Back in February Austin-area artists were challenged to create work that incorporates facial hair somehow. On June 22, over 50 artists will exhibit their own personal twists on the beard theme. See their clever and creative work yourself, and cast your vote for People’s Choice award. See the facebook event here.

Arrive early and give yourself enough time to browse paper mustaches and beard earrings at the craft booth. Drink beer. Proudly don your own beard, natural or otherwise.

Meet local talent including Scott Rolfe, Jennifer Balkan, Sam Hurt, Dave Mead, and Magna Sayeg. Mingle with members of Austin Craft Riot, Austin Facial Hair Club, and Rocksalt Magazine. Enjoy the mixin’s of DJ Freedom Rock, DJ Dugan, and special guests.

Doors open at 6pm. Early birds get free treats. Party ends at midnight, with awards announcements sometime in between.

Oh, and watch this awesome video about the event!

Hooray!

Recycled, up-cycled, found and reused – New Found Glory celebrates all art created with an eco-friendly theme in mind. Presented by Balcones Recycling with beer donated by 512 Brewing Company, New Found Glory features art created by Leslie Uppinghouse, Corey Chambers, Landry McMeans, Jamie Panzer, Jerry de Frese, Virginia Fleck, Jason Mecier, Kristin White and Christine Terrell- Adaptive ReUse with live graffiti by Sloke One during the opening. Donations and a portion of art sales will benefit EcoRise Youth Innovations (www.ecorise.org). Event photo: cardboard signs by J Defrese. New Found Glory – Facebook invite here.

There are also many other great art events happening in East Austin on Saturday as part of FRAME. Go out and see some things!
The gallery will re-open June 1 for New Found Glory, a recycled art show presented by Balcones Recycling.

Every spring “Little Artists” learn how art — such as sculpture, painting, or photography — moves from a budding idea to the marketplace. “BIG ARTISTS” provide their time and professional experience as working artists to guide their Little Artists to envision, plan and create at least two pieces of artwork during the semester. Both pieces are featured in the spring show, along with a journal of the experience and a piece by their BIG ARTIST; one piece is sold via auction at the annual Cherrywood Art Fair in December. Proceeds from the auction benefit the art programs in the schools of students participating in the program.

Local fifth graders from select East Austin schools and their professional artist mentors will showcase their artwork during this exhibit. Little Artist BIG ARTIST program leaders invite the public and media to attend the reception, which includes food, drinks and a performance by the Maplewood Elementary Ukulele and Drum Choirs. Many Pump Project artists will open their studios for the reception. English-Spanish translators will be available.

Both LaBA and the Art Fair are programs of the Chula League, a non-profit organization dedicated to the valuable role of arts in East Austin neighborhoods.

“Little Artist BIG ARTIST is a crucial opportunity for students to learn art can be a career,” says Chula Chairman Sherri Whitmarsh. “Professional artists have fun while they mentor young artists in the commercial art process from ideas through execution to presentation to the market.”

This year’s participating elementary schools are Blackshear, Maplewood and Zavala. More than 20 Little Artists and 20 BIG ARTISTS participated this year.

About Chula League

Founded in 2005, Chula League is an East Austin 501(c)3 non-profit, organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and aesthetic purposes. Chula League works to ensure that the arts and public outdoor spaces play a valued role in the educational, economic and cultural well being of neighborhoods in East Austin.

The Little Artist/Big Artist 2013 spring show will run from April 25th through through May 11th and feature the work of students from Zavala, Blackshear and Maplewood Elementary Schools.

Paint on Paper Paint on Paper Paint on Paper is a group show curated by artist Lana Waldrep.

Together, the diverse works of Sonya Berg, Janet Bruhn, Carrie Cook, Owen Falco Dreysdale, Jess Laskosky, Jenny Sidhu Mullins, Cecelia Phillips-Evans, and Kai Peter Martin—from the abstract to the representational—present various facets of a common medium: paint on paper.

By selecting smaller works by each artist, bringing viewers physically closer to the work, Waldrep proposes that this particular material-substrate pairing invites intimate reflection and quiet scrutiny.

View the facebook invite here.