6. Art At the trAck
Pop Austin International Art Show will bring a satellite
exhibit to cotA while lighting up downtown Austin. by tobin levy
2.
pop austin
3.
the party
scene
1.
how to
watch
the race
the Need for Speed
Experiencethebestofthe
USGrandPrix.
WHEN: Friday, October 23–
Sunday, October 25
WHERE: Circuit of
the Americas, 9201
Circuit of the Americas
Blvd., 512-301-6600;
circuitoftheamericas.com/f1
COST: 3-day passes start
at $169; Sunday-only
general admission tickets
start at $99.
WATCH IN STYLE: The
staff at the Paddock Club
travels to all F1 races
across the globe, so it
remains a consistently
top-tier hospitality offering.
A three-day pass includes
multicourse wining
and dining, a Mumm
Champagne bar, exclusive
access to the pit lanes,
driver interviews, and
more; pricing begins at
$4,200. The Skybox offers
spectacular views of the
race at Turns 2, 12, and
19; three-day passes are
$1,350. For event packages,
visit cotaexperiences.com.
F1 fêtes have a tradition
of being abundant in both
celebrities and Champagne.
In years past, the original
“Made in Monaco” Amber
Lounge and My Yacht Club
have targeted international
revelers attending the US
Grand Prix, especially those
with the deepest of pockets
(in 2014, individual tickets
started at $325, while tables
were reportedly in excess of
$75,000). COTA’s Pop Austin
partnership will result in a
slate of new parties this year,
Apex, which will take over
Fair Market for three nights
following “illumination.” Blu
will return this year, but at a
different location, at Brazos
Hall on October 23 and
October 24, says Ginger Leigh
who started the party with
British expat and Austin-
resident, Ian Weightman.
Blu has drawn a larger local
crowd than its imported
competitors. Leigh estimates
the party is about half local
and half visitor and says its
appeal to Austinites is it’s a
dressier occasion than the
city usually sees. The event
boasts The Full Tilt Fashion
Show (Saturday, October
24, 6–9 pm). Perhaps Blu’s
most democratic feature is
a $150 general admission
ticket with a cash bar. “It
opens the door to a lot more
locals,” Leigh says. “You want
to keep the high-end nature
of the party and maintain a
certain demographic, but you
also want to cater to locals.”
Blu inclusive packages are
$400 per person, and tables
range from a $5,000 table for
four to a $50,000 platinum
package for eight.
The Pop Austin International Art Show,
which attracted almost 5,000 visitors over
its debut weekend last year, is partnering
with Circuit of the Americas to provide
cultural programming for Formula One
weekend, including a satellite exhibit at
the track featuring work from Andy
Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Micky
Hoogendijk, among others.
At Pop Austin’s
principal show
downtown,
“Illumination,”
light will be the
shared medium.
Attendees can
expect blacked-out
rooms lit by vehicles, including neon,
projections, and LED. “We wanted to
offer an experience, and we have
achieved that,” says curator Lana
Carlson. The nature of the exhibition is
inherently immersive. There will be fewer
pieces than last year (five of the installa-
tions are truly expansive), and 17 artists
from all over the world—Chile, Italy,
Korea, Japan, and, of course, Austin.
Among the local artists are Bale Creek
Allen and Jason Archer, both of whom
were also featured in the inaugural show.
The collaboration with COTA is sure
to draw a larger, more diverse crowd to the
main exhibition. “I feel like joining forces
with Formula One enables us to show the
world that Austin is more than a city of
artists, but rather a capitol of culture,”
says creative director Steve Carlson.
Future exhibitions will have different
themes. If Carlson has
his way, sound will be
one of them.
“Illumination” will
take place at Fair
Market (1100 E. Fifth
St., popaustin.com).
The show will kick off
with a ticketed VIP Opening Party on
Thursday, October 22, from 8 to 11 pm, for art
enthusiasts, collectors, and sponsors. Pop
Austin will remain open to the public on
Friday, October 23, through Sunday, October
25, from 10 am to 6 pm daily. Tickets for
regular show hours over the weekend are $40
per person (children 12 and under are free with
a ticketed adult). Tickets for the VIP Opening
Party are $200. Pop Austin’s satellite exhibit
at the track will be located in the Grand Plaza
and is available to all race ticketholders.
photographycourtesyofcircuitoftheamericas(viewsoftherace);adelaandea
(illumination(bottomright)),nonotak(illumination(top)),shaneguffog(redswirls);davepedley(blu)