Upcoming Events  

A banner graphic made up of three images. The first is a painting of a floral quilt on a table with a vase of flowers. The second image is of a soft sculpture of a being made of canvas and painted with acrylic. The third image is of a painted citrus fruit still life.

Artist Reception for Frequented Dreams, Perfect Proportions, and Project Pollination

Wednesday, March 19, 2025
7-9pm

Join us for a vibrant evening celebrating the work of Molly Mansfield, Tara Eales, and Sara Jane Parsons at their shared artist reception. Through painting, sculpture, and textiles, these artists explore themes of memory, self-acceptance, and our connection to the natural world. Experience Mansfield’s evocative still lifes honoring women’s roles as memory keepers, Eales’ playful textile sculptures embracing imperfection, and Parsons’ vivid works highlighting the vital relationship between food and pollinators.

Learn more about these exhibits at the Julia C. Butridge Gallery webpage.

 

A graphic of flowers created with fuse beads and the text 'DAC Nights Melted Masterpieces Wednesday March 26, 2025 7-9pm'

DAC Nights: Melted Masterpieces

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 
7-9pm

RSVP on Eventbrite

Come to DAC Nights: Melted Masterpieces where we’ll be fusing memories with masterpieces by creating fuse bead art! There will be a wide variety of colors, templates, and tools to bring your artistic vision to life. Make your own keychain, coaster, or decoration with the help of our DAC Nights staff.

This event is free! Registration is encouraged, but not required.

 

An illustrated banner graphic with elements of eyes, a skull, and an angel and the text 'Bottle Alley Theatre Presents Self Portraits Directed by Cody Arn'

Bottle Alley presents Self Portraits 5

Thursday, March 27 – Saturday, March 29, 2025 
8pm

Tickets at Bottle Alley Theatre's website

Bottle Alley is back and wilder than ever for the fifth edition of the smash-hit Self Portraits series! Each night, thirty brand-new pieces explode onto the stage—completely random, totally unpredictable, and chosen by THE AUDIENCE. Expect the unexpected. The only guarantee? Raw, unfiltered honesty.

Inspired by late night Chicago theater, Self Portraits is just real people sharing parts of themselves—things they’ve felt, things they’ve lived—through the DIY performance art. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s messy. It’s electric. It’s barely controlled chaos.

Three nights only. Thirty new pieces a night. No repeats. No second chances. Don’t miss this.

Bottle Alley Theatre Company is part of the Artist Access Program, through the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, Division of Museums and Cultural Programs, and the Dougherty Arts Center.

 

An image of a child creating art with shaving cream and colored dye and the text 'Art In Cahoots'

Art in Cahoots at Dougherty Arts Center

A Pop-Up Arts Experience for Caregiver & Child
Friday, April 4, 2025
10-11am

Register online on Eventbrite

Art in Cahoots is a free one-hour event designed for prekindergarten-age students with an accompanying adult caregiver. Each will include sensory, multi-disciplinary, process-based arts activities for children and caregivers to experience together. Children can build social-emotional skills, familiarize themselves with a classroom setting, and learn while still under the wing of a trusted caregiver.

Pop-ups are scheduled on set dates and times. Event dates, times, and capacity are determined by location. Spots are limited. Registration on Eventbrite is recommended in advance to reserve your space. Drop-ins may be accepted at time of the event if vacancies are available. Children must be 2½ years of age (30 months) to attend. Planned activities will change monthly.

 

A graphic with a silhouette of a person who looks similar to Elvira and the text 'ARU DRAG PRODUCTIONS PRESENTSICONIC'

ARU Drag Productions presents Iconic

Friday, April 4, 2025 at 6pm
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 5pm & 7pm Ticket information

Ticket Information for Iconic

Join ARU Drag Productions on April 4-5 for a unique drag experience as we reimagine beloved horror icons through drama, camp, and creativity. The talented cast will bring the stage to life with electrifying choreography, jaw-dropping makeup, and unforgettable performances. Audiences can look forward to high-energy dance numbers, live vocals, and jaw-dropping visuals. ARU Drag Productions has gone all out with elaborate costumes and cutting-edge lighting to create an immersive experience that embodies the essence of each icon while giving them their own creative spin.

 

A banner graphic made up of three images. The first is a painting of a floral quilt on a table with a vase of flowers. The second image is of a soft sculpture of a being made of canvas and painted with acrylic. The third image is of a painted citrus fruit still life.

Artist Talk for Molly Mansfield, Tara Eales, and Sara Jane Parsons 

Wednesday, April 16, 2025
7-9pm

Discover the inspirations and creative processes behind the work of Molly Mansfield, Tara Eales, and Sara Jane Parsons at their artist talk. Engaging with themes of heritage, self-acceptance, and sustainability, these artists share how their unique mediums, painting, textiles, and upcycled materials, bring their narratives to life. Join the conversation and gain insight into their artistic journeys, techniques, and the deeper stories woven into their work.

Learn more about their exhibits at the Julia C. Butridge Gallery webpage.

 

A graphic with leaves, greenery and glowing orbs with the text 'Art-O-Rama'

Art-O-Rama 

Saturday, May 10, 2025
1-4pm

Mark your calendars for the Dougherty Arts Center’s 5th Annual Art-O-Rama!

Celebrate all the possibilities when nature, art, technology and community collide. 2025 is the year Art-O-Rama goes punk. Solar punk.


Digital Programming 

The DAC is proud to offer free digital programming for the public.

Adult Art Lessons

Instructor-led lessons in various different mediums of ceramics, drawing & painting, and digital arts.

Ceramics: Ceramic Trays

Ceramics: Adding Form to Coil Vessel

Ceramics: Making a Bowl on the Potters Wheel

Ceramics: Adding Details to Sculptures with Jon Nelson Video 3

Ceramics: Trimming a Bowl

Ceramics: Rhyton Part 1 - Handbuilding the vessel

Ceramics: Rhyton Part 2 - Decorating the vessel

Ceramics: Hand Building a Dog Food Bowl

Ceramics: Hand Building a Cat Food Bowl

Ceramics: How to Make a Plate on the Wheel

Ceramics: How to Trim a Plate

Ceramics: Texture Glazing Ceramics - Video 4

Ceramics: Learn How to Make an Oil Bottle

Ceramics: How to Make A Vase on the Potters Wheel

Ceramics: Make a Cup on the Wheel

Ceramics: Make a Ring Holder on the Potters Wheel

Ceramics: Make a Coffee Pour Over

Ceramics: Make a Flower Brick part 1

Ceramics: Make a Flower Brick part 2

Ceramics: Make a Large Serving Dish

Ceramics: Trim a Large Baking Dish

Ceramics: Make a Teapot Part 1

Ceramics: Make a Bird House

Ceramics: Make a Teapot Part 2

Ceramics: Make a Bird Bath & Feeder

Ceramics: How to Reclaim Clay Scraps

Ceramics: Trimming With a Chuck

Ceramics: Make Screen Printed Decals

Ceramics: Make a Clay Pumpkin on the Potter's Wheel

Ceramics: Pinch Pot Clay Pumpkin

Ceramics: Basic Clay Wedging

Ceramics: How to Pull Cup Handles

Ceramics: Glazing a Mug: Two Ways

Ceramics: Spiral Clay Wedging

Ceramics: Make Mug Handles

Ceramics: Cut and Slam Wedging

Ceramics: Make a Lidded Jar

Ceramics: What Are Pyrometric Cones?

Ceramics: Firing Ceramics 101

Drawing: Portrait Drawing Hacks

Drawing:Urban Sketching in Your Yard

Drawing: The Five Aspects of Light

Drawing: Hatching & Cross-Hatching - Pen & Ink Shading Techniques, Part I

Drawing: Stippling & Scribbling - Pen & Ink Shading Techniques, Part II

Drawing: Drawing on Book Pages

Drawing: How To Start Drawing a Portrait

Drawing: Grid Drawing

Drawing: Drawing Drapery

Drawing: Ditch Your Eraser: Hand Lettering

Drawing: Additive and Subtractive Drawing

Drawing: Developing a Daily Drawing Practice

Drawing: Using Notan as a Composition Tool

Drawing: Ditch Your Eraser: Embracing Mistakes

Drawing: Tips & Tricks: Thumbnails

Drawing: Gesture Drawing: How and Why

Drawing: Drawing Hair In Portraits

Drawing: Using Perspective To Draw The Human Head

Drawing: Tips & Tricks: Urban Sketching Trees & Shrubs

Drawing: 2B or not 2B: The Pencil Code

Drawing: Tips & Tricks: Sharpening Art Pencils

Drawing: Tips & Tricks: Walnut Ink

Drawing: Squint: What’s a Value Study?

Drawing: Face It: Using Value Shapes To Draw The Human Face

Drawing: Hands Up- Drawing Hands

Drawing: Why Perspective Is Hard To Get Right Part 1

Drawing: Sketching Clouds in Pen & Ink

Drawing: Why Perspective is Hard to Get Right? Part 2

Drawing: Blind Contour Drawing

Painting: Indigo Hills Watercolor

Painting: Basics - The Painter's Sketchbook

Painting: A Guide to Abstract Painting

Painting: Riverbank Scene in Watercolor

Painting: Pink Water Lily Watercolor

Painting: Creating a Watercolor Study

Painting: Blending & Dry Brushing

Painting: Seascape in Watercolor

Painting: Highlights and Edges

Painting: Tips for Beginning Acrylic Painters

Painting Basics: Color Theory

Painting: Discover Watercolor Crayons

Painting: Color Theory

Painting Basics: The Self-Critique

Painting: Exploring Color in Neutral Tones

Painting: Watercolor Crayon Still Life

Painting Basics: Oil or Acrylic?

Painting: Beginning Watercolor: Abstract with India Ink

Painting Basics: Setting Up a Still Life

Painting: Abstract Art: What’s Going On Here?

Painting: Beginning Watercolor: Stormy Sky

Painting: Tips & Tricks: Composition

Painting: Watercolor: Using Expressive Color

Painting: Tips & Tricks: DIY Painting Set Up

Painting: Beginning Watercolor: Mixed Media Collage

Painting: Watercolor - Oil Pastels with Watercolor

Painting: Beginning Watercolor: Painting Trees

Painting: Beginning Watercolor: How to Paint Clouds

Painting: Painting a Starry Sky With Ink

Painting: Beginning Watercolor: Brush Basics

Painting: Painting Clouds With Gouache

Beginning Watercolor: Falling Leaves

Watercolor: Bounced Color

Watercolor: The 10 Minute Field Sketch

Watercolor Sketchbook: Simplifying a Complex Subject

Paint a Purple Iris

Digital: Photoshop - Clone Stamp

Digital: Photoshop - Blending Modes

Digital: Introduction to Illustrator

Craft: Paper Quilling

Craft: Papier-Mâché Cactus Sculpture

Craft: Trellis Ladder for your Garden

Craft: Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Squirrel Feeder

Craft: Cross Stitch Earring Holder

Craft: Hypertufa Planters

Craft: Make a Peephole Diorama

Craft: Make a Tunnel Book

Craft: Make Paper Flowers

Craft: Upcycled Wine Cork Board

Craft: Tips & Tricks: Cutting Collage Elements

Crafts: Upcycled Lawn Chair

Crafts: Bat Macrame Wall Hanging

Crafting: Folded Book Art

Crafting: Upcycled Toy Frame

Crafting: Upcycled Tinsel Tree

Crafting: DIY Stamped Wrapping Paper

Crafting: Upcycled Sweater Mittens

Crafting: DIY Pajaki

Mixed Media: A Template for Working With Mixed Media

Mixed Media: Blackout Poetry on Book Pages

Mixed Media: Reviving an Abandoned Drawing

Mixed Media: Curating Collage Elements

Photography: DIY Camera Obscura

Photography: Make a Paraxinoscope

Photography: Smartphone Photography: How to Tune Your Image

Photography: Natural Light Photography

Photography: Smart Phone Photography: How to Remove Unwanted Content

Smartphone Photography: How to Rotate and Crop an Image

Smartphone Photography: Adding Shallow Depth of Field

Smartphone Photography: Creating a Black and White Image with the Subject in Color

Studio Tour with Robin Gary

Studio Tour with Jennifer Hill

Studio Tour with Andrea Patin

Studio Tour with Adrienne Hodge

Artist Professional Development

The Artist Resource Center is pleased to host free monthly professional development workshops for artists. Covering a different topic each month, our workshops give artists the tools to develop and advance their careers in the arts.

Artist Resource Center Professional Development Workshop

Paper Pandemonium

Paper Pandemonium Webpage