See the sights in East Austin

For its 10th anniversary, the East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T.) offers a dizzying array of galleries, studios and artists. Two years ago, this nine-day arts festival was expanded to two consecutive weekends to encompass more of Austin's growing arts scene.

A plethora of exhibition spaces offered a sampling of media and many aesthetic tastes. Large communal spaces such as Pump Project and Art Post and festival organizers Big Medium composed expansive exhibitions featuring many artists, while smaller spaces such as Lewis Carnegie and OK Mountain fashioned more concise presentations.

Many patrons and aficionados said they were drawn to E.A.S.T. because of the intimate, collaborative atmosphere which permitted a more stimulating interchange than the typical white-walled gallery show. This creative synthesis produced a satisfying sense of discovery when visitors stumbled into a previously undiscovered space to find their new favorite artist.

Nestled next to HOPE Farmer's Market, in the Reji Thomas Studio, the Austin Community College Faculty and Student Exhibition fit the E.A.S.T. profile. The sunlit room featured work from ACC's creative community and visitors streamed through the room to see the offering. Juan Carlos Amorrortu's rendition of a formerly-deceased Mona Lisa turned many heads, and Shanti Matulewski's reflective digital print invites careful examination. Rounding out the exhibition, a number of sculptural objects filled the space. These explored a variety of topics that ranged from formalistic manifestations of art, color and narrative to the social implications of surveillance systems. Given the breadth of the work presented in this show, a stop at next year's ACC Faculty and Student Exhibition at E.A.S.T. is a must.