mora: Los Tremendos — through July 13
In "Los Tremendos," Juan de Dios Mora draws inspiration from Mexican luchadores (wrestlers) and guardian angels, exploring the role of physical and spiritual heroes in Mexican culture. The series reflects the emotions, physiological strengths, and behaviors of people in everyday life, both good and bad. Each "tremendo" represents a different emotion, ranging from humorous to formal, addressing the diverse society that embraces all forms of real expression, outrageous explanations, and surreal outcomes.

Josias Figueirido:Encounters in the Garden — through July 13
A solo exhibition by Josias Figueirido, featuring paintings on canvas and animated models that can be experienced through augmented reality. This immersive and interactive exhibition explores themes of friendship, community, curiosity, and the magic of discovery. Guided by Piri the Dreamer and Flying Coyote, visitors are transported to a fantastical world where autochthonous (idigenous) creatures, playful anthropomorphic plants, and animal-hybrids coexist in harmony. The scenes, set against vivid, colorful backgrounds, create a timeless atmosphere where the garden's creatures are most active, conveying a profound sense of awe and curiosity.

Austin Public Library

Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA): A Celebration of Tenant Power — through August 4
BASTA showcases the growing tenant power movement in Austin through images of tenants association meetings, protests, creative organizing tactics, community vigils, and disaster supply distribution. The exhibition emphasizes the importance of correcting the imbalance of power between landlords and tenants to secure housing justice for all people, especially communities of color and low-income, marginalized communities. BASTA's work is centered on dismantling the systems that prevent tenants from living in dignified and healthy homes.

Lydia Street Gallery

Deanna Miesch: Flatland Revisited — through August 11
Miesch draws inspiration from Edwin Abbot's "Flatland" and Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," creating a mish-mash of fantastical realms through painting, sculpture, photography, and felt media. The exhibition marks the first time Miesch will present her works formally at Lydia Street Gallery, bringing together various media and blending older works with new to delve further into the realm of fantasy.

Blanton Museum of Art

Anni Albers: In Thread and On Paper— through August 20
Focusing on the last 40 years of Albers's life (1899-1994), this exhibition highlights her remarkable ability to move between mediums and her transition between creating art and designing functional objects. Albers is considered one of the 20th century's most important textile artists. The pieces feature fibers and threads, evoking mazes, quilts, and handmade patterns, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to inspire artists and designers today.

Ransom Center

Elizabeth Olds: Public Works — through October 6
Olds (1896–1991), the first woman to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship for visual arts, became a driving force in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and later a celebrated children's book author-illustrator. This exhibition showcases over 100 prints, paintings, drawings, and illustrations from the 1920s to the 1960s. Through her work as a WPA printmaker and educator, Olds captured the essence of Depression-era America, championed the affordability and accessibility of silkscreen printing, and dedicated herself to experimentation. She hoped to activate the democratic possibilities of printmaking and mobilizing fine art as an impactful educational tool.

Katie Baldwin, Rachel Comminos, and Raul Rene Gonzalez: Sense of Space

Photo courtesy of Grayduck Gallery

Baldwin's art serves as a powerful emotional response to the essence of a location and the feelings it evokes.

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State of the Arts

7 Austin art exhibits breaking boundaries this December

Courtesy of Davis Gallery

B Shawn Cox blends western imagery with floral motifs and bold graphics at the Davis Gallery Holiday Show.

From experimental ceramics to multimedia installations incorporating found materials, Austin's early winter exhibitions showcase artists who are pushing the boundaries of their mediums while exploring themes of heritage, identity, and our relationship with nature.

Across seven venues, from the Blanton Museum to intimate gallery spaces like the Wally Workman Gallery, these exhibitions showcase both established and emerging artists. Their works invite viewers to experience familiar subjects through fresh perspectives, creating opportunities for both curiosity and education.

Dimmitt Contemporary

Michael Dines: Echoes of Tonalism — through December 13
Dines creates haunting works that transcend traditional landscape painting, using the natural world as a foundation for exploring deeper artistic elements. The artist creates a compelling tension between surface and depth, inviting viewers into mysterious, otherworldly scenes while simultaneously emphasizing their separation from these spaces. The resulting works feel like portals into an alternate reality, where familiar natural forms merge with abstract elements to create something entirely new.

Wally Workman Gallery

Will Klemm:Elevations — December 7-29
Klemm presents a collection of ethereal landscapes that capture nature's most evocative moments, from emerging sunsets to dusky forest scenes. A nationally recognized artist with more than 40 solo exhibitions across major U.S. cities, Klemm demonstrates his mastery of both pastel and oil in large-scale works that poetically interpret Southwestern landscapes from Texas to California.

Lora Reynolds Gallery

Tony Marsh: On the Clouds of Magellan — through January 1
Created over the past year, Marsh’s new sculptural works explore human torso forms and, for the first time in his career, wall-mounted pieces. The exhibition demonstrates his evolving approach to surface treatment, alternating between smooth and heavily textured surfaces, with experimental glazing techniques that include building with large chunks of glaze. Named after his father's poem about Magellan's explorations, the show marks a shift toward more personal and emotional expression in Marsh's work.

Blanton Museum of Art

Group Exhibition:Native America: In Translation — through January 5
This exhibition brings together nine Indigenous artists who explore contemporary Native identity through photography and multimedia works. The exhibition challenges historical photographic representations of Native Americans while presenting new narratives about Indigenous life today. Featured artists including Rebecca Belmore, Martine Gutierrez, and Kimowan Metchewais use various mediums — from Polaroids to video installations — to examine themes of memory, language, landscape, and beauty.

Group Exhibition: Long Live Surrealism! 1924-Today— through January 12
This multi-artist exhibition marks 100 years since Surrealism emerged as an artistic movement, changing modern perspectives by delving into dreams and the subconscious mind. The show includes pieces by key Surrealist figures such as Bellmer, Carrington, Ernst, Lam, and Ray, plus works by later artists like Kusama and Hood who were shaped by the movement's ideas.

Austin Public Library

Suzy González: Plantcestors — through January 12
González creates distinctive portraits that blend conventional oil painting with actual organic materials like pecans and seeds. Each work depicts members of local creative and social justice communities, with natural elements chosen to reflect each subject's background. The artist combines photography, gardening, gathering of materials, and preservation methods to produce layered compositions sealed in resin. These earth-toned works explore themes of cultural roots and heritage while physically incorporating elements from nature.

Davis Gallery

Group Exhibition: Breathe — through January 18
Davis Gallery’s 26th annual holiday show displays diverse works from 12 artists working across multiple mediums. The show features B Shawn Cox's vibrant acrylic paintings on fabric, which blend portraits with western themes, mixing feminine and masculine elements through unexpected color combinations and patterns. John Sager contributes mixed media assemblages crafted from found objects like printer's blocks, steel, and piano parts, while Lisa Beaman presents serene animal portraits depicting birds, rabbits, and cows in their natural settings.

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Courtesy of Davis Gallery

B Shawn Cox blends western imagery with floral motifs and bold graphics at the Davis Gallery Holiday Show.

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