From street chic urban artists to textile-focused projects, from shows that focus on water conservation to mental health and even pillow forts, the diversity of arts options runs the gamut this month in Austin.
Big Medium
“Karen Navarro: The Constructed Self” — Now through June 4
“The Constructed Self” is a series of portraits that uses collage to visually represent the intersections of identity, self-representation, race, gender, and belonging within first-, second-, and third-generation American immigrants. Using digital photography as a foundation, Navarro transforms traditional prints into three-dimensional objects by cutting and incorporating tactile elements such as wood, paint, and resin. “The labor-in-tensive techniques I apply to create these sculptural objects not only allow for a physical deconstruction of my images but also become a form of meditation that reflects my efforts in trying to reconstruct and make sense of my own identity. Like a puzzle, my identities intersect coming together to construct my multiple sense of Self.” Navarro is from Argentina and a descendant of Indigenous Peoples who celebrates diversity to reframe the representation of historically marginalized identities.
Link & Pin
“Me & Mom” — May 5 through June 4
Drawings and watercolors by Melanie Hickerson (Me) will be on display as well as some of Geraldine Clark Hickerson’s work (Mom). Hickerson was caregiver to her mother from 1999 to 2014, and this work is a reflection of her experience with her family’s changes, with aging, and increasing fragility. “My experience in caring for my mother is not unique. I am using this as a door to the experience of caring for someone, a mother, father, husband, wife, child, or stranger.” Hickerson has a broad range of experiences, from working as an artist for the City of New York, to a variety of teaching positions, including at ACC.
Wally Workman Gallery
“Patrick Puckett:…