The arts, culture, and creative industries are important in Austin.
The City of Austin’s Economic Development (EDD) and Parks and Recreation (PARD) Departments have joined forces to recognize Austin’s thriving creative community by celebrating Austin Creates! throughout October, in conjunction with the national celebration of Arts and Humanities Month.
The arts, culture, and creative industries are recognized as an important economic force in Austin, accounting for over $4.35 billion in economic activity and almost 49,000 jobs; and those industries continue to grow. The City’s Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Development Department supports the development of the creative sector through cultural funding for 260 nonprofit arts organizations and artists, public art commissions, exhibition opportunities for artists, and professional business development programs.
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s Museums and Cultural Programs Division helps to give a voice to Austin’s imagination and colorful past through five museums and four arts and cultural centers. The Department is dedicated to the preservation, creation and promotion of a variety of diverse arts and cultures that are found in Austin and throughout the world using exhibits, performances, education and classes to spread the beauty of art in its many forms.
National Arts and Humanities Month, the largest annual celebration for the arts and humanities in the nation, is designed to recognize the importance of culture in America and encourage all citizens to actively participate in the arts. Locally, the month of October will be host to numerous activities presented by, or in partnership with, the EDD’s Cultural Arts Division and PARD’s Museums and Cultural Programs Division.
Special Events
- October 17, 10 a.m. – noon – National Reuse Day Event and Art Installation (Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center)
- October 21, 6 p.m. – Public Presentation: Building Austin’s Creative Capacity (George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center)
- October 24, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Pop-up Park and TEMPO Art Installation (Manchaca Branch Library)
- October 24, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Family Pumpkin Carving on the Dock (George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center)
- October 24, 2 – 7 p.m. – Dia de los Muertos Celebration (Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center) Participate in the classic car and bike show!
- October 25, 10 a.m. – Streetscapes and Public Art: A Downtown Walking Tour
- October 25, noon – 5:30 p.m. – Polkapocalypse! (Elisabet Ney Museum)
- October 27, 7 – 8:30 p.m. – An Evening with Michael Singer (The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center)
- October 28, 10 – 11 a.m. – Public Art Dedication: Uplifted Ground by Michael Singer (Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)
- October 29, 6 – 8 p.m. – Art After Six: TEMPO Artists (Austin City Hall)
- October 30, 6 – 8 p.m. – Notes From the Underground (Brush Square Museums)
Ongoing Exhibitions
- TEMPO: Memorial by Olivia Martin Moore (On display through Jan. 18: Convict Hill Quarry Park)
- Dance of the Cosmos by Jennifer Chenoweth (Elisabet Ney Museum)
- Can U See? by John Yancey (George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center)
- I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story (On display through Nov 21: Asian American Resource Center)
- Memento Mori: Victorian Mourning Costumes (Brush Square Museums)
- TEMPO: Earth Mother by Yuliya Lanina (On display through Dec. 4: Ramsey Park)
- TEMPO: Los Balcones by Yareth Fernandez (On display through Jan. 8: Bull Creek District Park)
- TEMPO: Sky Lines by Melissa Borrell and Hanna Lupico (On display through Dec. 20: Boggy Creek Greenbelt Park)
- Looking In Looking Out, works by Trisha McWaters, Julie Underriner, Chrys Grummert (On display through Nov. 8: Dougherty Arts Center)
- TEMPO: Las Pinatas by David Goujon (On display through Nov. 22: Edward Rendon Sr. Park)
- TEMPO: The Public Sentiment Campaign by Jennifer Chenoweth and Dorothy Johnson (On display through Nov. 8: Dove Springs Park, Mabel Davis Park, Metz Park, Montopolis Park)
- TEMPO: KNOT by George Sabra (On display through Nov. 7: Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center)
- TEMPO: Migration by Ethan Azarian (Oct. 15-Jan. 7: Rosewood Community Center)
- Cosmic Vida, works by Jerry Garcia, Ernesto Cuevas, Jr., Adriana Maria Garcia, Cardie Garcia, Alex Rubio, Miguel Cortinas (Oct. 22-Nov.28: Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center)
- Day of the Dead Altars (Oct. 24: Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center
Visit austintexas.gov/page/austin-creates-month for a complete listing of events. For more information, visit the Austin Creates website. See all of the Temporary Art Installations around the city on the TEMPO website.
