Visual Arts Center

Visual Arts Center Contemporary art at UT Austin
Free and open to the public
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Join us next Thursday, November 20 from 5–7 PM, for the opening reception of our newest Fieldworks Project “Passing Thro...
11/14/2025

Join us next Thursday, November 20 from 5–7 PM, for the opening reception of our newest Fieldworks Project “Passing Through,” featuring work created by Alex Boeschenstein’s Advanced Print Class.
 
The show will be open until December 6, and can be seen on the VAC’s wall just inside the Kayem Arbor entrance off of Trinity St. 
 
🔗More info about the show and a list of artists available in our bio!

We had so much fun the past two weeks diving deeper into design through two of our public programs, Hundred Points: Stud...
11/12/2025

We had so much fun the past two weeks diving deeper into design through two of our public programs, Hundred Points: Studio Talks and PechaKucha 40. 
 
Hundred Points: Studio Talks brought together four international design studios for a series of conversations and presentations on the current landscape and future of global graphic design.
 
A completely full crowd for PechaKucha 40 saw ten presenters give short presentations on topics ranging from architecture and Austin’s new brand identity to photography and a brownie-baking business.
 
Our public programs may be done for the year, but stop by any time Tuesday – Saturday from 12-5 PM to see our current shows, including “Hundred Points” before they close at the end of the year!
 
📸 1, 2, & 6 by Brian Birzer.

Tonight’s event is at capacity. Thank you!
11/05/2025

Tonight’s event is at capacity. Thank you!

Tomorrow! The Visual Arts Center hosts PechaKucha Austin 40, a night of storytelling that brings together creatives from...
11/03/2025

Tomorrow! The Visual Arts Center hosts PechaKucha Austin 40, a night of storytelling that brings together creatives from diverse fields, including art, architecture, graphic design, music, and film. Each of the ten guest presenters will deliver a six-minute presentation, comprising 20 slides, shown at a rate of 20 seconds per slide.

PechaKucha 40 presenters include: Sinclair Black and Stephi Motal, Lauren Dickens, Elizabeth Gibson, Kristell Jean, Karen Maness, Mariana Nun Ruiz McEnroe and Ian McEnroe, Zell Miller III, Joel Salcido, Bob Schneider, and DJ Stout.

RSVP is required. Seating is first-come, first-served. Doors at 7 PM; Program starts at 8:20!

PechaKucha 40 is presented in collaboration with Design Austin and DJ Stout (), Austin-based graphic designer, Pentagram Partner, Principal of Pentagram’s Austin office, and Co-Director of PechaKucha Austin.

🔗More info and RSVP in bio! Flyer design by Pentagram Austin.

Happening this Thursday at 6pm! Held in conjunction with the exhibition “Hundred Points: Graphic Design from Austin, São...
10/27/2025

Happening this Thursday at 6pm! Held in conjunction with the exhibition “Hundred Points: Graphic Design from Austin, São Paulo, Cairo, and Helsinki,” Studio Talks brings together four international design studios for a series of conversations and presentations on the current landscape and future of global graphic design.

Following an introduction by “Hundred Points” curator Lope Gutiérrez–Ruiz, studios featured in the VAC exhibition will discuss how their design practices are informed by the culture of their respective cities and the clients they collaborate with during individual presentations and Q&A sessions with the audience. 

Guest presenters include Werklig (Helsinki), Hammoud 3000 (Cairo/Berlin), Alles Blau (São Paulo), and Nada Hesham of 40Mustaquel (Cairo).  Each studio presentation will conclude with a brief Q&A with the audience.

🔗More info about the studio talks in our bio!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our opening last night for a first look at “Zalika Azim: Blood Memories (or a going...
10/24/2025

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our opening last night for a first look at “Zalika Azim: Blood Memories (or a going to ground)” and “Love in Excess.” Big thanks to Alienated Majesty Books () and We Luv Video () for joining us!

If you want to learn more about the exhibitions, join us this afternoon, Oct 24 at 3pm, for a tour featuring artist Zalika Azim, VAC Director Max Fields, and “Love in Excess” curator Maysa Martins.

“Love in Excess” will be on view until December 19, 2025 and “Blood Memories” will be on view until March 7, 2026. The VAC is open Tuesday — Saturday from 12-5 PM and is always free!

📸 by Alex Boeschenstein ()

Today, artist Zalika Azim led a workshop with UT Theatre and Dance students enrolled in Lucas Williams’s class, “Black P...
10/22/2025

Today, artist Zalika Azim led a workshop with UT Theatre and Dance students enrolled in Lucas Williams’s class, “Black Power in Arts and Culture.” In the workshop, Azim read from Alexis Pauline Gumbs’s “M Archive: After the End of the World” as an entry point into discussions about archives, dance notation, and writing scores as part of movement-based practice. 
 
Azim asked the students to work together to create choreography and then translate that choreography into a score for repeated performance.
 
“Zalika Azim: Blood Memories (or a going to ground)” opens tomorrow, October 23, with a reception from 5–8 PM.

10/21/2025

🥀Listen as Curator Maysa Martins discusses her exhibition “Love in Excess,” which opens this Thursday, October 23, at the VAC.

Learn more about the ideas that inspired the show and join us for an opening reception from 5-8 PM to see the works in person! This Friday, October 24, at 3 PM, Maysa will also lead visitors through a curatorial tour.

🔗More info on the opening and curator’s tour of “Love in Excess” in our bio!

The Visual Arts Center invites you to celebrate the opening of two exhibitions: “Zalika Azim: Blood Memories (or a going...
10/16/2025

The Visual Arts Center invites you to celebrate the opening of two exhibitions: “Zalika Azim: Blood Memories (or a going to ground)” and thematic group exhibition “Love in Excess.” Join us for a reception next Thursday, October 23 from 5-8 PM to celebrate.

Enjoy drinks provided by Saint Arnold Brewery (), Topo Chico (), smartwater, and Coca-Cola, browse a selection of hard-to-find DVDs and VHS tapes inspired by the VAC’s fall season at We Luv Video’s table (), and pick up a book from the VAC’s fall reading list at the Alienated Majesty Books booth ().

🔗More info on the opening reception and both exhibitions in our bio. See you there!

10/13/2025

After the opening of our new design exhibition “Hundred Points,” there was one question people kept asking over and over again — how? The answer is simple: community!

🌟Check out all of the folks who helped us bring the exhibition to life behind the scenes, and come check it out in person before it closes January 1, 2026!

In two weeks we’ll also be welcoming international studios featured in “Hundred Points” to the VAC. Join us Oct. 30 from 6-8PM for conversations and presentations on the future of global graphic design. 🔗 More info in our bio.

🥀The exhibition “Love in Excess” looks into a form of love that has been explored for millennia by philosophers, poets, ...
10/07/2025

🥀The exhibition “Love in Excess” looks into a form of love that has been explored for millennia by philosophers, poets, and artists. It has been described as the lover’s act of reaching for an inherently absent other—a gesture inhabited by both pain and pleasure. 
 
While this acute yearning traditionally evokes notions of erotic desire between people, thinkers have also linked it to the longing for the divine, as well as for alternative social realities. This broader understanding reveals longing as an affect that is simultaneously bodily, spiritual, and political. 
 
Flowers, the centuries old symbol of love, are a constant presence in the exhibition. Artists in the show explore their material and conceptual aspects, using them not only as romantic gestures, but also as weapons against the body, symbols of mourning, offerings to lovers as well as to the gods. 
 
Join us for the opening of “Love in Excess” on October 23 from 5 – 8 PM. 🔗 More info in our bio! Image credits in comments.

10/06/2025

Can’t believe it’s been a little over a week since we welcomed “Hundred Points: Contemporary Graphic Design from Austin, São Paulo, Cairo, and Helsinki” into the world.

If you haven’t been able to catch the exhibition yet, it’ll be open until January 1, 2026. The VAC is open Tuesday through Saturday, 12-5 PM and is always free.

Thanks to Saint Arnold, Topo Chico, smartwater, and Coca-Cola for providing refreshments at the opening, to Alienated Majesty for bringing some books, and Bad Larry for providing burgers!

Can’t wait to do it all again for our next reception on October 23 to celebrate the opening of “Love in Excess” and “Zalika Azim: Blood Memories (or a going to ground).”

Address

UT Campus, Art Building, 2300 Trinity Street
Austin, TX
78712

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 5pm
Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+15124713713

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