Back-to-School Night
Featuring the debut of the new video series A Day at Laguna Gloria
Celebrate the start of a new school year at The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria! Explore the grounds of Laguna Gloria to discover fun-filled, educational activities and interactive artmaking moments for the whole family. Kid-friendly food options will be available, along with a complimentary bar for 21+ visitors.
And a very important notice for Very Important Teachers! Enjoy the exclusive V.I.T. Lounge with complimentary snacks and drinks. Mingle with peers, enter to win special giveaways, and learn more about a variety of educational programming and resources available at The Contemporary Austin for the coming school year.
Once the sun sets (8P), take a seat at the main event – the world premiere of our new video series A Day at Laguna Gloria! Developed in collaboration with Austin-based artist and creative director Eric Manche, this playful collection of vignettes features charming, animated creatures in conversation with real live art educators. Follow along as they spend a day exploring Laguna Gloria and some of our most beloved contemporary art sculptures.
This debut also marks the rollout of a new multimedia curriculum and resources to accompany the video series and enhance the educational value of the artworks on view.
About our Community Partners
Stars and Science Austin’s Mobile Planetarium
Stars and Science Austin offers inquiry-based, hands-on and TEKS-aligned science education outreach activities and demonstrations throughout Central Texas, including nighttime stargazing and daytime solar viewing parties. The Mobile Planetarium program utilizes an inflatable dome theater and state-of-the-art digital projection system to bring the wonders of the night sky to audiences of all ages, day or night, rain or shine.
Austin Public Library’s Mobile Library
The Bookmobile is part of Austin Public Library’s Mobile Library fleet, which also includes a Book Trike and a Bike Trailer. It shares books and other items from the collection with the community at non-traditional venues and community events such as senior centers, washaterias or even local festivals.
Keep Austin Beautiful
Keep Austin Beautiful is a non-profit that strives to inspire and educate all Austinites to volunteer together, beautify green spaces, clean waterways, and reduce waste every day. The Generation Zero program is a free youth education program, created in partnership with Austin Resource Recovery. The program engages K-12 students in three TEKS-aligned educational and interactive activities that raise awareness about recycling, composting, and conservation while giving students simple solutions for reducing their waste.
Eric Manche
Eric Manche is an artist, filmmaker and creative director living in Austin, Texas. His first feature length film, Slimed, was released by cult film company Troma Entertainment in 2018. He is a founder of Basic Cable Television, a comedy video collective that formed while he was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design.
He and his partner, artist Sara Vanderbeek, co-founded DORF, an experimental space that produces culturally and socially responsive art programming and supports, promotes, and advocates for Texas-based artists. .
Special thanks to all our partners:
LALO Tequila
Topo Chico