City Hall, Kitchen plan art exhibitions

The City of Austin will host the annual kickoff reception and opening of the 2015 People’s Gallery on Friday. Each year the city showcases work by regional artists by hanging their works throughout City Hall. Visitors to the building can vote on the People’s Choice, an artwork that the city will purchase from the artist as part of the city’s permanent art collection. All of the artworks will be on display at City Hall for an entire year. Voting instructions and guidance to the exhibition are available on the first and second floor, and ballots are available in the second floor lobby. This year, District 5 City Council Member Ann Kitchen is also hosting a special exhibition in her office, showcasing District 5 artists from Thornton Road Studios. Those artists include: David Bear, acrylic on canvas; Greg Davis, photography; Ava Sharifian, oil on canvas; Christine Gilbert, watercolor; Mindy Graber, mosaic; Rita Marie Ross, copper sculpture; Rick Van Dyke, clay art; Sandy Ball Muckleroy, bronze sculpture; and John Robert Franklin and William K Stidham, who have each contributed giclee limited edition prints. (Giclee is a term for fine art digital prints made on inkjet printers.) The 2015 exhibition features more than 100 artists as well as special exhibits from United Way for Greater Austin, AISD Creative Learning Initiative students, and Art in Public Places. The exhibit begins at 6 p.m., and the People’s Choice will be announced at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers. The People’s Gallery is a project of the Economic Development Department.