Art At the trAckPop 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

Experience the best of the US Grand Prix.

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.

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