Category: Food

2020: Coming up for air, albeit with a mask

It’s been a year since my last post and there were many reasons for that. First was work, developing taxonomies and controlled vocabularies for machine learning related projects. Then Covid happened, so I couldn’t go out to museums and galleries. Then I had to become a learning coach for my teen who is taking multiple AP classes online. Add to this ongoing efforts to stay current on technology and knowledge management by taking webinars, reading books, and going to virtual conferences. On top of all that, the hot mess that was American politics. It is Dec. 1st and I have finally come up for air – albeit with a mask.

I will do my best to re-cap and document the beta launch of Austin’s EAST online studio tour in a second post. It happened a couple weekends ago and unfortunately overlapped with an online conference so I was not able to attend in real time, but I will do my best to document for posterity.

After this I will try something new. All this time I have been tracking and posting links on Twitter for a variety of topics: online museum resources, digital humanities, digital preservation, open access courses, ethical AI, Asian visual culture and literature, taxonomy, ontology, linked data, and more. I’d like to attempt once a week to compile and curate these into newsletter type posts.

Once a month I will do my best to safely find a way to go out and look at art and review it. I will perhaps also make a post once a month looking at what local exhibitions are currently open for view and will share safety notes and tips, as well as share what online resources are available for those wanting to stay at home.

I will also work toward making occassional posts promoting resources and options for those wanting to live a more eco, sustainable, plastic-free lifestyle as that is top of mind as well.

I’d like to also share and promote local, small businesses in featured posts, pulling in photos from my Instagram account.

2021 will begin in just one more month – and I am feeling very hopeful that we will get past all this.

Art|Tech|Eco|Culture

2019 EAST Studio Tour – Canopy

The first Saturday of EAST this year enjoyed spectacular weather, sunny, crisp and for a change, no rain.

Local Japanese Cafe

Be forwarned, if you are coming to EAST very hungry, it may be worth grabbing a bite beforehand, because the lines and wait at Sa-ten were long. The offerings are always unique (I had the Sriracha Mayo Smoked Salmon on Toast), however it took 40 minutes. I did enjoy a nice cup of Lavender Earl Grey while waiting. 

Japanese decorative wooden plack Art piece of a aquarium inside a vintage TV set Salmon toast with lavendar earl grey tea Sa-ten tshirt with katakana script

Sa-ten also offers a grab and go station out front serving baked goods and coffee from a carafe. There are also some trailers offering hot dogs, gelato and tacos, and these did not appear to have long waits. Alcoholic drinks are also available at Canopy for sale (and if you’re lucky some of the art studios may offer wine and/or snacks).

Shop unique used books

I was happy to run into Travis Kent of the late Farewell Books. He is setting up shop at EAST, selling a variety of books from Foucault to Anaiis Nin to Burroughs. If you were a fan of their old store (or an older fan of the late Fringeware or Desert/Europa books), you would recognize many of the critical theory or postmodern classics. I picked up Minima Moralia by Theodore Adorno, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, and a book on Wim Wenders. Travis tells me that he operates these pop-up bookstores around town from time to time, at art and music festivals. Sometimes he takes them to punk shows, and while the kids don’t often buy much he enjoys talking to them and broadening their minds with the works of intellectual proto-punks.

Canopy Art Gallery

Armed with new reading material I then went to check out the art. I collected the EAST art guide, donated $5 and started wandering the studios. 

Caroline Walker

Caroline Walker’s art has the fanciful quality of children’s storybook illustration. It invites you to imagine you are climbing ladders toward some magical summit or hiding out in secret caves.  

Caroline Walker
 

Gert Johan Macschot from the Netherlands now lives in Dripping Springs. His work evokes both Zen painting and Abstract Expressionism. 

Gert Johan Manschot

 

Gert Johan Manschot

One of my favorite artists from this weekend was Rehab El Sadek. Originally from Egypt, she is a conceptual artist who works on themes of space, architecture and social issues. I found her work to be immersive, glowing with earthy and time-worn textures. 

Rehab El Sadek

 

Rehab El Sadek

 

Rehab El Sadek

Today is the last day of the EAST Austin Studio tour – please check it out and support our local artists and businesses.