In our rapidly evolving world, fiber artists contend with the contemporary environment through the exploration of material and identity. In the exhibition “Brave New Textiles” Bolm Arts Gallery presents a survey of current fiber art by central Texas artists, inviting the viewer to reflect on themes of naturalism, commercialism, and both, personal and national identity.

Exhibiting Artists:

Izziria “Zee” Ber

Bitter Hag

Valérie Chaussonnet

Jonas Criscoe

Amanda Fay

Devin Gibbons

Steph Granillo

Corinne Loperfido

Autumn Mae

Mary Rochford

Curated by Amanda Fay and Stephanie Mervine

From Afar with Love celebrates the profound contributions of immigrants to America’s cultural landscape, highlighting not only their resilience but the deep love they carry for their home countries.

The exhibition invites viewers to explore the beauty that immigrants bring to this country, both as creators and as individuals, whose stories of migration are rooted in hope, connection, and the dream of a brighter future—for both themselves and the people they leave behind.

Rather than focusing solely on the struggles of immigration, From Afar, with Love shifts the lens to the creativity, innovation, and cultural wealth immigrants contribute to American society.

The exhibition showcases a diverse range of artistic expressions that reflect the journeys of those who have crossed borders—not simply for personal gain,

but often to create opportunities that will support families, communities, and the places they call home. Through their art, these immigrant artists reveal a richness of heritage and a dedication to both preserving and enriching their cultural roots, all while weaving new threads into the vibrant fabric of American culture.

The works on display reflect the beauty, complexity, and strength of these lived experiences, celebrating the intersection of past and present, home and abroad.

This exhibit is sponsored in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Beer Co., El Dorado Cafe, The Lost Explorer, Basta, Consulado

General de Mexico en Austin, and other community organizations.

Featured Artists:

Tsz Kam

Valerie Chaussonnet

Ender Martos

Veeny Revilla

Luis Gutierrez

Curated by Bolm Arts in collaboration with Steef Crombach and Julissa Gonzalez.

Music by: El Combo Oscuro and Alex Cosmico

@zay.creator x @bolm_arts are proud to present The Art Market: An Immersive Gallery, a collaborative exhibition exploring the commercialization of creativity.

The opening is FREE to attend and will feature our new and improved bar sponsored and stocked by @thelostexplorer & @hisignbrewing !

FEATURED ARTISTS:

@fleming_studios

@jasmineechock

@robinjohnwinter

@doloremipsum.jpeg

@saralaamykasbe

@crisbozasart

It’s that time of year once again! As our beloved earth rapidly approaches another full orbit around the sun, we are still here. Celebrating. Warring. Loving.

Time relentlessly marches on, but we will not let it slip through our grasp.

Bolm residents, Andewsak and Josh House, steep in the boiling waters of time, sifting through the remnants that survive nature’s embrace. Reorganizing chaos and deterioration into a material reminder. A reminder that our lives are temporary, and positioned in space such that they are infinitely important. A reminder to seek magic in the nigredo; finding light to carry forward in time.

As technocracy drones high above the collective mind, we can still look up and see the sky. It is not too late. Look to the stars and the power of nature. Will the human body and spirit guide us toward balance? Or will the mind run wild, lusting over apocalyptic fantasies. 

Only time will tell.

Join us on a journey through time, as material deterioration inspires new curated visual creation through sculpture and painting. In addition to our regular programming, Bolm Arts is excited to celebrate the holidays with a Bolm Art Bazaar curated by Ash Carter. In the neighboring bay 8, we will be hosting an art market of jewelry, ceramics, and paintings featuring additional Bolm artists Stephanie Mervine, Olivia Maaghul, Thomas Cook and Michelle Rahbar alongside many guest artists just in time for last minute Christmas shopping.

Where are Austin’s creative youth steering the future of art? Dive into the minds of our most ambitious teenagers and see the world through their vibrant lens. In a society emerging from a pandemic and navigating a tech-saturated landscape, their unique perspectives are more vital than ever. Join us for our upcoming exhibit at Bolm Arts, showcasing the talent and creativity of students from the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy! 

The Liberal Arts and Science Academy, our neighbor in East Austin, is a four-year comprehensive, public, urban, advanced academic magnet high school of approximately 1,450 students in the Austin Independent School District. The LASA Fine Arts program mission is to provide students with opportunities to grow personally, to develop their skills and talents, to form relationships with others, and to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

We are happy to be collaborating with LASA during the Austin Studio Tour! In addition to our gallery show, there will be open studios featuring over 25 artists, an outdoor art market, our annual indoor Badlucky Market, The Crow’s nest: a micro gallery incubator for experimental art and media installation, the Bolm Arts Boutique featuring small works and merchandise from your favorite Bolm Arts collective members, and more! 

This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Beverages sponsored by Liquid Death. Art prizes sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama.

Opening Reception: November 9th 6-9pm

Open Gallery Hours and performance by COMETRY: November 10th 6-9pm

Open Gallery Hours and Open-Mic Poetry: November 13th Gallery opens at 6pm, poetry at 8pm

Austin Studio Tour: November 16th & 17th 12pm-6pm

Closing Reception and Award Ceremony: Third Thursday November 21st 6-9pm

For information about COMETRY visit http://www.cometrylive.com/

In her solo show, “The World Doesn’t End” local painter, Michelle Rahbar, is exhibiting a new body of work that traces the paths of ghosts and ethereal figures through West Texas landscapes. The figures in the paintings are in a place of transformation, two headed beasts splitting and becoming both body and spirit, navigating landscapes she creates that exist outside of linear time. They’re meditations on the world within and the push and pull of the universe without. Exploring how memories double the space of your existence.

The paintings are otherworldly, individually expressive using layers of paint and scavenged materials while speaking to one another through color, texture and visual vocabulary. Each piece adds to the other’s story and allows the viewer to get lost beneath the surface and immerse themselves in the transformations.

The work focuses on how loss reshapes you, how we reframe the idea of home throughout our lives and how past trauma can be cultivated into strength and beauty. Our identities shift throughout our lifetimes, but the ghost still lingers.