Design in Austin

November 12-13 & 19-20 from 11am-6pm

This weekend will see the kick-off of what we think is perhaps the city’s most hallmark event. Back for it’s 15th year, the East Austin Studio Tour (East) is literally a self-guided tour to the hundreds of galleries, warehouses, homes, and studios in east Austin where art is made and where inspiration originates.

To get to know East, is to get to know Austin, and to get to know the collaborative spirit that has made it such a magnetic and energizing place in recent years. And as the city has grown, so has the tour and the ancillary events that support it. That’s why the great organizers at Big Medium have done something new this year, by sectioning the tour into four zones – each with their own handy map.

As long-time East-goers we also wanted to chip in and provide our top picks and note a few can’t miss stops. The whole team at LRM has culled through the entire East catalog, earmarked our favorites, and organized a list of the best of what East has to offer.

Here’s how to East!

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East Must-sees

Zone 3

If you can only do one zone during East, this one is it. Within Zone 3’s borders is Canopy – a creative complex on Springdale road that has evolved to be a a home and community to many of Austin’s most influential artists. We recommend starting your tour at Canopy, as it is the most convenient way to see a large number of studios and feel the energy and excitement around the event.

X. East Group Exhibition – Canopy (photo by @leftrightmedia)

226. Felice House – Canopy (photo by @leftrightmedia)

222. Kiah Denson – Canopy (photo by @leftrightmedia)

241. Jenn Hassin – Canopy (photo by @leftrightmedia)

244. Sophie Roach – Canopy (photo by @leftrightmedia)

278. Gert Johan Manschot – Canopy (photo by @leftrightmedia)

Canopy
X. East Group Exhibition – Find your favorite artists and plan your studio tour route
216. Melissa Borrell – Paper, plastic, string, glitter
222. Kiah Denson – Acrylic, pen, ink, paper, canvas
223. Graham Franciose – Watercolor, ink, and gouache on coffee stained paper
224. Hallie Rose Taylor – Watercolor, pen, paper
226. Felice House – Oil on canvas paper, charcoal drawing
241. Jenn Hassin – Rolled paper, drawings, paintings
244. Sophie Roach – Pen and ink
252. Elizabeth Chiles – Photography, collage, textiles, books
270. Revi Meicler – Mixed media
272. Dinosauria – Art.Science.Gallery – Multiple mediums
274. Keith Kreeger – Porcelain
275. Dennis Burnett, Sarah Frankie Linder & Annie Ray – Photography, video
278. Gert Johan Manschot – Zen on Paper and Canvas
280. Steven Walker – Rock Photography Modern Rocks Gallery
281. William and Jessica Knopp – Son of a Sailor – Leather, brass, bronze, wood, gemstones

More East Must-sees

Pollen Architecture

138. Pollen Architecture – Open studio
142. take heart – Lucas Wade – Black ink on paper
152. Jerry Solomon – Ceramics and pottery
174-193. Tillery Studios – Various artists

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Zone 2

Zone 2 is another great area that is home to a few larger studios and warehouses that house multiple artists and installations. We recommend starting at Pump Project – a 1,000 square-foot gallery space that has been an East mainstay for years. Get armed with a Best Wurst and a beer at the door, then explore the large gallery floor.

303. Rachel Wolfson Smith – Pump Project (photo by @leftrightmedia)

295. Seth Orion Schwaiger – Pump Project (photo by @leftrightmedia)

Pump Project
295. Seth Orion Schwaiger – Marble, alabaster, wood, graphite, synthetics
302. Caitlin G. Mccollum – Various mediums
303. Rachel Wolfson Smith – Graphite, gold leaf

MAKE ATX
318. Calder Kamin – Sculpture, recycled materials, digital art
320. Alexis Kraus – Bristol board, paper, wood, laser-cutter

Bolm Studios
334. Awst Press – Printed matter
340. Jana Swec – Acrylic and ink
345. Elise Powell – Illustrations in traditional and digital media

More East Must-sees

Andrew Reiner

315. Caitlin McClain – Stationary
48. Whitney Turetzky – Found photos, acrylic paint, embroidery thread, collage
50. Charles Henry – Silver gelatin prints
55. Jonathan Beall – Hammered copper, stainless steel, carbon steel, hot tin
59. Matthew Helveston – Wood and metal
83. Cindy Stinson – Cut paper
124. Andrew Reiner – Large scale photography

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April Sullivan

Zone 4

Zone 4 is for the explorers. In this corridor of east Austin, you can literally find a good parking spot then take to walking and exploring the various home studios in the area. Along that walk you’ll notice a varied landscape of architecture and a blend of old and new Austin. If you’re hungry stop by some of the great east Austin taco joints like our favorite Taco Guerrero.

360. SHDW Studios – Photography
367. Michael Yates – Splinter Group – Furniture objects
382. Aaron Michalovic – Wood, paint, glue
397. Pei Sim – The Paper + Craft Pantry – Hands-on workshops
398-404. Revelry Studio – Various artists
430. Bob Trevorrow – Ceramics
431. The Room Gallery – Photography
446. Emma Gundlach – Cartography
447. East Side Collective – Various
490. Jennifer Chenoweth – Fisterra Studio – Various artists
501. April Sullivan – Yarn

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Laura Barth Turner

Zone 1

Zone 1 doesn’t have the density of the other areas, but there are still plenty of great stops. Definitely make a visit at some of these stops on your way into our out of the tour.

15. Laura Barth Turner – Photography
17. Lauren McPhail – Oil on linen, collage, ink on paper

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Event Top Picks

There are a few stand out events every year, and we encourage you to make one of these part of your East itinerary.

Afterhours poster show 2016 opening
November 11 – 6:30-10pm
Lewis Carnegie
1312 E. Cesar Chavez St.

Part poster show, part nonprofit fundraiser for Austin Pets Alive, Afterhours promises a great opening night of East with some stunning posters, beverages an illustration competition.

ADW 2016 Closing Party: Keynote + Designers on the Verge
November 11, 6-9pm
Canopy/invenio
916 Springdale Rd.

Austin Design Week finishes up an incredible week tonight with a keynote from notable designer James Victore. Stick around for music and drinks and to explore the Canopy complex. With hundreds of East stops within its walls, Canopy is our absolute favorite place to kick off our East weekend.

East Community Breakfast
November 12 – 9:30-11am
Canopy, 916 Springdale Rd

Start your weekend off at the East Group Exhibition for breakfast tacos, drinks and a preview of nearly 300 East artists’ work. The East Group Exhibition is a series of shipping containers filled with one piece from many of the artists on the tour. This is the perfect place to narrow in on the artists you’d like to go visit at their studios.

Opening Party at White Light Studio
November 12, 6pm-12am
White Light Studio
900 Vargas Rd.

The all women art studio is hosting 15+ female artists for East with music by DJ Martha Queen, tarot readings, and free drinks! Should be a party!

Second Saturday hosted by ABP + Punctum Project
Austin Bouldering Project
November 12, 8pm
979 Springdale Rd, #150

If you haven’t been able to check out Austin Bouldering Project yet, now is the time! Punctum Records is bringing live music to ABP to celebrate and support the local talent that are their neighbors.

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The election hit us hard.

Witnessing a woman’s pioneer campaign for our nation’s highest office has been incredibly powerful for the women at Left/Right Media.

Our company depends on the talent, intelligence and strength of every member of our team, and today, we want to especially celebrate the girls. We are all honored to live in Austin, where women’s voices are heard and talents are valued. In the wake of the latest presidential election, we, like much of the nation, feel a sense of defeat for women everywhere. We want to help relieve that weariness by standing strong, protecting each other, and offering our support for all women who fight for their dreams.

The women in our office are uniquely extraordinary. Each of us has a story that led us to this career, and we are proud of both the struggles and triumphs we’ve experienced along the way.

“Instead of living in fear, we are making a positive change within our office walls to defend women and advocate for our values.”

Our female staff has lived through a lot of challenges – college, cross-country moves, bullying, terrible bosses, self-doubt, people telling us we’re not good enough, mansplaining, rejection, lay-offs, motherhood, unemployment and sexual assault. In spite of it all, we’re successful. We’re also champions. We remain undefeated and focus on our potential.

Let’s not waste our momentum.

On January 1, 2017, our creative agency made a commitment to women-owned or operated businesses* by offering them our web design, branding, and marketing strategy services at 79% of their full value to reflect the gender wage gap that continues to exist in the US. We hope that this helps women invest in themselves, take a leap of faith, and keep working towards their ambitions.

If we can help support you or someone you know, please email our Co-founder, Bo Duncan, and she will be in touch with you immediately.

*If you identify yours as a woman-owned or operated business, we want to hear from you. We’ll help develop your brand, your website, your content, your portfolio – all assets that will help you succeed. This is not a political thing. This is a woman thing. We will never consider race, religion, sexuality, or political affiliation in this or any other opportunity. New contracts only.

The first ever Austin Design Week begins on Monday, November 7, 2016. What is it? ADW is a week-long celebration of Austin’s design economy with workshops, talks, studio tours and events. Over here at Left Right Media, we’re planning our schedules for next week, trying to hit as many events as we can. Read on for our staff’s top picks.[mk_fancy_title color=”#1eab92″ size=”25″ txt_transform=”uppercase” font_family=”Oswald” font_type=”google”]The Schedule[/mk_fancy_title][mk_custom_list style=”mk-moon-plus”]

• Austin Design Week is from November 7 to November 11.
• Lunchtime each day (12-1:30) is for talks and workshops. Think everything from how to tap into the creative community in town, to design in government and city planning, to hand-lettering and metal-working workshops.
• Afternoons (3-5pm) are for studio tours. Hit one a day or all of them. Stay the whole time or for five minutes. Call us nosy, but we think its always interesting to see how other studios work and live day-to-day. Don’t forget your business cards.
• Evenings are for parties! Each evening, Austin Design Week has planned fun and exciting evening activities, from the kick-off at Austin Beerworks to the closing party at Canopy (which also happens to act as the perfect kick-off to East Austin Studio Tour).
• See the full schedule here or download our daily PDF schedules (listed below) to your phone and take it on the go.

[/mk_custom_list][mk_fancy_title color=”#1eab92″ size=”25″ txt_transform=”uppercase” font_family=”Oswald” font_type=”google”]+ Day One   + Day Two   + Day Three   + Day Four   + Day Five[/mk_fancy_title]

I also had a chance to ask founder Candice Digby some questions about how Design Week started and what she’s most looking forward to. Candice and co-founder Danielle Barnes both work for General Assembly here in town.

1. What will be happening at the Design Week Hub? IBM Design has turned the Hub into one giant interactive installation around what it means to be a designer. This is your chance to experience a taste of Austin Design Week at any point from 10AM – 6PM throughout the week. (The schedule will also be projected and printed there)
2. Can you tell me a little about how Design Week started? My co-worker, Danielle Barnes sent me a late night email that just said, “we should do this” with a list of all the other major cities that have Design Weeks. She’s lived in New York and San Francisco and was looking for a Design Week here in Austin for our company to get involved with, when she realized there wasn’t already one. With the idea of starting Austin Design Week, our focus was to bring together the whole of the design community. We knew we wanted to involve Amber Atkins of IBM Design early on. She’s a powerhouse and her passion for the mission behind Design Week is unmatched.
3. What events are you most excited for? 1) I am really excited about The Hub and the incredible work the IBM Design team has put into it. 2) The Mueller Parks tour will have 14 designers who were involved with the design of the parks including a presentation by the head landscape architect and the urban planner who developed the parks. 3) And finally, I can’t wait to see the Design Debates and Election Viewing party on Tuesday, we have a few surprises in store and I think that will be a wild night.

[mk_fancy_title color=”#1eab92″ size=”25″ txt_transform=”uppercase” font_family=”Oswald” font_type=”google”]Left Right Media’s Staff Picks for ADW[/mk_fancy_title][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”550″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text align=”center”]

Callie
UI Designer /
Art Director

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frogJam: Unifying Austin’s Creative Community

NOVEMBER 8, 2016 12PM – 1:30PM

frog design
101 W 6th St # 200
Austin, TX 78701

If I could make a living solely off of talking to people, I would be rolling in it. (Not surprisingly, I was that girl who got in trouble for talking too much in every class ever.) Having personally moved to our great city seeking kindred spirits in the design community and a more balanced way of life, this particular discussion holds a lot of meaning for me. I’m hopeful that we can come together as a tremendous force for good to help bolster Austin’s creative spirit, not just for designers but for the arts as a whole. Is it too soon to say let’s make Austin great again?

The Foundry Studio Tour

NOVEMBER 10, 2016 3PM – 5PM

Fine Arts Library, the University of Texas at Austin
510 E 23rd St
Austin, TX 78712

As a former studio art major who spent most of my time in college using all the things (dark rooms, print studios, etc.), I’m really excited to check out the new UT productivity space. More and more I find myself interested in creating tangible goods and making with my hands, probably as a byproduct of working in an ever-evolving digital landscape. I’m also probably the one person in Austin who didn’t find my way here through UT, so I’m looking forward to playing tourist for the afternoon while simultaneously getting my design-nerd fix. And hello, laser printing. 3D printing. VIRTUAL REALITY. This is the future, y’all![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider style=”thin_solid”]

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Olivia
Front-end Developer /
Lead Designer

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ADW Kickoff Party

NOVEMBER 7, 2016 6PM – 9PM

Austin Beerworks
3009 Industrial Terrace,
Austin, TX 78758

If you’re anything like we are, you’ll sit in Quickie Pickie for an hour analyzing wine labels, beer can designs, and chocolate bar branding. What pops? What falls short? I’m excited about the kick-off party for ADW and to hear from the designers who branded some of our local breweries. I’m also looking forward to Doreen Lorenzo’s keynote on Austin’s design history.

Design, Technology, & Innovation Fellows, City of Austin Studio Tour

NOVEMBER 10, 2016 3PM – 5PM

City Hall
301 W 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78701

I’ve been fascinated with Austin city planning and other goings-on since my days as a journalism student. Back then, we were expected to attend city council meetings monthly, and I focused much of my writing on city zoning and transportation problems. I love that ADW is bridging the gap this week between Austin’s creative community and those in government positions. As a city with such a strong design community, I believe it is imperative that we begin to be more involved in the future of Austin.[/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider style=”thin_solid”]

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Chris
Co-Founder /
Creative Director

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From Tangible to Intuitive: The Abstraction of Products & Design

NOVEMBER 7, 2016 12PM – 1:30PM

General Assembly Austin
600 Congress Ave., 14th Fl
Austin, TX 78701

This workshop is interesting to me because I discovered my love for design through the products of Ray + Charles Eames and Dieter Rams. Later as computers became more a part of my life, I saw that love for design transfer to the digital space, just as those functional everyday products began to blend the two (like Jony Ive’s now iconic iPod and iPhone designs).

With design, media, and data all around us. It’s become a rule that the more we use a product, the more simplicity lends itself to the joy of using it. I’m interested to hear the history and trends discussed in this workshop and how the people at argodesigns apply some of that thinking to their innovative projects.

Up With The System!: How and Why We Build Design Systems

NOVEMBER 8, 2016 12PM – 1:30PM

General Assembly
600 Congress Ave, 14th floor
Austin TX 78701

I’m looking forward to this talk from the folks at Austin UXPA who maintain a sizable number of meetups every year and an even more sizable number of UX professionals as members.

Design systems are interesting to me, not only in the work we do at Left Right, but also in how they influence the media and websites we read as consumers.

This talk should provide a great depth of knowledge from a variety of professionals across a multitude of disciplines. I’m sure some of the ideas and practices will lead to some good brainstorming and thought exploration for design systems we build for our clients.

Pentagram Studio Tour

NOVEMBER 11, 2016 3PM – 5PM

Pentagram Design Inc.
1508 W 5th St. #100
Austin, TX 78703

The firm responsible for the new logo and identity for MasterCard (which we all are gaga for), definitely deserves a visit.

We’ve had the privilege of meeting a few of the Pentagram folks, and you don’t have to go very deep into a conversation to be impressed by their scholarship of the craft. I’m looking forward to seeing more of their latest work and use cases that span across digital and print.

ADW 2016 Closing Party: Keynote + Designers on the Verge

NOVEMBER 11, 2016 6PM – 9PM

Canopy/invenio studios
916 Springdale Rd.
Austin, TX 78702

If James Victore’s keynote speech is any part as entertaining as his Behance byline, we should all be in for a good time. Not to mention that this event will be held at Canopy, which is basically the arts + culture mecca of Austin, and always my first stop for E.A.S.T. – which, coincidentally, will also be going on that day.

I’m also looking forward to getting to know some of the people that organized this fantastic inaugural Design Week.

Art, music, drinks, and smart conversation? Count me in.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider style=”thin_solid”]

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Bo
Co-Founder /
Creative Director

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Business Strategy 101 for Designers

NOVEMBER 9, 2016 12PM – 1:30PM

General Assembly
600 Congress Ave., 14th Fl.
Austin, TX 78701

We like to say that Austin is the town where dreams drive business, and great design is the new brand currency. At Left Right Media, one of my responsibilities is to market our design services by effectively communicating the truth in that statement. I am looking forward to hearing Jannis Hegenwald’s talk and am hoping to gain a new perspective on how to communicate the importance of great design as an essential component of any business plan.

I’m going to have my whole team stop by for this one, because I think its important for all of us to have a good understanding of the topic since we each serve as client-liaisons in our individual roles. I personally know it can be a challenge to be the bridge of communication between artists and clients, and I’m always learning new ways to do that.

Intro to Hand Lettering

NOVEMBER 11, 2016 12PM – 1:30PM

General Assembly
600 Congress Ave., 14th Fl.
Austin, TX 78701

One of my first memories that involved art is of my mom teaching me calligraphy. We would sit for hours in her bed, at the kitchen table, or on the porch tracing and writing our names, love notes and the alphabet over and over. Later, when I studied art in college, I loved incorporating lettering into my work. Handlettering is big in Austin. From craft beer to coffee shops, it seems like every brand is on board with the trend. I’m looking forward to this workshop to hone in on my own skills and learn how the hosting artists made this craft into their career.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider style=”thin_solid”]
[vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1478273979302{background-image: url(http://leftright.media/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/contact-us-ad.jpg?id=559) !important;}”][vc_column_inner][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title color=”#ffffff” size=”40″ txt_transform=”uppercase” font_family=”none” align=”center”]Need a website revamp?[/mk_fancy_title][mk_fancy_title tag_name=”h3″ color=”#ffffff” size=”22″ font_weight=”bold” txt_transform=”none” font_family=”Oswald” font_type=”google” align=”center”]Let Left / Right Media help.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_button dimension=”savvy” size=”large” url=”http://leftrightmedia.wpengine.com/contact/” align=”center” outline_skin=”custom” outline_active_color=”#ffffff” outline_hover_bg_color=”#fff600″ outline_hover_color=”#000000″]CONTACT US[/mk_button][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner]