East Austin Studio Tour Maximum Tourage Recommendations
These five places will help you get the most EAST
By Wayne Alan Brenner, Fri., Nov. 22, 2019
EAST CESAR CHAVEZ
Yes, the whole blessed street and its neighbors. Park somewhere in the midst of the area – halfway between grayDUCK Gallery and Atelier 1205, say – and do some healthy, invigorating walking to 84 Waller, where art by Justin C. Gordon, Yoyo Pong, Kim Eitze, and more await within the live-music-enhanced home of futurist and collector Larry Vanston; and the Two Goats Pottery studio of Jennifer Conroy (1304 Willow), which also hosts Will Larson's sculptures, Leticia Mosqueda's beautiful figurative paintings, and more; then, go a skosh north to visit the triple-artist array of sculpture (metal, stoneware, wood, and wire) by Barry S. George, Shakti Sarkin, and Rebeccah Polk at 204 Attayac. Bonus: Fuel your artful hoofing with a bacon-wrapped hot dog (try the one with kimchi and miso cream sauce!) from Mission Dogs (1701 E. Cesar Chavez). Stops 381-511.
CANOPY AND ALL ITS TEMPTATIONS
It's the epicenter, of course: Big Medium is right there, and Bale Creek Allen, and ICOSA, and Modern Rocks, and so many other studios within the double-stacked creative warren. So, yes, it's gonna be packed, and you'll likely have to park blocks away if you're in a car. But it's so worth a little more walking, right? Or doing the whole tour via bicycle or scooter or bus in the first place, if you can. 916 Springdale, stops 256-330.
JOHN MULVANY
This is just beyond the parking-for-Canopy glut. Especially if you missed his recent "Secure the Perimeter" show of paintings at grayDUCK, you'll do your sense of local pride and eerie urban realism a favor by stopping at Mulvany's studio and casting an eye toward the familiar yet subtly unnerving tableaux he's arranged for you to witness the time-stopping power of. A true gentleman, he'll probably offer you something to slake your thirst with, too – and he's got the good taste to have a bit of Shriekback in the Spotify mix that soundtracks this stop. 3401 Govalle, stop 342.
BOLM STUDIOS
That long strip of warehouses from which Big Medium originally sprang is no abandoned nest: It's a congeries of unique studios and shops, boasting Adreon Henry's newest work at HELM Creative Studio, Calder Kamin's remarkable wildlife-from-recyclables sculptures, Janna Garza's diversity of character-driven photo-portraits, the three-dimensional sargassos of Suzanne Wyss, and more. Bonus: It's also where Rude Mechs' Crashbox is, and they're presenting a free staged reading of some newly Fixed Shakespeare on Sat., Nov. 23, 5pm. 5305 Bolm, stops 174-193.
PRINT SHOP DARLIN’S
Located in the Slugfest bastion of printerly endeavors, bright foliage, and adorable cat-based shenanigans, this studio features the bold and complexly printed oddities (as etchings, screenprints, engravings, and collographs) of Tess Doyle, Annalise Gratovich, Liz Hermanson, and Polly Morwood. Is the show more like rock & roll rampaging, Edo-period calligraphy, Beatrix Potter gone troppo, or William Blake but hopped up on estrogen? All of those things, we reckon, and then some. 1906 Miriam, stops 104-105.
