I have dropped the ball this year where the East Austin Studio Tour is concerned. Last weekend I had to work and this weekend it looks like more of the same (no complaints, I’m thankful for the increased business!) but if you’re looking for something fun to do over the next two days, you MUST hit the east side and visit the artists who are welcoming you into their studios.

Part of the fun is the weather–it’s going to be crisp and cool out. I imagine hot cocoa being offered from a food truck parked next to the Pump Project. Kiddos huddling up with their parents for warmth as they walk from one end of Bolm Studios to the other. While going through the exercise of writing about it, I’m already starting to realize that there is no way in hell I can miss it. I’m already formulating a plan for moving the tasks on my to do list to the outer edges of my hourly calendar in order to carve out time during the middle of the day for this annual event.  There’s something exhilarating about seeing something new and different. If you check out any of the studios on the tour, I can promise you’ll have that in spades.

If I go, it’s going to have to be an abbreviated tour, so I’ll share my condensed list. I’m starting with the bigger studios, because you can see more artists in one stop.

– Canopy (stop #57) – A new bunch of studios from the folks at EAST founders, Big Medium

– Bolm (#49)

– Flatbed Press / Gallery Shoal Creek (#36)

– Pump Project (#53)

– Pump Project Satellite (#50)

– Horseshoe (#140)

– East Side Glass Studio (#136)

– Artpost (#158)

Other stops that are consistent faves:

– Patricia Chapa (#2)

Adaptive Reuse (#17) – Great stop for early Christmas shopping

– Jennifer Balkan (#24)

– John Mulvany (#60)

For more info, check out the E.A.S.T. online catalog and read my posts on previous years’ tours.