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This
Week in Downtown Wednesday
December 9, 2009
Community EventsFor the HolidaysFor the Holidays ContinuedOn Stage and
ScreenMuseums and GalleriesStreet ClosingsOngoing Construction
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Nueces
Bicycle Boulevard Open House
Dec
9-Jan 27
6:00
PM - 8:00 PM
;) Pease
Elementary School: 1106 Rio Grande St.
Jason Fialkoff
512-627-9150
The
City of Austin Public Works and Transportation Departments are
implementing and improving a bicycle routing system. Both the draft
of the Downtown Austin Plan and the Austin Bicycle Plan identify
Nueces Street as a bicycle boulevard, which is a shared roadway that
has been optimized for bicycle traffic. Bicycle boulevards contain
the following:
- Low traffic volumes
- Quieter, prettier and
healthier than busier motor-vehicle prioritized streets
-
Welcoming to bicyclists of all experience levels
- Improved
safety conditions for all transportation modes
The
City is hosting three open houses to gather feedback from the
community and answer any questions about the Bike Boulevard. All
meetings will be held at Pease Elementary School at 1106 Rio Grande
St.
-
December 9, 6-8 pm: Project Discussion and Public Design Charrette
- January 13, 6-8 pm: Project Discussion and Public Design
Charrette
- January 27, 6-8 pm: Design Presentation and Final
Commenting
Long
Center Presents: Sister's Christmas Catechism
Dec
1-Dec 20
7:30
PM - 10:00 PM
P.O.
Box 301449, Austin, TX 78703
info@thelongcenter.org
512-457-5100
thelongcenter.org
Retelling
the story of the nativity as only Sister can, this hilarious holiday
production uses "scientific tools" and a choir, as well as a gaggle
of audience members, to create a living nativity scene unlike any
you've ever encountered. This sequel to the smash hit Late Nite
Catechism brings gifts galore and bundles of
laughs!
CPC
Thursday Noon Concerts
Dec
3-Dec 16
12:00
- 12:45
200
East Eighth St.
Kathi THomas
512-472-2445
www.cpcaustin.org/thurnoon.php
Celebrate
the Christmas Season with Austin's oldest free weekly concert
series.
Enjoy holiday music by some of Austin's finest
musicians.
If you wish to stay for lunch, please make your
reservation no later than noon the day before to
concerts@cpcaustin.org. Donations of $5(adults) and $3(children) are
requested for lunch.
The concerts are free, and no reservations
are needed for the concerts.
Parking is in the Perry Brooks
Building, 1/2 block south of the church on Brazos. Park on the 4th
or 5th floor. Bring your ticket into church office for stamp, then
it just costs $3 to park.
Dec. 3 Austin Handbell Ensemble
Dec. 10 Singers of CPC Choir
Dec. 17 Pinnacle
Brass
Caroling
at Noon Concert Series
Dec
3-Dec 17
St.
David's Episcopal Church, 301 East 8th St.
610-3500
www.stadve.org
Join
us Thursdays in December for a refreshing pause from the
hustle-and-bustle of the holiday season. These free programs of
virtuosic performances and caroling will be held at noon in the
Historic Church followed by lunch in Cafe Divine at 12:30 p.m. Cost
for lunch is $8. All Concerts and Evensongs are free and open to the
public. Complimentary parking is available in the St. David's garage
at 8th and Trinity Streets. Concert performances:
December
3: The Concordia Chamber Players
December 10: The St. David's
Men's Ensemble
December 17: Music for Harp and Organ
Gingerbread
Workshops
Dec
4-Dec 20
Austin
Children's Museum, 201 Colorado St.
512-472-2499
http://www.austinkids.org
Parents
and kids can build and decorate their very own gingerbread house
with candy and icing, using real, soft gingerbread baked here in
Austin. Continue this holiday tradition without the worry of a messy
clean-up!
2ND
St District Holiday Train Display, Saturdays through Dec
19
Dec
5-Dec 19
11:00
AM - 5:00 PM
117
Lavaca Street
www.2ndstreetdistrict.com
Join
2ND Street District this holiday season as we host Tinplate Trackers
of Austin's holiday model train display Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm
through December 19 at 117 Lavaca Street (between Cesar Chavez and
2ND, across the parking entrance to Austin City Hall).
Catch
the real holiday spirit with downtown shopping and the always
fashionable tradition of trains.
- FREE parking in City Hall
before
- Shopping & dining in more than 50 (mostly locally
owned) Austin businesses
- Raffle for a Lionel Pennsylvania
Flyer starter set
And
for just $5, you can even run one of the remote control steam or
diesel freight sets on the 40' x 50' layout, complete with smoke,
horn, whistle and bell. (Adult supervision required.) The Tinplate
Trackers of Austin is a Three-Rail, O-Gauge model train club. Most
people associate O-Gauge with the big Lionel trains of their youth.
The Tinplate Trackers run all the modern manufacturers as well. More
information about the club at www.trainweb.orgttat
The
47th Annual Production of The Nutcracker
Dec
5-Dec 23
Long
Center - 701 West Riverside Drive
512.476.2163
www.balletaustin.org/atb/nutcracker.php
If
the music sounds sweeter than sugarplums, the dancers seem lighter
than air, and the snowflakes sparkle more brightly than ever before,
you're not dreaming. After all, experiencing the 47th annual
production of Austin's holiday tradition is sure to be an
exceptionally festive feast for the senses. Ballet Austin's
production of The Nutcracker is Texas' longest running production of
this classic and with a different "celebrity" playing the role of
Mother Ginger in each performance, every show guarantees an extra
bit of memory-making merriment.
Choreography
by Stephen Mills
Music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
Musical
Accompaniment by The Austin Symphony Orchestra
Tickets $15 -
$73
The
St. David's Men's Ensemble
Dec
10
12:00
PM
301
E. 8th St.
Assoc. Director of Music Austin Haller,
austin.h@stdave.org
(512) 610-3500
stdave.org/site/music/cat/concerts/
A
refreshing pause from the hustle-and-bustle of the holiday season,
St. David's Caroling at Noon concerts feature virtuosic
performances, caroling, and cuisine. This second program in the
series is presented by the St. David's Men's Ensemble, a choral
group under the direction of St. David's music director David
Stevens.
Free
and open to the public, with complimentary parking in St. David's
garage at 8th and Trinity Streets. Followed by lunch at 12:30 p.m.
for $8. Today's entre is Filet of Tilapia Provencal; a vegetarian
entree is also available.
CONSPIRARE
YOUTH CHOIRS
Dec
11-Dec 12
7:00
PM - 7:00 PM
St.
Martin's Lutheran Church, 606 W. 15th St.
Conspirare
512-476-5775
www.conspirare.org
The
Conspirare Youth Choirs' popular winter concert surrounds listeners
with the beauty and warmth of the season, featuring music by Faure,
Saint-Saens, and Britten. For tickets call 512-476-5775 or visit
www.conspirare.org. $12 Adult; $6 Youth; Free yrs./under ticket
available (must call to order).
Texas
Choral Consort "Winter on the Wing"
Dec
11-Dec 13
1110
Guadalupe St Austin, TX 78701-2116
(512) 476-6941
Friday
8-10 pm Saturday 8-10pm Sunday 3-6pm
For
the Holidays Continued
Armadillo
Christmas Bazaar
Dec
11-Dec 24
11:00
AM - 11:00 PM
Austin
Convention Center: 500 E Cesar Chavez Street
www.armadillobazaar.com/index.html
The
34th annual Armadillo Christmas Bazaar will once again be at the
Austin Convention Center. It remains the same truly Austin
honky-tonk bar shopping experience that has made the Armadillo
Christmas Bazaar one of the region's most beloved holiday traditions
- just a bigger venue. Look for more information for artists and
musicians in February.
There
are always great musical performances booked on the Armadillo Bazaar
Music Stage, a bar, food, over 130 local and regional fine artists
and craftspeople, plus that special Austin feeling that can only be
found here. This is the real, the original Armadillo Christmas
Bazaar! Enjoy dancing in the aisles while shopping for fine art and
distinctive gifts right here in downtown Austin. So come join us for
a unique Austin tradition and show your support for the local
artists and musicians who keep Austin cool.
Holiday
Road
Dec
12
2:00
PM
501
W. 3rd Street
Vicki Parsons
512 476-2163
www.tickets.balletaustin.org/public/
Holiday
Road
Directed by Danny Herman and Rocker Verastique A Musical
Theatre Workshop Performance presented by Butler Community School
Workshop Students.
Saturday,
Dec. 12 at 2:00 pm
Sunday, Dec. 13 at 6:00 pm
At
Ballet Austin's
AustinVentures StudioTheater
This
year's performance will feature an eclectic mix of holiday music. As
our cast criss-crosses the country and travels up and down the radio
dial, the tunes jump from a holiday hoe-down in Branson, MO to the
merry magic of Radio City in New York...from a silent night to a
rockin' good time 'round the Christmas tree.
Rediscover
the true meaning of the holiday. Join the cast of Holiday Road as
they sing and dance up a storm in the AustinVentures StudioTheater
this December.
Tickets:
$12
Reserved Seating
Jim
Brickman's Beautiful World Christmas
Dec
15
8:00
PM
713
Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701
Paramount Theatre
512.472.5470
www.Austintheatre.org/
This
Christmas season, platinum record-selling and Grammy-nominated
pianist Jim Brickman is creating a "Beautiful World" for audiences
seeking an escape from the hectic demands of the holiday season! In
a very special Christmas concert, Jim and guests present an evening
of dazzling solo piano, vibrant vocals plus warmth and humor. Jim
weaves together new and old traditional holiday favorites, all the
hits and songs from the fall album release, Beautiful World. An
unforgettable night to remember with Jim Brickman's Beautiful World
Christmas.
Children's
Christmas Progam & Pick Up Nativity
Dec
16
6:30
PM - 7:30 PM
200
East Eighth St. (at Brazos)
Kathi Thomas or Becky Clark
512-472-2445
www.cpcaustin.org
CPC
Children's Choir sings, ending with "pick up Nativity"- all children
are invited to be a part of the Nativity. Wear your own costume (who
is to say if there were ducks there?) or we have some angel and
shepherd costumes. Meet in library at 6:15 so we can explain how it
works- NO REHEARSALS for Nativity scene. Tamale dinner served before
hand 5:45 PM- RSVP required for dinner-
dinner@cpcuastin.org.
Merry
Tuba Christmas
Dec
20
12:00
PM
South
steps, Texas State Capitol
You
are again invited to participate in one or more of the TUBACHRISTMAS
concerts/events presented throughout the world.
REGISTRATION:
9:30 am First United Methodist Church Family Life Center, NW corner,
13th & Lavaca
REHEARSAL:
10:30 am same as registration
H-E-B
Presents First Night Austin 2010
Dec
31-Jan 1
2:00
PM - 12:00 AM
Downtown
Austin (4th Street to Auditorium Shores)
Dave Sullivan
512-391-1551
www.firstnightaustin.org
First
Night Austin is a public celebration of the arts that revives the
ancient tradition of marking the passage of time with art, ritual
and festivity. It is an annual free, family-friendly,
inter-generationally programmed, non-alcoholic New Year's Eve
celebration in Downtown Austin. The 5th Anniversary theme is
"Illumination: Celebrating Austin's Best."
Rockin'
Christmas Party
Nov
27-Dec 27
1510
Toomey Road Austin, Texas 78704
(512) 476-0594
www.zachtheatre.org/
Austin's
rock-n-soul holiday spectacle, Rockin' Christmas Party, celebrates a
sweet sixteen years reigning as one of our town's longest-running
traditions! Bigger, brighter and merrier than ever, our
award-winning cast sure knows how to put the Christmas spirit in
your heart--and your booty--as they shake, rattle and roll down
Santa Claus Lane! Featuring some of ZACH's all-time greatest
vocalists, this year's edition has a brand new set design. It's
great fun for the whole family, but get your tickets early because
seats go fast for this wildly popular holiday shindig. We are now
booking holiday parties, so run, run
Rudolph!
Whole
Foods "Skating on the Plaza"
Nov
27-Jan 10
525
Lamar Street
(512) 542-2260
Around
the holidays, Whole Foods Flagship store in Austin, Texas provides a
special outdoor skating rink on top of their store.
here
is a 40 person maximum on the rink, 50 for a private party. Regular
hours are 10am to 9pm. Tickets, which are $10 for all ages and
includes skate rental, can be purchased from the Guest Services desk
up to an hour before each session
Scottish
Rite Theatre Presents A Christmas Carol
Nov
28-Dec 20
207
West 18th Street, Austin, Texas 78701
www.ScottishRiteChildrensTheatre.org/shows/index.php
With
a few twists on Charles Dickens' classic tale, Scottish Rite
Children's Theatre presents A Christmas Carol written for young
audiences. Original music and songs by Michael McKelvey are a
delightful addition to D.H. Thompson's script that teaches the
values of kindness and caring.
Children
will celebrate an early New Year's Eve with party favors and treats
immediately following the performance. Tickets to this special show:
$15 Adults, $12 Children (1-12), $5 infants under
1.
Riverdance
Dec
8-Dec 13
23rd
& Robert Dedman
Ticket Office
(512)471-1444
www.texasperformingarts.org/event/riverdance
RIVERDANCE,
the thunderous celebration of Irish music, song and dance that has
tapped its way onto the world stage thrilling millions of people
around the globe, will play Farewell Performances across North
America. "A Phenomenon of Historic Proportions!" raves the
Washington Post (6/10/07). "An explosion of sight and sound that
simply takes your breath away," cheers the Chicago Tribune. "A
family evening unlike anything else!" exclaims The London Times.
Discover why nothing in the world compares to The Original
International Phenomenon! Whether it's your first time or your
fifth, you won't want to miss these FAREWELL performances of
Riverdance!
Robert
Shults: The Small Corners of Existence
Nov
3-Jan 2
1202
W. 6th Street 78703
512-626-9301
www.lnowlingallery.com
Austin
photographer Robert Shults captures the architecture of
homelessness. Upon moving to Austin in 2001, Shults found himself
homeless in a new city. He spent several months finding his way off
the streets, and eventually succeeded in doing so. In 2007, Shults
learned he would be laid-off from his teaching job. He was met with
an old anxiety he had experienced not so long before. Inspired by
this, Shults returned to the spaces he once used for shelter and
began photographing them. His body of work explores the often
overlooked spaces that for some act as temporary physical and
spiritual shelter.
Shults
will be exhibiting his work, "The Small Corners of Existence"
November 3-January 2 at L. Nowlin Gallery. The Opening Reception
will be held Sat., Nov. 7, 2009, 6-8pm. A portion of the proceeds
from each print sold will be donated to Austin Resource Center for
the Homeless (ARCH).
Located
adjacent to Wally Workman Gallery at 1202 W. 6th Street 78703, L.
Nowlin Gallery hours of operation are Tues--Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
or by appointment. Extended gallery hours on First Thursdays 6--8
p.m. All exhibits are free and openn to the public.
WorkSpace:
Pablo Vargas Lugo
Nov
14-Feb 21
200
Martin Luther King Blvd.
info@blantonmuseum.com
512.471.7324
www.blantonmuseum.org
Pablo
Vargas Lugo's WorkSpace project, Eclipses for Austin, explores solar
eclipses as important collective rituals. Total eclipses of the sun
provoke astonishment, anxiety, hope, joy and fear and compel those
who witness them to reassess their place in the world. For Lugo's
project, 500 people will gather in the university's Derrell K Royal
Texas Memorial Stadium to stage the next ten solar eclipses that
will occur in Texas over the course of 340 years. In a carefully
choreographed performance, participants will hold up black and white
cards to create a picture of each eclipse. The performance will be
documented on video and in a newspaper that visitors will be able to
keep.
Ultimately,
the work seeks to address a sense of belonging that a collective
activity can inspire in a group - even one made up of diverse
members.
David
Bates Exhibit
Nov
21-Jan 30
Austin
Museum of Art: 823 Congress
512.495.9224
www.amoa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ex_CurrentDowntownExhibition
David
Bates since 1982: From the Everyday to the Epic opens with the wit
and honesty of Bates' early narrative paintings. His stunning
landscapes and still lives are an inventive synthesis of approaches
from sources as diverse as folk art and modern masters. The bold
recent work confronts personal loss and the human toll of Hurricane
Katrina.
Goya's
Prints: The Dawn of Modern Art
Nov
28-Mar 7
200
Martin Luther King Blvd.
info@blantonmuseum.com
512.471.7324
www.blantonmuseum.org
The
Blanton possesses some thirty prints by Spanish master Francisco de
Goya (1746-1828), with several impressions from each of his major
series. They include great rarities like El Embozado, which was left
unfinished at his death, and a number of recent acquisitions such as
a brilliant proof impression from Los Proverbios. A chance to
encounter Goya's singular genius, this exhibition presents these
prints as a group for the first time at The Blanton.
Printmaking
as not just one of Goya's principal activities. The subjects of his
celebrated Caprichos were inspired by popular imagery, sayings, and
concerns that had never before reached the level of "high" art. In
the Tauromaquia, bullfights became a pretext for upending
traditional formal values, and later, a touchstone for artists from
Manet to Picasso. His Disasters of War series was in stark contrast
to the typical heroic renderings of historical events. His late
works plumbed the imagination beyond rational limit, giving rise to
some aspects of the later movements, Symbolism and Surrealism. In
many ways, Goya's works represent a dawning of modern
art.
Paolo
Veronese: The Petrobelli Altarpiece
Oct
4-Feb 7
Blanton
Museum of Art: 200 Martin Luther King Blvd.
512.471.7324
www.blantonmuseum.org
Venetian
master Paolo Veronese (1528 -- 1588). Head of an Angel, a painting
from the Blanton's Suida Manning collection, has been identified as
a fragment of a lonng-lost Veronese masterpiece. Dr. Xavier Salomon,
a Veronese expert and curator of the Dulwich Picture Gallery outside
London, confirmed the fragment to be the head of Saint Michael, the
central figure in the so-called Petrobelli altarpiece from 1565.
Three other fragments from the altarpiece were previously identified
in the collections of Dulwich, The National Gallery of Canada at
Ottawa, and the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. These
works, along with the Blanton's newly identified Saint Michael, will
be reunited for the first time in more than two centuries. In
October 2009, The Blanton will present the reconstructed altarpiece
along with x-rays and other ephemera. The Blanton will be the only
US venue for this traveling exhibiton.
Street
Closing: Austin Farmers' Market
200
9
Every
Saturday, from 6:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., W. 4th will be closed
between Guadalupe and San Antonio.
Street
Closing: Ballet Austin
Dec
8-Dec 10
Riverside
Drive, between Lee Barton Street and S. 1st Street, will be closed
from 8:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Street
Closing: First Night Austin
Dec
31-Jan 1
The
following Streets will be closed:
8:00
a.m. Dec. 31 through 2:00 a.m. Jan. 1:
- South First Street Bridge
- Cesar Chavez Street, between
San Antonio and Congress
- Guadalupe Street and Lavaca Street,
between Cesar Chavez and W. 2nd
5:00
p.m. Dec 31 through 2:00 a.m. Jan. 1:
- San Antonio Street and Colorado Street, between Cesar Chavez
and W. 2nd
- Cesar Chavez Street, between San Antonio Street and
Sandra Muraida Way
5:00
p.m. through 8:30 p.m. Dec. 31:
- Congress Avenue, between Cesar Chavez and 5th Street
5:00
p.m. through 6:00 p.m. Dec. 31:
- West 5th Street, between Congress and
Colorado
Ongoing
Construction: West Fifth Street - 400 block
092
0
Beginning
August 29, construction of the Federal Courthouse will close:
-
The parking lane and one travel lane on the south side of West 5th
Street, between San Antonio and Nueces
- All lanes of San
Antonio, between W. 5th and W. 4th
- The parking lane on the
west side of Nueces, between W. 5th and W. 4th
- The parking
lane on the north side of W. 4th, between San Antonio and Nueces
Street.
Closures,
except that of San Antonio, are expected to last 34 - 36 months. San
Antonio will be permanently closed and will become a plaza between
the Courthouse and Republic Square.
Ongoing
Construction: Brazos Streetscape Project
092
0
Construction
on the Brazos Streetscape project will start on October 5. The work
will begin at Brazos and E. Cesar Chavez and proceed northward in
phases. During construction, crews will work on one side of the
street at a time. Two lanes will be closed on the side of the street
under construction. The lanes on the other side of the street will
remain open. By early February work should be complete between E.
Cesar Chavez and E. 4th Street. We will provide updates as needed.
Concurrently,
contractors will be replacing utilities in the 500 block and 600
block of Brazos.
Ongoing
Construction: West Third Street - 300 block
200
9
Construction
of the W Hotel has closed two lanes of W. Third, leaving two travel
lanes open.
Ongoing
Construction: East Cesar Chavez
200
9
Construction
on underground utilities on East Cesar Chavez, near the Four Seasons
Hotel, will begin on Sunday, Nov. 1. The work is being performed for
the new construction of the Four Seasons development. There will be
no full street closures, however, there will be temporary lane
closures and changes to lane configurations and left turn
capabilities. Drivers can expect traffic delays in the area for
approximately two months. Traffic control directional signs will be
placed for drivers throughout the project. Work will be conducted in
three phases. | 