Visitors to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail may soon have the opportunity to enjoy more art along Lady Bird Lake, thanks to a new plan that lifts an almost decadelong moratorium on new public art. Monday’s regular meeting of the Arts Commission included a presentation by the Trail Conservancy (TTC) regarding the creation […]
Arts Commission
The Arts Commission advises the Austin City Council in all arts-related matters, fosters the development of the arts, and promotes cooperation between the City and the public.
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Activists push to improve East Austin cultural spaces as city land heads for development
Arts stakeholders and local preservationists are pushing the city to make good on a 2021 resolution to improve and invest in a portion of East Austin known as the African American Cultural Heritage District. The group’s work, which is aimed specifically at preserving and enhancing five music and arts venues in the district, comes as […]
Posted inCity Hall
Eligibility language confusion adds to frustrations over new Cultural Arts awards
Arts leaders dissatisfied with the city’s new Thrive program for funding established arts organizations are pointing to unclear wording in the program’s eligibility language for causing some groups to forgo applying. Some are also arguing that the requirements should have filtered out a number of groups that received awards. Discussion at Monday’s Arts Commission meeting […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
New cultural arts awards bring opportunities, disappointment for applicants
Staff in the city’s Cultural Arts Division prepared themselves to hear some frustration in response to the selection of the first recipients of a radically structured system for awarding arts contracts. During last week’s Arts Commission meeting, staffers reviewed the steps involved in scoring and selecting the 35 recipients of $3.8 million in funding dedicated to […]
Posted inBudget
City’s hotel tax on the upswing after pandemic
The city’s Arts Commission heard an update last week on the status of the Cultural Arts Fund and Hotel Occupancy Tax collection numbers for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2022-23. After a rough showing during the pandemic, there are signs the revenue source is again on the rise. The Hotel Occupancy Tax – the […]
Posted inPlanning
Creative spaces, affordable homes possible for two city-owned East Austin sites
The city’s Housing and Planning Department has identified parts of city-owned parcels that could incorporate creative spaces and affordable housing for artists, with development plans likely to be handled by the Austin Economic Development Corporation. Mandy De Mayo, deputy director of the housing department, shared some basic details of the two projects at Monday’s Arts […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music Commission seeks say in land use around affordability, creative spaces
Members of the Music Commission have set their sights on influencing how the city handles land use specific to affordability, in the hopes that more homes and commercial spaces can be created for local musicians and artists. The commission voted unanimously at Monday’s meeting to reorganize a recently formed working group focused on the proposed […]
Posted inCity Council
Council seeks to incentivize new creative spaces
The city will look for ways to incentivize developers to build creative spaces such as galleries and theaters into new projects in the coming years, building on a decision last month to incentivize new live music venues. At last week’s City Council meeting, the consent agenda included a resolution led by Council Member Ann Kitchen that […]
Posted inDevelopment
Stream offers more details on Sixth Street renovation plans
Stream Realty Partners offered up more information this week on its plans to remake a section of the Sixth Street entertainment district, emphasizing daytime business and a move away from the high-volume shot bars and nightclubs that have dominated the area for decades. At this week’s Arts Commission meeting, Stream senior vice president Caitlyn Ryan […]
Posted inAustin
More public art is headed to the hike-and-bike trail
For the past several years, a moratorium has prevented the installment of any new public artworks in the vicinity of Austin’s hike-and-bike trail and Lady Bird Lake. With the expiration of that moratorium, the Trail Foundation, which has taken over management of the area, is making plans to incorporate more public art into the city’s […]
Posted inAustin
Commissioners want business, tech funds to support creative sector
The Austin business community, particularly the technology companies flocking to the area, will likely be asked this year to increase their support for a creative sector that is being squeezed by the rising cost of living across the city. Members of the Arts and Music commissions have formed a working group focused on increasing awareness […]
Posted inHousing
Airbnb makes renewed push to reach STR agreement with City Council
Short-term rental platform Airbnb is pushing City Council to change its long-held stance against working with companies that help STRs to operate and, in the process, take business away from area hotels. A representative from Airbnb spoke to the Arts Commission last week and offered a draft letter of support that several arts organizations and […]