Arts and Culture

Louisa Hall left the leafy suburbs of Philadelphia for Texas. And it was this move that prompted her to set her first novel back in those environs - both the good and bad of them.

The red carpet was out, a fancy dinner was served, Turk Pipkin shot ping pong balls out of his mouth... Last night was just another weird night in Austin—only with a lot more famous faces than usual.

The 13th Annual Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards brought out hundreds of film lovers and some of Hollywood’s biggest stars—many with deep Texas roots.

The annual event raises money for the Austin Film Society. The ceremony honors Texans who have achieved success in the film industry.

The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new exhibit — "Through the Eyes of Texas: Masterworks from Alumni Collections". The exhibit features almost 200 pieces of art from the private collections of UT alumni.

The exhibit features work that spans the globe and human history.

Domenica Ruta had a childhood some kids would envy- ice cream for breakfast; shopping trips and movies instead of school sometimes; no real rules at home. But for every dream moment like those, there were the nightmares, too - a drug addicted mother; the constant threat of violence; and the joking encouragement to become a teen mother.

Galveston Island is famous for many things: miles of beaches, its many festivals and Victorian architecture – and its sea wall – that was built after the hurricane of 1900. That was the deadliest hurricane in US history – and it rewrote the history of Galveston.

Texas author Elizabeth Black has set that famous hurricane at the center of a mystery in her first novel, “The Drowning House." Just as Galveston’s modern history is built on the foundation of the great hurricane, so is the narrative, set moodily in the city’s historic district. 

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The Texas Cultural Trust hosts the Texas Medal of Arts Awards March 4-5 in Austin.  Since 2001, the awards have spotlighted highly creative Texans and generous patrons of the arts.

KUT News spoke with Jaston Williams, one of this year’s honorees. Williams and his collaborator Joe Sears are being recognized for writing and starring in the legendary satiric play series "Greater Tuna."