Tribeza Talk November 2017
An Insider's Guide to What's Buzzing Around Austin
Built to Last
Designed by architects Charles Moore and Arthur Andersson in 1984, the Moore/Andersson Compound, just west of MoPac in West Austin, was created to provide living and working spaces for its designers. The Compound also houses an architectural library and an impressive 2,000-piece collection of folk art. This year the Texas Society of Architects recognizes the Moore/Andersson Compound with its 25-Year Award, an honor granted to buildings of importance that have been around for 25 to 50 years. Visitors can arrange a tour and view the spaces by appointment.
Art Outside
“One of my goals is how to educate people with beauty,” says artist George Sabra. Working as a professional sculptor in Austin since 2005, Sabra utilizes reclaimed materials to build large-scale 3-D pieces that speak to environmental concerns. Earlier this year he unveiled “The Exhausted Tree,” an 11-foot-tall tree built of reclaimed exhaust pipes and mufflers. As part of the City of Austin’s TEMPO program, Sabra created “Era Gate,” an organically shaped structure made from reclaimed oil barrels. Treated with a white paint, the piece’s black numbers allude to the millions of annual deaths impacted by air pollution. “This is a way of speaking about sustainability, about the environment. People are receiving a lot of information every single minute and they need something to talk to their spirit, to their heart,” Sabra says. “Era Gate” is on view through November 19.
Under One Roof
Years before John Price helped create Trilogy or became the CEO of Vast, he was a student at UT, catching shows at La Zona Rosa. “Everybody was playing here all the time,” Price says. “I’d come Sunday for the gospel brunch and Guy Forsyth’s playing.”
After the West 4th Street venue closed to the public in 2012, Price approached owner Nate Paul with an idea to relaunch the space to host private events, like those held during South by Southwest, year-round. Rechristened “LZR,” the refurbished space will house venture capital and technology firms during the day and host specific private events, such as films during the Austin Film Festival, at night.
“We’re really trying to create a new thing in Austin that serves a niche and keeps alive a feel,” Price says. “It isn’t just about music anymore in Austin — Austin’s music, tech, media and film, and we’re trying to pull that all together.”
Photograph by Letitia Smith
Go Natural
In their search for clean beauty products, stylists James Bryant and Sarah Bensley wanted to create a place where natural, organic, and cruelty-free items could easily be found. In September they held the grand opening of Sentrel, a Northwest Austin outpost stocking conscientiously created hair care and skin care products. Sample something new at the trial bar or take home a custom-made soy candle.
Photograph by Taylor Prinsen
One Question with Heidi Marquez Smith
In August Heidi Marquez Smith, the former executive director of the Texas Book Festival, became the executive director of the Texas Cultural Trust. We asked: What are her biggest priorities for the organization?
“The trust has done an incredible job of trying to be at the forefront of art and education. Our focus is to increase awareness and support of the arts in Texas. So many things have happened to education legislatively overall, and the fine arts in particular have always been targeted. We really want to ensure that we help to improve the quality of education, ensuring that fine arts remain in the curriculum. And also to stimulate economic growth throughout the state — I don’t think many people are aware that annually the arts industry generates $5.5 billion for the Texas economy or that one in 15 Texas jobs is in the creative industry, so the arts are keeping our workforce competitive.”
Stage photograph by Miguel Angel
Read more from the Arts Issue | November 2017