Art with an Expert: Sandra Sawatzky
Event Details
Take a deep dive into art, art histories, and more with these hour-long talks presented by distinguished art professionals. The series kicks off with Canadian textile artist Sandra M. Sawatzky in conversation with Claire Howard, Blanton Associate Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. Sawatzky’s monumental Black Gold Tapestry, which depicts the global history of oil, is on view in If the Sky Were Orange: Art in the Time of Climate Change. Read a response to this artwork by writer Amitav Ghosh in our digital resource.
This event is part of our Second Saturday scheduled programming.
Admission on Second Saturdays: $20 (Ages 6-17: $10; 5 & under: Free)
Blanton Members: Always FREE Not yet a member? Join today!
(Other discounts such as UT ID Holder, Military, K-12 Teacher, Senior do not apply)
ABOUT SANDRA SAWATZKY
Canadian artist Sandra Sawatzky conveys the epic global history of oil in her Black Gold Tapestry, nearly 220 feet of hand embroidery stitched over nine years. A trained filmmaker and longtime environmentalist, Sawatzky wanted to create a kind of “film on cloth,” and selected as her topic the saga of discovery, invention, and disaster contained in humanity’s relationship with oil. Sawatzky continues to create politically engaged embroidery from her home in Calgary, Alberta. Learn more about The Black Gold Tapestry at theblackgoldtapestry.com and explore the entire work online through a virtual tour.
Go to our Before You Visit page for more details and information when planning your visit. Visit our FAQs section to help plan your Second Saturday at the Blanton. A limited number of lockers are available to use in our Check-In Building (first come, first served). If you have specific accommodation needs, please email us at accessibility@blantonmuseum.org Please note, the Blanton café is closed until further notice.
PARKING / TRANSPORT: Parking is available in the Brazos Garage. Normal rates can be paid directly at the garage. (Blanton Members get a $4 discounted rate at Check-In, valid all day). Ride-shares can drop off in the new Museum Drop-Off on the east side of the museum. Bicycle racks are available on the south side of Jester Center and on the west side of the museum’s Smith Administration Building. Public transit is encouraged; Cap Metro bus routes 1, 3, 7, 10, 18, 19, 20, 801, and 803 have stops within walking distance.
Support for Second Saturdays at the Blanton is generously provided by H-E-B. Media Sponsor: The Austin Chronicle.
Feature image: Sandra M. Sawatzky (Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1957–Calgary, Alberta, present), 11th-Century Persia to 19th-Century America, from The Black Gold Tapestry, 2008–2017, Silk and wool threads on flax linen cloth, Courtesy of the artist