Why learn to paint with gouache? Gouache is the friendliest of paint mediums and can be an artist’s “gem” of preferred paints. It brings out the creativity and possibilities are endless! And with each successful art piece, another idea is around the corner ready to be created!

So what is gouache?

Gouache is like an opaque watercolor. Gouache has also been around for over ten centuries, far longer than acrylics, with records showing Ancient Egyptian paintings made from this medium. However, it is often considered a cross between acrylics and watercolors because it has the same consistency as watercolor paint and the high pigmentation and opacity of acrylics. It is well-known for this distinct quality - it can be reactivated and reworked several times with water. This is very forgiving for beginner painters trying to practice their blending skills. You can easily soften the painted area with a wet brush, add new colors, or lighten certain parts of your artwork for contrast.

This class is a 4 session series on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students will start out learning techniques of what gouache painting is like. From there, students will practice painting images and experimenting on their own. All supplies will be provided and your own pan of gouache paints can go home with you at the end of class.

Instructor: Rhonda Baldner
Geared toward ages 16 and up
This class is located in the 2nd floor gallery at the ArtWorks Center

Why learn to paint with gouache? Gouache is the friendliest of paint mediums and can be an artist’s “gem” of preferred paints. It brings out the creativity and possibilities are endless! And with each successful art piece, another idea is around the corner ready to be created!

So what is gouache?

Gouache is like an opaque watercolor. Gouache has also been around for over ten centuries, far longer than acrylics, with records showing Ancient Egyptian paintings made from this medium. However, it is often considered a cross between acrylics and watercolors because it has the same consistency as watercolor paint and the high pigmentation and opacity of acrylics. It is well-known for this distinct quality - it can be reactivated and reworked several times with water. This is very forgiving for beginner painters trying to practice their blending skills. You can easily soften the painted area with a wet brush, add new colors, or lighten certain parts of your artwork for contrast.

This class is a 4 session series on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students will start out learning techniques of what gouache painting is like. From there, students will practice painting images and experimenting on their own. All supplies will be provided and your own pan of gouache paints can go home with you at the end of class.

Instructor: Rhonda Baldner
Geared toward ages 16 and up
This class is located in the 2nd floor gallery at the ArtWorks Center

Instructor: Sylvia Hernandez
Geared toward kids ages 5-10

Location: Clay Cavern (basement)

Join us for this community celebration of the Day of the Dead featuring music, dance, food, and cultural traditions. Music provided by El Mariachi Estrella. Dance performance by Chinelos Caudillos del Sur. Food provided by Alicia Bakery.

Sponsored by Worlein-Hoff Funeral Homes

Mix media is all about experimentation and this three day class will teach you the basics of painting 3D objects while also creating an interesting piece of art. Students will learn how to draw cubes, spheres, ribbons, and cylinders while using string to create art that pops off the page. Each day will focus on the different processes starting with the sketch, then placing the string, and finally painting. If you’ve ever struggled with figuring out how to make a composition with form and dimension, you will enjoy this class.

Instructor: Pen McVay
Geared toward ages 10-18
This class is located in the Clay Cavern at the ArtWorks Center

Since its founding in 1983 by Michael Levine, the Dallas Brass has become one of America’s foremost musical ensembles.  The group has established a unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion, which creates a performing entity of extraordinary range and musical challenges. American Musical Journey incorporates a full complement of brass and percussion for a musical travelogue through American history. From the time of George Washington to the present day, music will be selected from the masters, including musical styles from Dixieland, Swing, Broadway, Folk, Patriotic, and Pop. Something for everybody including the talents of local high school musicians!

Sponsored by Rick and Carol Young

Instructor: Tressie Kinney
Geared toward kids ages 5-10

Location: Clay Cavern (basement)

Wicked (2024)

Sat Nov 8 @ 3pm & 7pm
$7 Adults/$5 Kids

Sponsored by Austin Morning Lions Club

Elphaba, a young woman ridiculed for her green skin, and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads. PG

Mix media is all about experimentation and this three day class will teach you the basics of painting 3D objects while also creating an interesting piece of art. Students will learn how to draw cubes, spheres, ribbons, and cylinders while using string to create art that pops off the page. Each day will focus on the different processes starting with the sketch, then placing the string, and finally painting. If you’ve ever struggled with figuring out how to make a composition with form and dimension, you will enjoy this class.

Instructor: Pen McVay
Geared toward ages 10-18
This class is located in the Clay Cavern at the ArtWorks Center

Enjoy a Friday night like never before with Watercolor Artist, Caroline Porter! Immerse yourself in this Fall Mushroom Forest Art Journal class while you enjoy a drink with friends. In this four page build your own art journal piece, you’ll learn a variety of skills including: watercolor washes, wet on wet and wet on dry techniques, basic drawing, how to use salt on watercolors, and so much more! This class is perfect for beginners to intermediate. The first three pages will cover a different learning objective to help create the final page, the Fall Mushroom Forest scene:

Page 1: Cover Page - Watercolor wash and using salt
Page 2: Pencil Sketches - Learn how to draw mushrooms and other forest botanicals
Page 3: Practice & Color Theory- Practice painting mushrooms and mix your colors
Page 4: Final Artwork - Use skills learned in pages 1-3 to create the final Fall Mushroom Forest scene

The instructor will provide all necessary materials for this class, however, if you would like to use your own materials (i.e. paints or brushes) students are more than welcome to bring their own. Feel free to bring a notebook and take notes. It is highly encouraged to practice what you learn during this workshop at home.

Instructor: Caroline Porter
Geared toward ages 14 and up
This class is located in the 2nd floor gallery at the ArtWorks Center

From the loving heart of E.B. White, author of Charlotte’s Web, comes this merry musical about a noble mouse who jumps headlong into adventures big enough to match any imagination. The play brings to life this fantasy classic where Stuart, a mouse, is brought into the Little family. Although he is quite different from other members of the family, Stuart is loved by all — except perhaps Snowbell, the family cat. Stuart’s adventures include getting caught in a window shade, sailing a boat, making friends, and embarking on the journey of a lifetime.

Mix media is all about experimentation and this three day class will teach you the basics of painting 3D objects while also creating an interesting piece of art. Students will learn how to draw cubes, spheres, ribbons, and cylinders while using string to create art that pops off the page. Each day will focus on the different processes starting with the sketch, then placing the string, and finally painting. If you’ve ever struggled with figuring out how to make a composition with form and dimension, you will enjoy this class.

Instructor: Pen McVay
Geared toward ages 10-18
This class is located in the Clay Cavern at the ArtWorks Center

Join us for a unique music event that builds a bridge for talented music lovers to step on stage and become performing musicians. The Austin ArtWorks Center gallery hosts a house band and wine/beer bar. Come enjoy the music or plan to sing your own song. Free and open to the public.

Performers will each be allowed to present ONE song (opportunity for additional songs if time allows). Sign up in advance or take advantage of a limited number of ‘walk up’ spots each month.

November’s jam will be emceed by Alice Holst.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Sun Nov 23 @ 3pm & 7pm
Free admission

In partnership with The Next Chapter, Inc. Free book giveaway after the movie!

In 1944 Spain, a girl is sent to live with her ruthless stepfather. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. R

You can Design and Create your own beautiful glass Mosaic Mandala! We begin with a 2-hour Mandala Design class. Once the designs are drawn, we will use our designs to create glass mosaic mandalas in a 2-day workshop. You will learn how to draw a meditative mandala and then what it takes to create a glass mosaic.

All drawing materials, as well as, use of tools and materials to finish your mosaic will be provided (Handouts, assorted glass, prepared substrate materials, adhesive, grout).

The Mandalas can be either interior or exterior displayed. Your individual mosaic mandala will vary in size and shape, either round or square, from 8-12 inches. These Mandalas are a great way to celebrate the season, give as a gift or keep as your own creative treasure. No prior art or glass experience necessary, just the openness to learn and have fun!

Design Class: 12/4 @ 1-3pm
2-Day Workshop: 12/9 & 12/10 @ 10am-5pm

Instructor: Debra D'Souza
Geared toward ages 14 and up
This class is located in the 2nd floor gallery at the ArtWorks Center

Player Registration – 8:30 am
Rehearsal – 9 am
Free Community Concert begins at 11 am!
Wear festive clothing and warm up you singing Voices.

Concert is open to the public and free to attend – audience participation encouraged! Wear festive clothing and warm up your singing voices.

If you play the tuba, sousaphone, euphonium or bass tuba – get ready to start the holidays off with this fun concert! All ages and all levels of experience invited. Registration begins at 8:30 am ($15 per player to the Tuba Foundation), with rehearsal to follow.

Austin Area Arts and Austin High School Music present

Sounds of the Season

Sun Dec 7 @ 4pm

Celebrate the holidays with music from Austin’s talented youth musicians, including the Austinaires, Jazz One, and La Fiera. Ticket revenue supports local arts and music.

You can Design and Create your own beautiful glass Mosaic Mandala! We begin with a 2-hour Mandala Design class. Once the designs are drawn, we will use our designs to create glass mosaic mandalas in a 2-day workshop. You will learn how to draw a meditative mandala and then what it takes to create a glass mosaic.

All drawing materials, as well as, use of tools and materials to finish your mosaic will be provided (Handouts, assorted glass, prepared substrate materials, adhesive, grout).

The Mandalas can be either interior or exterior displayed. Your individual mosaic mandala will vary in size and shape, either round or square, from 8-12 inches. These Mandalas are a great way to celebrate the season, give as a gift or keep as your own creative treasure. No prior art or glass experience necessary, just the openness to learn and have fun!

Design Class: 12/4 @ 1-3pm
2-Day Workshop: 12/9 & 12/10 @ 10am-5pm

Instructor: Debra D'Souza
Geared toward ages 14 and up
This class is located in the 2nd floor gallery at the ArtWorks Center

You can Design and Create your own beautiful glass Mosaic Mandala! We begin with a 2-hour Mandala Design class. Once the designs are drawn, we will use our designs to create glass mosaic mandalas in a 2-day workshop. You will learn how to draw a meditative mandala and then what it takes to create a glass mosaic.

All drawing materials, as well as, use of tools and materials to finish your mosaic will be provided (Handouts, assorted glass, prepared substrate materials, adhesive, grout).

The Mandalas can be either interior or exterior displayed. Your individual mosaic mandala will vary in size and shape, either round or square, from 8-12 inches. These Mandalas are a great way to celebrate the season, give as a gift or keep as your own creative treasure. No prior art or glass experience necessary, just the openness to learn and have fun!

Design Class: 12/4 @ 1-3pm
2-Day Workshop: 12/9 & 12/10 @ 10am-5pm

Instructor: Debra D'Souza
Geared toward ages 14 and up
This class is located in the 2nd floor gallery at the ArtWorks Center

Show your loved ones how much they mean to you by sending handmade holiday greeting cards. Or treat yourself to unique and handmade holiday decor for years to come. In this watercolor class, you’ll learn a variety of beginner friendly skills including layering, inkwork, using salt with watercolors, and more. Each student will paint four of the five Holiday Greeting Cards (due to time) listed below:

1. String of Lights
2. Salty Tree
3. Happy Holly-days
4. Wreath OR Ornament

Each card measures roughly 5x7 inches and is hand folded by the instructor prior to class. Brown paper envelopes will be included for each card.

Instructor: Caroline Porter
Geared toward ages 14 and up (ages 10-13 accompanied by an adult)
This class is located in the 2nd floor gallery at the ArtWorks Center

Jane Taylor’s The Nutcracker

Sat Dec 13 @ 7pm

Enjoy student dancers of all ages performing this classic holiday tale. No advance tickets, free will donation at the door.

Join us for a unique music event that builds a bridge for talented music lovers to step on stage and become performing musicians. The Austin ArtWorks Center gallery hosts a house band and wine/beer bar. Come enjoy the music or plan to sing your own song. Free and open to the public.

Performers will each be allowed to present ONE song (opportunity for additional songs if time allows). Sign up in advance or take advantage of a limited number of ‘walk up’ spots each month.

December’s jam will be emceed by Penny Kinney.

Winners of 2 Grammy Awards and back by popular demand, Riders in the Sky stand hats and shoulders above the rest of the purveyors of comedy and western! For more than 40 years, they have kept the flame passed on by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, becoming modern-day icons with their wacky humor, western wit, and cowboy way of life. Riders in the Sky pay tribute to and poke gentle fun at the classic cowboy songs of the 1930s and 1940s. The group is made up of lead singer Ranger Doug, Woody Paul on fiddle and vocals, Too Slim on string bass and guitar, and, and "Cowpolka King" Joey Miskulin on accordion. Performance will be opened by fiddler Brian Christianson and family.

Sponsored by Belita Schindler & Hoversten Johnson Beckmann & Hovey, LLP

The Polar Express (2004)

Sat Dec 20 @ 3pm & 7pm
$7 Adults/$5 Kids

Sponsored by Austin Morning Lions Club

On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas. G

A Christmas Story (1983)

Sun Dec 21 @ 3pm & 7pm
Free admission

In partnership with The Next Chapter, Inc. Free book giveaway after the movie!

In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift. PG

For a high-energy, interactive experience, look no further than this flagship Dueling Pianos Show. All night long, you, the audience, get to choose every song we play on our beautiful baby grand pianos. Sing, clap, dance, and laugh along with two of our talented and energetic entertainers. Two hours of unbridled, unfiltered fun for all ages!

Sponsored by Bremer Bank, an affiliate of Old National Bank

Produced and created by John Mueller, this is the official live and authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper’s final tour and the only show endorsed by the Holly, Valens and Richardson estates. Each live concert performance includes over two hours of unbridled, high voltage entertainment featuring all the hit songs of the 50’s era: That’ll Be the Day, Peggy Sue, Oh, Boy, Rave on, La Bamba, Chantilly Lace, and many, many more!

Created by Gerard Alessandrini, the comic mastermind behind the long running hit Forbidden Broadway and performed by a versatile cast of eight, Spamilton: An American Parody is a side-splitting new musical parody. A crash course of everyone’s favorite Broadway blockbusters, including celebrity satires, pop culture zings accompanied with hip-hop on the piano! After tearing it up in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London, Spamilton: An American Parody will stage a singing, dancing, comedy revolution! Ben Brantley of The New York Times said, “This smart, silly, and often convulsively funny thesis, performed by a motor-mouthed cast that is fluent in many tongues, is the work of that eminent specialist in Broadway anatomy, pathology, and gossip, Gerard Alessandrini.”

Sponsored by the Hormel Foods Corporation

As part of their 13th season of bringing outstanding programming to tour in the US, The Panto Company USA is thrilled to bring the cherished family favorite story The Jungle Book to life on stage. In this fully produced musical production, they bring to life Kipling’s tales with great scenery, cool costumes, full of original modern songs, bursting with more excitement than you can imagine and of course a happy ending. Bring Mowgli and all his pals to your audience for a true slice of amazing Panto Company USA fun.

Sponsored by Austin Hy-Vee

If dance is an expression of the human spirit, then it is best expressed by people of all abilities. That is the fundamental belief behind the Dancing Wheels Company & School. Considered one of the premier arts and disabilities organizations in the U.S., Dancing Wheels is a professional, physically integrated dance company uniting the talents of dancers both with and without disabilities. Mary Verdi-Fletcher, the first professional wheelchair dancer in the U.S., founded the Dancing Wheels Company in Cleveland in 1980. Born with spina bifida, Mary wanted to offer others with disabilities full and equal access into the world of dance. An almost unimaginable concept at the time, Mary’s vision and passion have since helped to revolutionize our very notion of dance – as well as what defines a dancer. Dancing Wheels travels the globe advocating disability awareness and entertaining 30,000-50,000 people each year. With a repertory of over 100 works from nationally-esteemed choreographers and a message of inclusion and accessibility, the Company continually expands the reach of artistic possibilities while celebrating the universal spirit of dance.

Photo: Company dancers Morgan Walker and DeMarco Sleeper performing in “Three 4 Ann” (2022) choreographed by Mark Tomasic. Photo Credit: Mark Horning, 2023.

Ball in the House is an R&B/Soul/Pop a cappella group based out of Boston, MA, whose high energy shows have audiences​singing, dancing, even beatboxing along! With their extensive tour schedule (averaging 200 shows a year), Ball in the House has performed everywhere - from theaters to performing arts centers, fairs & festivals, to opening for some of the biggest acts in the world, such as The Beach Boys, The Jonas Brothers, The Temptations, Fantasia, Gladys Knight, Lionel Richie, and many others!

As with all forces of nature, the music and energy created by The Next Generation Leahy simply cannot be contained. The drive to create music is powerful within each of the Leahy children. It has given rise to multi-instrumental talents, whose dynamic live performances have been described as “astounding” and “breath-taking.” Belying their young ages, these siblings are all accomplished multi-instrumentalists whose live performances are filled with the high-energy, infectious music associated with the Leahy name. However, not content to play only the music of their Celtic heritage, these musicians explore many genres of music and pull influences from far and wide. Fiddle, cello, French accordion, singing, piano, and French-Canadian step-dancing.

The story of Muyehpen has been passed down for generations by the Knyaw (Karen) people of Burma. Known to be the most beautiful Knyaw woman in her time, and possessing supernatural powers, Muyehpen was kidnapped by the king of Siam and became a sacrifice. This is her narrative of resistance and resilience, which lives on today. Written by Ehkhudah Zar, this is the first-ever theater production by a Knyaw playwright in the U.S. and shares the story of Muyehpen with a new generation. Exposed Brick Theatre originally produced the World Premiere of Muyehpen in May 2023 at the Historic Mounds Theatre in St. Paul. The play is performed in English. There will be a talk with the playwright following the performance.

With sellout crowds across more than 18 states and Canada, Turn to Stone delivers an ever expanding and nostalgic show which pays homage to the expansive catalog of Electric Light Orchestra!

Turn to Stone recreates the magic of ELO as they appeared on stages through the 1970s & 1980s with a live piece string section, light show, and authentic apparel. The band delivers the classic hits like Don't Bring Me Down, Mr Blue Sky, and Evil Woman while also catering to ELO superfans with a rotating ensemble of deep cuts like Fire on High, 10538 Overture, Xanadu, Twilight, and others you will not hear anywhere else!

Do not miss your chance to see Turn to Stone: A Tribute to ELO live on stage and relive the creative genius of Jeff Lynne. Make sure to buy tickets TODAY!

This is a third-party hosted rental event held at the Historic Paramount Theatre.