Image via Complex Original
From the Rothko Chapel in Houston to the Chinati Foundation in Marfa and the Dallas Art Fair in between, Texas is both the Lone Star State home to cowboys and rodeos and the place to go for contemporary art.
Despite being the fourth biggest city in the state, Austin is the capital, and it houses many exciting galleries and museums. Here, we select our picks for what you should see on your next visit to the city.
Black Lagoon Gallery
Website: galleryblacklagoon.com
A relative newcomer to the Austin art scene (it was founded in 2010 by David Lujan and Singer Mayberry in a former video shop), Black Lagoon Gallery has more of a hipster vibe, mixing its predominantly photography-based programming with onsite yoga classes. Since it opened, the gallery has worked with more than 250 local and national artists, many of whom are up-and-coming. It also doubles as a spot for clothing and jewelry trunk shows to help pay its bills, so you never know what you might find if you turn up on spec.
Cathedral of Junk
Website: plus.google.com
While not a gallery in the traditional sense, the Cathedral of Junk is a must-see for Austin visitors looking for a classic example of the city’s unique take on art. Devised by Vince Hannemann in 1988, the ‘cathedral’ is a fabrication of junk collected by Hannemann over the years that he built into a structure in the backyard of his house. It is a work in progress, containing bikes, mattresses, TVs, car bumpers, CDs, and other odds and ends. It’s something that he continues to add to regularly. In 2010, the city threatened to tear it down, but Hannemann secured a permit to keep it going. However, visitors should note that an appointment needs to be made in advance to be able to visit.
Davis Gallery
Website: davisgalleryaustin.com
Established by Bill Davis in 1979, Davis Gallery shows work by local and regional painters, printmakers, sculptors, and ceramicists. Originally from Baytown, Texas, Davis moved to Austin in the ’70s to study at the University of Texas, before falling in love with the city and establishing his own gallery and framing facility. The gallery is currently showing (until June 6) an exhibition by photographer Matthew Fuller, which documents one of Texas’ best-known traditions: the art of barbeque. Later in the summer, it will host a group show of some of the artists that the gallery represents.
Gallery Shoal Creek
Website: galleryshoalcreek.com
Gallery Shoal Creek is one of Austin’s oldest galleries, having opened in 1965. It initially focused on regional landscape artists, including notable Texas painters Carroll Collier and Jerry Ruthven, but has since expanded its remit both in the style of work that it shows and to artists outside of Texas. It moved to a large warehouse space in 2013 and this year launched “Five decades defining art,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary with a series of exhibitions and events.
Hope Outdoor Gallery
Website: hopecampaign.org
Hope Outdoor Gallery is one of the largest outdoor galleries in the country and was launched in 2011 with the support of street art supremo Shepard Fairey. Its aim is “to provide muralists, graffiti artists, and community groups the opportunity to display large scale art pieces driven by inspirational, positive and educational messaging.” Located on the site of a failed construction project, the three-story space has featured work by local Spratx Crew and others, but the nature of graffiti means that the work on show is continually changing, which guarantees that there will be something new to see every time you visit.
Mondo Gallery
Website: mondotees.com
The gallery is connected to Mondo Tees, which produces screen prints of film posters as well as indie cinema The Alamo Drafthouse, but the gallery itself specializes in original film posters, memorabilia, and artwork. For example, in April, it held an exhibition of Ghanaian film posters that were designed to promote local VHS screenings in Ghana and where the artist tended to have little knowledge of the movie they were commissioned to illustrate, resulting in some creative interpretations. It’s a must-see for movie buffs.
Slugfest Gallery
Website: slugfestprints.com
Established by printmakers Margaret Simpson and Tom Druecker in 1996, Slugfest comprises both a gallery and a workshop where artists, bookbinders, and letterpress printers can create their own prints or work with the assistance of the team there. The pair hosts regular exhibitions of works on paper from artists around the country. The name comes from the term “art slugs,” which the founders explain is a “tongue-in-cheek name we invented for ourselves and other printmakers in graduate school, referring to the relatively sluggish nature of the printmaking process.”
The Contemporary Austin
Website: thecontemporaryaustin.org
The Contemporary Austin has been through more name changes than you could shake a stick at. It opened its doors to the public in 1998 as TFAA (The Jones Center for Contemporary Art) and was renamed Arthouse at the Jones Center in 2002. It then merged with the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) in 2011 to become AMOA-Arthouse, before rebranding under its current name in 2013. It has ever-changing exhibitions of contemporary art, hosting events on its rooftop, which offers great views of the city. It also has an outdoor sculpture garden at its second site at Laguna Gloria.
Women & Their Work
Website: womenandtheirwork.org
Founded in 1979, the visual and performing arts association was created to champion the work of female artists in Texas and beyond in the field of contemporary art. Over the years, it has worked with more than 1,800 artists through exhibitions as well as music, dance, literary, film, and theatre events—on top of its series of educational workshops, in particular for disadvantaged schools in Austin. It also strives to encourage new talent, giving emerging artists the opportunity to exhibit alongside more established names.
Yard Dog Art Gallery
Website: yarddog.com
For those seeking out folk art and outsider art in Austin, Yard Dog is the place to go. It is located in SoCo (otherwise known as South Congress Avenue—the abbreviation not being appreciated by all of Austin’s residents), an area known for its assortment of eclectic shops, music venues, and restaurants. It tends to have many repeat visitors due to the fact that not everything it sells is on its website. It opened in 1995, originally selling work by artists from the Southern states, but it has now expanded its remit to include artists from all across the country, as well as Canada and Europe. And if you’re lucky enough to be passing through during SXSW, the gallery tends to host a party in collaboration with Bloodshot Records, so you would no doubt be welcomed to swing by.