pump project art complex

Open Studios at Austin’s largest studio complexes
Saturday, May 22, 2-9 pm

Springboard into art – Visit Austin’s largest studio complexes: Pump Project, Pump Project Satellite, Big Medium and Artpost in one Saturday! Spend the afternoon exploring unique facilities that provide studio space for over eighty artists and artisans working in an array of styles and media. Browse the studios to meet local artists, see their work and ask questions about their process – and maybe even find something special to take home.  Hop on a bike to make the short ride between locations! Check out the members page of Pump Project’s website to see who you can visit!

In addition to open artist’s studios there will be an artist talk with sculptor Hank Waddell about his installation Wonderlanded in Pump Project’s main gallery Saturday at 5 pm. Pump Project Satellite Flex Space will feature an exhibition of wood- fired ceramics by Craig McNeil and metal work by Croix Williamson. The gallery at Big Medium will feature work from print media artists Jason Urban.

Locations:
Pump Project: 702 Shady Lane
Pump Project Satellite: 1109 Shady Lane
Big Medium: 5305 Bolm Rd
Artpost: 4704 E Cesar Chavez

An installation by Hank Waddell
Opening May 15, 7-10 pm.
Exhibition runs through June 5.

This installation is an attempt to find newness, to bring out the instinctual acts, to find the built in ‘play’ that leads to our survival in learning how the world works.

When the child experiences materials, objects, or icons, there is only newness: no nostalgia, no flash backs, no painful or pleasurable feelings arise. As time adds years to our lives we find materials, we find objects – we find ourselves. Gathered experiences connect together to create an overall feeling of who we are. Do these experiences cause us to become arrogant and stubborn or fun-filled, jolly, kind or caring?

When we consider the stuff that makes up our individual identity how do we find something new? How do we look at the world with fresh eyes? We must use our instincts and our willingness to believe that somewhere, built in, is a fun game to play that will teach us more.

The work of Hank Waddell is a veritable exploration into this process. Utilizing specific materials juxtaposed in curious ways, he creates a playground of thought and time. Techniques, technology, processing, dirt, products, steel, hard work, ecology, lead, wood and more are transformed to give the viewer something new. And it is this ‘new’ that becomes the portal to our survival based instinct to play.

Gallery Hours 12-5 pm Wed & Sat and by appointment.
Photo: Drawing of the artist and his grandson pulling up tree roots.

Eleventh Annual Austin-Area Advanced Student Art Exhibition
Sunday, May 2, 2-4 pm: Receptions & Awards Ceremony
Saturday, May 8, 4-8 pm: Art Bash
Gallery hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 12-5 pm and by appointment

Featuring work from 33 Austin-area high school students Selected by Mary Mikel Stump, Gallery Director, Texas State University, San Marcos.
Ahead of Their Time 2010 showcases the work of 33 artists from 15 Austin-area high schools: Austin High School, Anderson High School, Bowie High School, Cedar Park High School, Khabele School, Kirby Hall School, Liberal Arts & Science Academy at LBJ, McCallum High School, McNeil High School, Pflugerville High School, Round Rock High School, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, and Westlake High School.
Ahead of Their Time 2010, an annual juried exhibition now in its eleventh year, gives advanced art students the opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional setting as well as receive feedback from a well respected curator from the Austin area. This year, the exhibition was selected by Mary Mikel Stump. Stump has served as Gallery Director at Texas State University since 1998, where she curates and organizes around 20 exhibitions a year, in addition to working with students and the larger University community. With a background both in studio art and architectural illustration/design, Stump brings multiple levels of working knowledge to her curatorial and creative practices. In addition, she has juried exhibitions, served on Arts Boards and Commissions, written critical reviews, and given lectures on a variety of issues in contemporary art.

Above image: Retro by James Lambiecht