TODAY · 10:00am
Outlet Within
Dougherty Arts Center · South
TODAY · 10:00am
Regular and Precious
Thursday, October 29 at Dougherty Arts Center, Austin
About this event
Regular & Precious features recent drawings by Bella Cheng that turn the ordinary into much more. Everyday scenes and observations from nature are closely analyzed, abstracted, cut up, and put back together again. At times, these drawings resemble the much smaller architectures of life - the microbial, the cellular, the doll-like - and at other moments, scales totally out of reach - the cosmic, the alien, and the dreamlike. “Regular & Precious” is an expression of how the artist sees the world within and outside of herself, inviting viewers to see with childlike curiosity.
Who's playing
Bella Cheng is the artist. Her work here includes mixed media on paper, such as the piece Rainbow Galls from 2024. She studies ordinary scenes and observations from nature closely, abstracts them, cuts them up, and puts them back together. The show is her way of describing how she sees the world within and outside of herself.
What to expect
A quiet walk through drawings that change scale as you move. Some look like small architectures of life, such as the microbial, the cellular or the doll-like. Others suggest the cosmic, the alien or the dreamlike. The Butridge Gallery is a public exhibition space inside the Dougherty Arts Center, so you can look at your own pace.
Why go
The show asks you to look with childlike curiosity, and the drawings reward slow viewing. The Dougherty is Austin's oldest community arts venue, open since 1978. It sits just south of the river, overlooking Butler Park and the skyline. It is an easy stop for an art-minded afternoon near Barton Springs Road.
Where
Dougherty Arts Center · 1110 Barton Springs Rd. · South, Austin TXDirections
