1. To pickle beets. Things have gotten pretty domestic in my life since moving to Austin, and as a byproduct of that, I have become quite proficient at preserving foods. Pickles, fruit butters or marmalades, I just love "putting stuff up." So naturally, when Tom and I pulled up our small crop of beets last week, I decided to make spiced pickled beets. We ended up with four jars filled with the bright red roots, preserved in a mix of vinegar, sugar, allspice, clove and cinnamon. I cant wait to crack a jar open, but for best flavor, I think we will wait until we get back from our vacation.
2. The Blanton is awesome! Despite my reservations of it being crazy on campus for graduation weekend, Tom convinced me to go with him to the Blanton Museum of Art last Saturday. It was a great way to spend a hot afternoon, and as a bonus, Staff and Students get into the museum for free every day (I could write a whole blog post about why I LOVE my UT ID card.) The museum is much bigger than I realized, so we didn't get a chance to see everything before our legs got tired, and our brains were overloaded with all the cool stuff to look at. Needless to say, I am really looking forward to our next visit, so we can see what we missed.
3. I heart SYTYCD even more than I remembered. My favorite reality show is back, ladies and gents! I think it surprises people that "So You Think You Can Dance" is such a favorite of mine. Do I like it more than Top Chef? Yes. More than Project Runway? Yes, again. SYTYCD is the only place I can think of where you can regularly see transcendent art created and performed on the TV. And I like the absence of silly challenges that other reality shows employ, which seem more and more like they are created solely to mess up the contestants. Don't get me wrong, I do love those other shows too, but Top Chef is not about making the contestants better chefs. SYTYCD gives dancers and choreographers space to discover, to grow and to create beautiful things. Yes, sometimes a contestant has to go outside of their comfort zone (sometimes way outside...Russian Folk Dancing, anyone?) to perform in a style they are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. But more often than not, in those situations we often get a moment that is more than the sum of it's parts. Do any of you watch SYTYCD? What are your favorite reality shows?
4. Homemade arugula pesto is AMAZING! Tom and I have a beautiful and very prolific arugula plant in the old garden. For the past few months, we have been picking leaves here and there to add to salads, pizzas and sandwiches, but this week Tom got the inspired idea to sub out the basil for arugula in his pesto recipe. The result was really stunning. The mix of olive oil and pine nuts really mellowed out the sharp bite of the arugula. We made panini the other night with turkey, smoked muenster, garden tomatoes and the arugula pesto. Oh my word. So yummy!! Are the pesto possibilities endless? I mean, what isnt improved by the addition of olive oil and pine nuts?
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, April 19, 2010
Long Live the Yardists!
Day: 247
High Temp: 69F (yep, it's a little chilly here in Austin!)
Tom and I had a crazy weekend filled with things we needed to do:
-Laundry
-Grocery Shopping
-Get Haircuts
-Packing for our upcoming trip to the Bay Area
and things that we wanted to do:
-See a movie
-Brunch with friends
-Play with Homer
-Check out the Austin Art Yards Tour
I am proud to say that, although it was what I would consider a very hectic weekend, we somehow managed to do it all. The highlight, was undoubtedly the Austin Art Yards Tour.
I am sure that many of you have heard the slogan "Keep Austin Weird." Well, the Yardists (yard + artists, get it?) are the people who, more than any other group, truly put the weird (or more like unique) in Austin. They are a legion of people, both artists and normal people (yes, I just implied artists are not normal) who are dedicated to make their outdoor spaces just a little more beautiful/odd/whimsical/inspiring. Tom choose for us a tour route that would take us past the landmarks who call our south Austin neighborhood home.
One yard that I was particularly stoked to experience was the infamous Cathedral of Junk. Unfortunately, just days before the tour, the City of Austin officially announced that this landmark would be closed to the public (against the owners will) until future notice. For more information on this government-gone-wrong story, check out this Austin American Statesman article.
We did however, get a chance to see:
Smut Putt Heaven- not sure where the name derives from, but this back yard was chocked full of mannequin and doll heads, glass bottle hedges, crutches. There were also dozens of bottle-cap snakes hanging from the grand live oak that is the yard's centerpiece.
Black and White- a front yard who's artist owner has decided to decorate with huge Picasso-esque black and white cardboard sculptures
Flower Power- Another front yard, this time featuring colorful metal flower sculptures, some of which turned on their center axis.
Flamingos du Jour- This wildly overgrown back yard has been besieged by a huge flock of pink flamingo yard ornaments of all shapes and sizes.
Sea Yard- One of the most understated yards, this spot is best known for the under-sea mural that graces the entire back yard fence. It also features a stunning glass mermaid mural on the yard gate. We were lucky to see the owner Lois Goodman's sea tchotchke-bedecked car in the carport. And Lois was there soaking up the many compliments that were coming her way, and talking with visitors about her art and her home (a stunning work itself!).
Flat Fork Studios- Our last stop of the tour, this spot was most notable for the GIANT chicken that is chained to a fence in the front yard. Not kidding, the thing is taller than I am.
It was an inspiring and fun afternoon, and made me appreciate yet another level of uniqueness that my adopted city has to offer. Long live the yardists!
High Temp: 69F (yep, it's a little chilly here in Austin!)
Tom and I had a crazy weekend filled with things we needed to do:
-Laundry
-Grocery Shopping
-Get Haircuts
-Packing for our upcoming trip to the Bay Area
and things that we wanted to do:
-See a movie
-Brunch with friends
-Play with Homer
-Check out the Austin Art Yards Tour
I am proud to say that, although it was what I would consider a very hectic weekend, we somehow managed to do it all. The highlight, was undoubtedly the Austin Art Yards Tour.
I am sure that many of you have heard the slogan "Keep Austin Weird." Well, the Yardists (yard + artists, get it?) are the people who, more than any other group, truly put the weird (or more like unique) in Austin. They are a legion of people, both artists and normal people (yes, I just implied artists are not normal) who are dedicated to make their outdoor spaces just a little more beautiful/odd/whimsical/inspiring. Tom choose for us a tour route that would take us past the landmarks who call our south Austin neighborhood home.
One yard that I was particularly stoked to experience was the infamous Cathedral of Junk. Unfortunately, just days before the tour, the City of Austin officially announced that this landmark would be closed to the public (against the owners will) until future notice. For more information on this government-gone-wrong story, check out this Austin American Statesman article.
We did however, get a chance to see:
Smut Putt Heaven- not sure where the name derives from, but this back yard was chocked full of mannequin and doll heads, glass bottle hedges, crutches. There were also dozens of bottle-cap snakes hanging from the grand live oak that is the yard's centerpiece.
Black and White- a front yard who's artist owner has decided to decorate with huge Picasso-esque black and white cardboard sculptures
Flower Power- Another front yard, this time featuring colorful metal flower sculptures, some of which turned on their center axis.
Flamingos du Jour- This wildly overgrown back yard has been besieged by a huge flock of pink flamingo yard ornaments of all shapes and sizes.
Sea Yard- One of the most understated yards, this spot is best known for the under-sea mural that graces the entire back yard fence. It also features a stunning glass mermaid mural on the yard gate. We were lucky to see the owner Lois Goodman's sea tchotchke-bedecked car in the carport. And Lois was there soaking up the many compliments that were coming her way, and talking with visitors about her art and her home (a stunning work itself!).
Flat Fork Studios- Our last stop of the tour, this spot was most notable for the GIANT chicken that is chained to a fence in the front yard. Not kidding, the thing is taller than I am.
It was an inspiring and fun afternoon, and made me appreciate yet another level of uniqueness that my adopted city has to offer. Long live the yardists!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tom is a Rock Star
(this should have posted on 2/22- not sure what happened)
Day: 191
High Temp: 57F
Tom is a rock star. Of course most of you are sitting there saying, "yeah, we know!" But here is a new reason to respect his awesomeness...
Tom has spent this past weekend in Washington D.C., at Arena Stage's Devised Work symposium. Kirk Lynn, a co-founder of the Rude Mechs, a well respected theatre specializing in devised, nearly avant garde original theatre, is one of the presenters at the symposium (along with people from SITI and Tectonic, two very exciting theatre companies working to redefine what modern American theatre is.)
Kirk also happens to be one of Tom's professors at UT. Recognizing Tom's passion for non-traditional playwrighting and collective creation, Kirk approached the University and asked they would pay to bring Tom to the symposium with Kirk. I think he recognized that Tom would not only learn a lot from the presentations, but that he would potentially make lots of really excellent connections that will help him further his career down the road. The University agreed, and said they would pay.
I think it is just so cool that Tom was pulled out from a group of really talented playwrights to have that experience. I also think it shows Tom made a great decision in the program he chose to attend. They are obviously recognizing his talent and interests, and are doing what they can to foster those things. Yay Tom!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Beeven Bietz
Day: 116
High Temp: 50F
Job Status: Unemployed (and not receiving unemployment)
With the advent of Google Alerts, bloggers need to be careful about what they say, and who they say it about. I think this is a good thing. Anonymity is certainly still easy enough to preserve on a blog, but the fact that the person you are trashing might get an email alerting them to the fact that you have written something does hopefully make the blog owner more responsible for what he or she says. It is probably not such an issue if you want to blog about an A-list celebrity. Those people are written about so much that I doubt they/their managers/their agents really care what is being said about them. I mean, can you imagine if Brittney Spears set up a google alert for her name? A constant stream of inanity, to be sure.
So what does that have to do with Austin, or my subject line Beeven Bietz? Well, this posting is supposed to be about a certain American playwright that I have had the pleasure of meeting and socializing with. However, my own inability to give an enthusiastic and heartfelt compliment has made it awkward to write this blog for fear said playwright has a google alert set for his own name, and will therefore be alerted to my blog. Therefore, I have given this incredibly charming and well-respected artist a ridiculous, slightly distorted name: Beeven Bietz.
Many of my blog readers probably already know who I am talking about. For those that don't, here are a few more clues to help you with the google search. Beeven is a professor here at UT Austin, he spends his time between Austin and Seattle, and has been produced by my beloved TimeLine Theatre in Chicago. I have a google alert set up for "TimeLine Theatre" and will now likely get an alert about my own blog...
Anyhow, Beeven wrote a play that I love. It is, in fact, one of my favorite plays EVER. I think it is really freaking cool that he is Tom's mentor and professor. I think it is really freaking cool that I have met him, and I also think it is really freaking cool that last Friday night, I sat in his back yard, drinking wine and chatting with him and other UT theatre people around his fire pit. It's all so cool. But it feels so uncool to say it!
I am a mess!
Beeven and his wife are both playwrights. They live in a gorgeous old house a few blocks north of campus, and have converted the little coach house in back into a stunning writer's cottage. Being incredibly gracious hosts, Beeven and Allison insisted that everyone please feel free to explore the little cottage, and see where he (they) make(s) the magic happen.
When I entered, I immediately noticed the bookcase in the little foyer area. It is topped with photos of family, and friends, and other trinkets that have sentimental value to our hosts. Situated among the photos and trinkets is an old LP version of Eugene Ionesco's "The Chairs". It is an audio recording of the play that in many ways shaped and inspired the Bietz play much beloved by yours truly.
There is something magical about connecting to the things or places that have inspired art that you admire. I am sure many theatre lovers feel it when walking the streets of Stratford, England, or it may be a familiar feeling to sports fans who have had the chance to hold the bat, or touch the glove of a favorite player. That is what I felt standing in that little cottage, a little bit of unexpected theatrical magic. It was so cool. And it definitely could not have happened anywhere but Austin, Texas.
High Temp: 50F
Job Status: Unemployed (and not receiving unemployment)
With the advent of Google Alerts, bloggers need to be careful about what they say, and who they say it about. I think this is a good thing. Anonymity is certainly still easy enough to preserve on a blog, but the fact that the person you are trashing might get an email alerting them to the fact that you have written something does hopefully make the blog owner more responsible for what he or she says. It is probably not such an issue if you want to blog about an A-list celebrity. Those people are written about so much that I doubt they/their managers/their agents really care what is being said about them. I mean, can you imagine if Brittney Spears set up a google alert for her name? A constant stream of inanity, to be sure.
So what does that have to do with Austin, or my subject line Beeven Bietz? Well, this posting is supposed to be about a certain American playwright that I have had the pleasure of meeting and socializing with. However, my own inability to give an enthusiastic and heartfelt compliment has made it awkward to write this blog for fear said playwright has a google alert set for his own name, and will therefore be alerted to my blog. Therefore, I have given this incredibly charming and well-respected artist a ridiculous, slightly distorted name: Beeven Bietz.
Many of my blog readers probably already know who I am talking about. For those that don't, here are a few more clues to help you with the google search. Beeven is a professor here at UT Austin, he spends his time between Austin and Seattle, and has been produced by my beloved TimeLine Theatre in Chicago. I have a google alert set up for "TimeLine Theatre" and will now likely get an alert about my own blog...
Anyhow, Beeven wrote a play that I love. It is, in fact, one of my favorite plays EVER. I think it is really freaking cool that he is Tom's mentor and professor. I think it is really freaking cool that I have met him, and I also think it is really freaking cool that last Friday night, I sat in his back yard, drinking wine and chatting with him and other UT theatre people around his fire pit. It's all so cool. But it feels so uncool to say it!
I am a mess!
Beeven and his wife are both playwrights. They live in a gorgeous old house a few blocks north of campus, and have converted the little coach house in back into a stunning writer's cottage. Being incredibly gracious hosts, Beeven and Allison insisted that everyone please feel free to explore the little cottage, and see where he (they) make(s) the magic happen.
When I entered, I immediately noticed the bookcase in the little foyer area. It is topped with photos of family, and friends, and other trinkets that have sentimental value to our hosts. Situated among the photos and trinkets is an old LP version of Eugene Ionesco's "The Chairs". It is an audio recording of the play that in many ways shaped and inspired the Bietz play much beloved by yours truly.
There is something magical about connecting to the things or places that have inspired art that you admire. I am sure many theatre lovers feel it when walking the streets of Stratford, England, or it may be a familiar feeling to sports fans who have had the chance to hold the bat, or touch the glove of a favorite player. That is what I felt standing in that little cottage, a little bit of unexpected theatrical magic. It was so cool. And it definitely could not have happened anywhere but Austin, Texas.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Culture is good
Day: 48
High Temp: 82F
Job Status: Unemployed
As part of the fabulous going away gifts from my good friends at TimeLine Theatre I received a year-long membership to the Austin Museum of Art. It is hard to say that the memebership was my favorite going away gift (after all, I received a play written for me, presented by the uber talented Chicago actors Janet Ulrich Brooks, and Juliet Hart), but let me just say that this is an EXCELLENT going away gift for a person who is 1. and art lover, 2. unemployed, and 3. without friends in a new city.
The membership gives us free access to both AMOA locations, discounts on their extensive catalogue of art classes and also invitations to the members opening parties for all exhibits. Unfortunately, we were just getting into town the week that the Chuck Close exhibit opened, so we missed that party. However, on Tuesday night, they opened a new exhibit at their stunning Laguna Gloria location, and Tom and I were able to attend. The exhibit was called Art and Nature.
First off, it was refreshing to actually have something to do in Austin that felt special, but didn't cost any money. I cant tell you the last time Tom and I splurged on a dinner out, or even a movie...And Laguna Gloria is stunning. It is an early 1900's Italian-style villa right on the banks of the Texas Colorado river. The setting is utterly serene, and an inspired location for an art exhibition designed to explore the relationship between nature and art. The ground is dotted with grand live oaks, outdoor art studios and some beautiful outdoor art, not to mention the villa itself which is a gorgeous building. Truly, if our friends and family lived anywhere near Austin, Tom and I would definitely get married here. As it is, I believe we may have found the location for our engagement pictures! Now if we could only find a free photographer...
The exhibit itself was quite small, as there are only so many spaces to hang art in the villa, but we really enjoyed looking at the selected pieces within the context of each other (all so different!) and the theme of art + nature. Generally I love curated shows for those reasons. The permanent collections at my favorite museums are always nice (they allow me to visit pieces I love multiple times, seeing them in new contexts as I grow older and move on to different stages in my life), but there is something special about curated shows that makes you think of art in a new way. The brilliant, art-loving minds behind curated exhibits show you a piece of art that is beautiful or provocative on it's own, and are able to tell a story, or create a new way to view the piece by illustrating the relationship between it and the other selected pieces in the exhibit. It's a process that is pretty ubiquitous in the world of visual art, but can also be used to great affect in other art forms (think of theatre festivals, or even your own playlists on iTunes.)
Ultimately, it was a wonderful introduction to the AMOA, as well as Austin's visual arts scene. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that they will curate an exhibit on outsider art sometime soon. It's my favorite genre of modern art, and would seem to fit perfectly in this truly an eclectic and anything-goes kind of town that is home to one of the most iconic pieces of public outsider art in America, Hi, How Are You by Daniel Johnston.
High Temp: 82F
Job Status: Unemployed
As part of the fabulous going away gifts from my good friends at TimeLine Theatre I received a year-long membership to the Austin Museum of Art. It is hard to say that the memebership was my favorite going away gift (after all, I received a play written for me, presented by the uber talented Chicago actors Janet Ulrich Brooks, and Juliet Hart), but let me just say that this is an EXCELLENT going away gift for a person who is 1. and art lover, 2. unemployed, and 3. without friends in a new city.
The membership gives us free access to both AMOA locations, discounts on their extensive catalogue of art classes and also invitations to the members opening parties for all exhibits. Unfortunately, we were just getting into town the week that the Chuck Close exhibit opened, so we missed that party. However, on Tuesday night, they opened a new exhibit at their stunning Laguna Gloria location, and Tom and I were able to attend. The exhibit was called Art and Nature.
First off, it was refreshing to actually have something to do in Austin that felt special, but didn't cost any money. I cant tell you the last time Tom and I splurged on a dinner out, or even a movie...And Laguna Gloria is stunning. It is an early 1900's Italian-style villa right on the banks of the Texas Colorado river. The setting is utterly serene, and an inspired location for an art exhibition designed to explore the relationship between nature and art. The ground is dotted with grand live oaks, outdoor art studios and some beautiful outdoor art, not to mention the villa itself which is a gorgeous building. Truly, if our friends and family lived anywhere near Austin, Tom and I would definitely get married here. As it is, I believe we may have found the location for our engagement pictures! Now if we could only find a free photographer...
The exhibit itself was quite small, as there are only so many spaces to hang art in the villa, but we really enjoyed looking at the selected pieces within the context of each other (all so different!) and the theme of art + nature. Generally I love curated shows for those reasons. The permanent collections at my favorite museums are always nice (they allow me to visit pieces I love multiple times, seeing them in new contexts as I grow older and move on to different stages in my life), but there is something special about curated shows that makes you think of art in a new way. The brilliant, art-loving minds behind curated exhibits show you a piece of art that is beautiful or provocative on it's own, and are able to tell a story, or create a new way to view the piece by illustrating the relationship between it and the other selected pieces in the exhibit. It's a process that is pretty ubiquitous in the world of visual art, but can also be used to great affect in other art forms (think of theatre festivals, or even your own playlists on iTunes.)
Ultimately, it was a wonderful introduction to the AMOA, as well as Austin's visual arts scene. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that they will curate an exhibit on outsider art sometime soon. It's my favorite genre of modern art, and would seem to fit perfectly in this truly an eclectic and anything-goes kind of town that is home to one of the most iconic pieces of public outsider art in America, Hi, How Are You by Daniel Johnston.
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