2011 5×7 Art Splurge

The 5×7 annual fundraiser, art sale and exhibition benefiting the Arthouse at the Jones Center opens tomorrow night with the Art Splurge, where you will have your first chance to purchase artwork from among 1,000s of original 5×7-inch works of art by emerging and established contemporary artists.

I will have two pieces in the show, part of a new series of small paintings.  (I will unveil the series some time after the ArtSplurge and ArtSocial have passed, as all works are supposed to remain anonymous until they are sold).

This is a really exciting event.  Patrons can preview the art for about an hour and decide on the pieces they want to purchase; then at a certain hour, a horn is blown and it’s a fun scramble for the patrons to grab their chosen works of art.  The Arthouse has produced a simple video showing you How To 5×7.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the art that will be available tomorrow night: http://www.arthousetexas.org/blog/

Find out more about the Art Splurge and purchase tickets at the Arthouse website.

5×7 Art Social

Or come out to the 5×7 Art Social on Friday night to schmooze with the artists, where you will have your second chance to pick up a 5×7 work of art.  Read all the details and purchase tickets for only $30 through the Arthouse website.  There will be food, drinks and music both nights.  Hope to see you there!

Controversy at the Arthouse

The conversation Friday night (and possibly Thursday night, too) should be pretty lively, due to the controversy created earlier this year due to the decision by the Arthouse to dismiss their only curator, Elizabeth Dunbar—for financial reasons (after having spent $6.6 million on their year-long renovation and expansion).  Some of the artwork in the 5×7 show is a direct response to this controversy, and you may even see some blank boards in protest of the decision to eliminate Dunbar’s position.

If you’d like to read up on all the details of the controversy, there are several excellent articles online:

• The initial reason for the controversy: Culture Wars at the Arthouse?
• More controversy reported on Austin360: Arthouse faces controversy with cutbacks, other moves
• Wendy Vogel, editor of “might be good,” weighs in on Austin’s art implosion
• A fascinating conversation between the duo Rachel Cook (in curatorial studies at Bard) and Claire Ruud (in business school at Yale) about the Arthouse situation and the environment in which artists and curators operate today: Arthouse: The Dilemma of Authenticity and Visibility