Austin People’s Gallery Opening a Big Hit

My friend Tommy and I attended the 5th Annual People’s Gallery Exhibition last night at Austin City Hall.  The opening welcomed the public to view the latest installation of artwork showcasing Austin area artists.  I had never been inside city hall before, and here are my thoughts:

1)  City Hall architecture.  The building beautifully captures natural light in the main atrium and provides a great variety of spaces to feature art work.  The process of discovering art around every nook and corner is a large part of the fun.  I especially enjoyed the south-facing outdoor balconies.  From these vantage points, I enjoyed an Austin sunset over Town Lake.  I could see dogs frollicking at Auditorium shores, rowers on the water, and runners kicking it in as they approach Mile Zero.  The sheep sculptures on level 3 are a special treat.

2)  Variety of Artwork.  Austin has become quite the artist’s and art-lover’s city.  There is still a strong bohemian slant featuring the traditional folk-art type work around town; however, more and more I am seeing great examples of forward-thinking, political, abstracts, mixed-media and photo-realistic fine art.  I am no art expert by any means, but what I saw at the City Hall opening seemed to be an accurate reflection of the societal changes Old Austinites have witnessed over the last ten years.  I think our art scene is starting to give Houston a run for its money.

3)  The people.  I love how Austin continues to feel small to me.  A big reason for this is that I always see the same people around town.  Sure there are alot of new faces, but the same people seem to surface again and again.  Maybe its because we have nowhere else to go (or nowhere else we want to go).  After all, I-35 is gridlocked from Slaughter to Braker, Mopac is crawling at the pace of a 7-hour marathoner, and the Town Lake Running Trail has temporarily become a Town Lake Dodge and Dislodge Trail, at least if you are stuck in the 3-mile loop.

Tags: Austin art, Austin City Hall, Austin People's Gallery, town lake trail