Artifacts

"Hole in leaves sinking" by nature scultor Andy Goldsworthy, will be on view at the Austin Museum of Art through February 20. (courtesy photo)

News and notes from the San Antonio art scene

Here today

British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy has had a high profile lately. There was Rivers and Tides: Working With Time, the four-star documentary about his work - which actually got a small theatrical release and is now out on DVD from Docurama. Then there was Passage (Abrams), the latest in a string of beautiful books documenting his work. Now Texans can see what the fuss is about firsthand: The Austin Museum of Art is exhibiting large-scale photos of Japanese site-specific work he did in 1987, alongside pictures documenting a series of web and reed sculptures Goldsworthy made in Austin this September. As he works in and with nature, building things of leaf and twig that aren't made to last, art lovers should note that AMOA will also have four of his pieces in the flesh, so to speak: two leaf installations, a line of rocks, and "a monumental pile of sticks." Mountain and Coast Autumn Into Winter will be on view through February 20 at AMOA, 823 Congress, Austin, 512-495-9224.

No drinking, no parking

There is at least one disgruntled First Friday patron who returned to her car at this month's event to find a parking ticket for obstructing traffic. The driver, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she parked where she always does: on the grass embankment between Blue Star Road and the railroad tracks near the Blue Star Silos. To add insult to injury, she says, cops were standing within earshot and said nothing before she strolled off but according to the ticket issuance time, the men in blue wasted no time writing a $25 ticket once she'd left. With enforcement of the new liquor rule that outlaws strolling Alamo Street with a roadie, too, folks might start to feel a bit discouraged. Scott Kruse of Lifshutz Properties, which owns and manages the property, has expressed his support for patrons who wish to park on the lot as long as they're not too close to the railroad tracks or interrupting the flow of traffic. The officer who issued the ticket could not be reached for comment. The unhappy parker says she plans to appear in court on December 17 to protest her ticket and hopes the drivers of other vehicles show up, too.

Compiled by: John DeFore and Elaine Wolff