Best Stops on the East Austin Studio Tour 2018
November 10, 2018
|
It’s time again to celebrate art in Austin. Here are our picks for the best stops on the East Austin Studio Tour!
Every November is the largest celebration of art in Austin, the annual East Austin Studio Tour (EAST). The Heywood Hotel, located in East Austin, is in the very center of the action.
In 2018, this free event takes place November 10-11 and November 16-17. There are more than 500 artists displaying their work in a variety of locations around our neighborhood, ranging from major galleries to shops, art complexes, pop-up tents, and the artists’ own studios, many of which are in their homes.
It’s a wonderful experience, with the opportunity to meet and purchase art directly from the artists. Many locations offer free treats like coffee, beer or cocktails, creating an approachable and fun atmosphere for viewing and buying art.
There’s no better or closer place to stay than the Heywood Hotel. We offer free bikes for exploring the studios, galleries, complexes and popups around the neighborhood and we have official EAST catalogs and maps for guests to use. Book your stay with us!
Here are some tips for making the most of the event, including the Heywood Hotel concierge team’s very favorite stops on the East Austin Studio Tour.
1. How to get around
Most of the East Austin neighborhood features free street parking, but space is limited. We recommend doing the tour by bike. Guests at the Heywood Hotel can check out one of our free bikes. We offer cute city bikes complete with helmets, locks, lights and a basket. If you’re not staying at the Heywood, there are several locations to rent bikes around East Austin, including our pals next door at Cycleast. There are also B-cycle stations throughout the neighborhood.
2. Grab your free catalog
The EAST Catalog is the official guide for the event, containing examples of each participating artist’s work in full color. The guide also makes a great souvenir.
Each artist, gallery or happening on the East Austin Studio Tour is given a stop number in the official catalog. Our picks below include the stop numbers for each of our recommendations.
2018 East Austin Studio Tour Group Exhibition at Springdale General, photo courtesy of east.bigmedium.org
If you’re staying at the Heywood Hotel, we’ll have a catalog and map for you to use. Otherwise, head over to the Group Exhibition at Springdale General (1023 Springdale Rd.) where you can pick up your copy. The group exhibition allows you to preview the work of more than 300 participating artists, all in one stop. It’s an easy way to plan what you want to see on the full tour and then plan your day accordingly.
Download the app
While planning your tour, be sure to download the free East Austin Studio Tour app to your phone or mobile device. Featuring an interactive map of all the stops, the EAST app makes it easy to zoom in on nearby locations. Even better, as you flip through the directory of artists and happenings, you can create a list of your favorites, and then highlight just those locations on the interactive map. Search for East Austin Studio Tour in your device’s app store.
3. Visit Big Medium and Canopy
ICOSA Collective gallery at Canopy, photo by Heywood Hotel
Keith Kreeger studio at Canopy, photo by Heywood Hotel
4. Eastside Collective
Artwork by Tyler Hobbs on display at Eastside Collective, photo by Heywood Hotel
5. Soma Vida
“Dualities” by Diane Sandline, image courtesy of the artist, dianesandlinstudios.com
Near Eastside Collective, and a short walk from the Heywood Hotel is Soma Vida (2324 E. Cesar Chavez St.), a multipurpose wellness space and community. They’ve decked out their entire upstairs space in art, with more than 20 participants. Their outside grounds have food trucks, jewelry stands, and other wellness products for sale, creating a fun, fair-like environment. Be sure to check out the art by painters Kristin Standley (466), Diane Sandlin (476) and Richard Rutner (478), and sculptor Chet Urban (481).
6. grayDUCK Gallery
“Conventional Abilities” by Suchitra Mattai, image courtesy of grayDUCK Gallery, grayduckgallery.com
Continuing westward along E. Cesar Chavez St., you’ll find grayDUCK Gallery (2213 E. Cesar Chavez St.) one of Austin’s premiere art galleries. We love this stop on the EAST tour because, like our Heywood Hotel, it is located inside of a refurbished and completely modernized 100-year-old house. The updated design features clean lines combined with warm wood, creating a beautiful and inviting environment for viewing their well curated selection of fine art. This year for EAST, grayDUCK is featuring the opening of “Landfall” by multi-disciplinary artist Suchitra Mattai (464) along with work by other artists.
7. Cloud Tree Studio
Cloud Tree Studio image courtesy of Brian David Johnson @briandavidjohnson on Instagram
8. The Femme Abstract
“Simplicity” by Stella Alesi, courtesy of the artist @stellaalesi on Instagram
We’re very excited to see The Femme Abstract (420) this year. This special EAST exhibit features contemporary works from more than 50 local female artists and is curated by Austinite Moya McIntyre. Be sure to make this celebration of womanhood, presented exclusively from the perspective of women, one of your stops on the East Austin Studio Tour! Exhibiting artists include painters Stella Alesi, Caitlin G. McCollom, Vy Ngo and Rebecca Bennett, mixed-media artist Cherie Weaver, sculptor Terra Goolsby and more. 1300 E. 5th St.
The Femme Abstract, photo courtesy of Rebecca Bennett @rebeccabennettartworks on Instagram
8. Splinter Group
Whetstone stereo cabinet by Mark Maček, photo courtesy of the artist, macekfurniture.com
9. Willow Street Home Studios
“One Thousand Years” by Andrew Long, image courtesy of the artist, andrewlong.net
One of our favorite aspects of the East Austin Studio Tour is the opportunity to be invited into the homes of participating artists to see their work and often thee studios where they create it. Two such homes worth visiting are located on the street directly behind the Heywood Hotel. Painter and photographer Alberto Martinez (532) opens his beautifully remodeled Craftsman home at 1611 Willow St. to EAST visitors who can admire and purchase his work. Ceramist Deb Crowley (533) is also exhibited there. At 2110 Willow St., you can visit the studio of painter Andrew Long (522), whose contemporary abstract work has earned wide recognition around the country.
10. Flatbed Press and Gallery
Flatbed Press printing room, photo by Heywood Hotel
Flatbed Press and Gallery (2832 East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) is always one of our absolute favorite stops on the East Austin Studio Tour. Flatbed Press is a publishing workshop and their press room is open to visit during the East Austin Studio Tour. Print makers will be on hand to demonstrate the machinery and exhibit their work.
Image by Steven Eggert Rabbitt courtesy of steveneggertphoto.com/
The space also includes a number of notable galleries, including Flatbed Gallery, Gallery Shoal Creek and CAMIBAart. plus the studios of numerous local artists. The complex is home to the Austin Book and Arts Center (127) whose mission is to preserve the traditional craft for making books and celebrate the book as an art form. While visiting, be sure to see the smith & HAWLEY letterpress studio (121), photography by Steven Eggert (122), and the collages of Winston Lee Mascarenhas (126).
11. Cement Loop
“Sugarcane Root” by Trish Sierer, courtesy of the artist, trishsierer.com
Cement Loop is located in the Windsor Park community, an East Austin neighborhood a few miles north of the Heywood Hotel. This creative studio features more than 30 artists, many of whom have studios in the complex. Some of our favorites include painters Vy Ngo (20) and Ryan Montgomery (16), mixed media artists Yasmin Youssef (17) and Trish Sierer (31), and paper collage artist Ashley Adair (35).
12. The Color Condition
The Color Condition studio, photo by Heywood Hotel
The Color Condition (97) creates large-scale temporary installations. For the 2018 East Austin Studio Tour, they have transformed the home at 3509 Banton Rd. into a colorful playground of streamers and whimsy, with multiple installation pieces that spark the imagination. Drop by for some Austin weirdness, free beverages and Instagram-worthy selfies.