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Register here for our First Night New Years Eve Run!

Run in the New Year with RunTex and all of your running buddies. Meet us at the South First Street Bridge at 10:00 p.m. on December 31 for the “First Night Austin New Year’s Eve Run.”

Ring in the New Year Austin style! The run is two miles and should get you ready to enjoy the festivities of First Night Austin celebration!

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A Light in the Attic by Patrick Renner

Come into the light



On April 21st, 2010, we unveiled A Light in the Attic, a large scale temporary installation by Patrick Renner in the historic 721 Congress storefront where the work will be on display for the following two months. Presented by a partnership between the Downtown Austin Alliance, First Night Austin and Norwood Tower Management Company.

Inspired by the poem of the same name by American poet Shel Silverstein, this installation reconfigures architectural refuse to speak about memory and loss. The tenets of architecture are flipped on their head, figuratively and literally; windows compose the fragile bottom strata of the structure, spilling out a hopeful light. Solitude, emptiness, and the remnant of a once-functional structure make this attic space a direct metaphor for the architecture of the human psyche as it is undergoing a distinct change. There is a glimmer of hope that in change all things become something new.

Artist, Patrick Renner is a Texas artist who splits time between Houston and Austin in pursuit of various artistic endeavors. Renner holds a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute (2004) and an MFA from Aldred University in NY (2006). Renner works in assorted teaching capacities and has been an artist in residence at programs such as Sculpture Space (Utica, NY) and AS220 (Providence).

The installation will be on view through June 19th

Slideshow Photos



Photos by Francis Cruzada:

01)  Travis silhouetted by Patrick Renner's A Light in the Attic  

02)  Johnny Walker's Acoustic Chandelier - First Night Austin 2009 

03)  Community Art Maker's Resolution Clock - First Night Austin 2009

04)  Patrick Renner painting the text for A Light in the Attic

05)  Nicole Whiteside's Fabric of the Hour - First Night Austin 2009

06)   John Rossini's Mobile Vertical Xylophone - First Night Austin 2009

07)   The Love of China School of Dance - First Night Austin 2009

08)  Clint Wilson's Live Screen Printing Demo - First Night Austin 2009

09)  Grand Procession - First Night Austin 2009

10)  Firework Finale - First Night Austin 2009

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