‘Tis the season for all of the superamazing art fairs in Austin.  Mark your calendars!

The E.A.S.T (East Austin Studio Tour) is like First Thursday gallery night on crack. A bazillion artists swing their studio doors wide and let the villagers in for an up-close-and-personal dose of inspiration.  You can’t possibly have more fun than running around East Austin seeing amazing things, can you?  Plus, it’ll give you that excuse you’ve been looking for to try out the Shuck Shack, which is not only fun to say but also a great place to score fresh hushpuppies.  This year the tour spans two weekends instead of one (November 14th-22nd), so you might just have a shot at hitting a fair amount of the tour.  It pays to be a tad organized about it though.  Take my advice and check out participating artists’ links on the E.A.S.T. website for a little preview before you go so you can map out your gameplan.

art_from_the_streets

I’ve admired art at a few clients’ houses that was purchased at the annual Art From the Streets art show and sale.  This year’s event is happening this weekend, November 14-15, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH), 500 East 7th Street at Neches. Original artwork starts at $35 with all sales proceeds, apart from a nominal mounting fee, going directly to the participating artists. A $3 suggested admission donation helps defray the cost of program supplies and materials.  If you’re short on Benjamins this year, this is a budget-friendly way to beautify your space and help a worthy cause at the same time.

Where else but in the ATX can you hit a 22-day art festival with live music…FOR FREE.  An indie institution, this should definitely be on your hit list for the holidays (December 3rd-24th).  The Blue Genie website promises to post a listing of participating artists closer to the sale, so watch for that.

I’ve never hit the Cherrywood Art Fair before, but it looks like a ton of fun.  Benefiting the Maplewood Elementary School, as well as public art and beautification projects in East Austin, this is a juried show of original art.  There will also be live music and activities to occupy kiddos while parents shop!  Don’t miss it the weekend of December 12th-13th.