Makers Meet-up
2024-02-25 13:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-26 13:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-30 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Art Spark Texas, 1152 San Bernard St., Austin, TX, 78702, United States
Join Art Spark Texas staff April Sullivan and board member/veteran Judith Estrada Garcia, for our monthly Makers Meet-up, a creative in-person gathering, taking place the last Sunday of the month 1-4:00 PM CT. All types of Makers are welcome! We’ll hang out, try a new art method and/or do a creative prompt or two, and share our work. You are always welcome to bring your choice of media, or your latest creative project to share. All supplies provided for the project of the month.

Makers Meet-up
2024-03-24 13:00 - 16:00 | Art Spark Texas, 1152 San Bernard St., Austin, TX, 78702, United States
Join Art Spark Texas staff April Sullivan and board member/veteran Judith Estrada Garcia, for our monthly Makers Meet-up, a creative in-person gathering. All types of Makers are welcome! We’ll hang out, try a new art method and/or do a creative prompt or two, and share our work. You are always welcome to bring your choice of media, or your latest creative project to share. All supplies provided for the project of the month.

The Lion & Pirate Open Mic IN PERSON
2024-04-06 15:00 - 17:00 | Art Spark Texas, 1152 San Bernard St., Austin, TX, 78702, United States
Enjoy the spring weather and celebrate National Poetry Month with your friends from The Lion & Pirate in Art Spark’s backyard!
At this inclusive open mic, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform!
Join us to hear work by featured Austin poets Bijan Rahnamai and Sueitko Zamorano-Chavez; then, it will be your time to shine! Sign up at the event. Contact us if you have questions about our sound set up.
What to Expect:

The performer sign-up opens at 2:30 PM.
This is a disability-inclusive open mic, so all performers are welcome, regardless of their abilities. It’s a supportive and welcoming environment where everyone is encouraged to share their gifts.
The Lion & Pirate Open Mic is a great way to showcase your talents and connect with other artists.
We encourage a variety of performers, including musicians, poets, comedians, storytellers, and more to join us.
We will have amplification.
Both the office and the backyard are accessible, please email MsBoye for individual accessibility questions or requirements.
The event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Image Description: A lion statue wearing an eye patch and a pirate’s skull-and-bones do-rag grips a microphone cable in its jaws. Text reads, “Join us in person! The Lion & The Pirate, an inclusive open mic for writers, performers, and musicians. 3 PM to 5 PM, Saturday, April 6, 2024. Art Spark Texas, 1152 San Bernard St., Austin, TX.” Logos for Art Spark Texas and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities appear at the bottom.

Makers Meet-up
2024-04-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Art Spark Texas, 1152 San Bernard St., Austin, TX, 78702, United States
Join Art Spark Texas staff April Sullivan for our monthly Makers Meet-up, a creative in-person gathering, taking place the last Sunday of the month 1-4:00 PM CT. All types of Makers are welcome! We’ll hang out, try a new art method and/or do a creative prompt or two, and share our work. You are always welcome to bring your choice of media, or your latest creative project to share. All supplies provided for the project of the month.
This month we have two projects that have the opportunity for your art to be displayed!
The first half of the meetup we will be creating art to submit to the Quickest Flip Laboratory Art Challenge #7.
Create something that includes the color PINK and PETS!
Quickest Flip hosts a series of themed art challenges that are open to anyone and everyone to participate – we call this the QF Laboratory. These challenges will prompt participants to incorporate a set of common ingredients into an art piece while encouraging different interpretations and outcomes. Deadline to submit is May 10th. To submit: Email an image of your art to hello@quickestflip.org along with your name, the title, and medium. All submitted works will be featured in a virtual exhibition on our website and a selection will be shared on social media.
The second half of the meetup we will be partnering with local artist Jieun Beth Kim for a project called “Community.” Participants will have an opportunity to create portraits using stamps that Jieun carved. Next, these portraits will be reproduced and be part of an upcoming installation project at the Austin Central Library in June.
Come for one or both!

Disability Pride Showcase
2024-07-14 16:00 - 18:00 | Alientated Majesty Books, 613 West 29th Street, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
The Lion & Pirate invites you to a Disability Pride Month In-Person Showcase.
Hosted by Alienated Majesty Books, Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, and Art Spark Texas.
Hey there Lion & Pirate Family! We’ve got some news to share with you. Unfortunately, there won’t be an Open Mic this month, but don’t you worry, because we’ve got something even better lined up for you!
Get ready to mark your calendars and clear your schedules.
WHEN: Sunday, July 14th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM CT
WHERE: Alienated Majesty Books, 613 West 29th Street, Austin, TX 78705.
WHY? Because we’re hosting a super special in-person event in honor of Disability Pride Month!
This Disability Pride Showcase, put together by the awesome Coalition of Texans with Disabilities and Art Spark Texas, is going to be off the charts!
Picture this – a stellar lineup of disabled Austin writers, featuring the incredible talents of Lauren E. Gerken, MsBoye, Eric Clow, Sueitko Zamorano-Chavez, Amy Elizabeth Litzinger, and Benny Kolbeson, all under one roof!
It’s going to be a celebration like no other, a chance to show our PRIDE and support for the amazing writers in our community.
So, don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to come together, share the love for Disabled Artists, and have a blast!
See you all there!
Register for free tickets
Questions? Please email MsBoye.

The Lion & Pirate Open Mic
2024-10-05 19:00 - 21:00
The Lion & Pirate invites you to our virtual inclusive open mic for writers, performers, and musicians! As always, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform!
Featured performers to be announced; then, it will be your time to shine! There will be 10 sign-up slots. We ask that you sign up ahead of time. Any sign-ups after 10 will be held on a backup list.
Join us on Zoom:
Use this Link to attend our virtual open mic.
Stay tuned to our Facebook Group for event updates, signup sheets, and links, and invite your friends, too. You can tune in just to connect with your community and give us those “clap” reactions.
Questions? Please email MsBoye.

The Lion & Pirate Open Mic - Virtual
2025-01-12 13:00 - 14:30
The Lion & Pirate invites you to our virtual inclusive open mic for writers, performers, and musicians! As always, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform!
🗓️ **When**: Sunday, January 12th, 2025
🕖 **Time**: 1:00 – 2:30 PM CDTWe invite you to our first open mic of 2025, Sunday, January 12, 1-2:30 pm on Zoom. During this time, we’d like to invite your feedback about the future of the Lion & Pirate. Some questions we’re considering as organizers:

How did you feel about the in person/ virtual hybrid event in December? Would you like to do more open mics like this?
Making each L&P run smoothly is a two-person job. Who has interest in co-hosting, even if it’s just for one event (not a long-term commitment)?
Are there changes you’d like to see to Lion & Pirate? Do you want things to stay the same?

And of course, we’ll be making time for a proper round robin style open mic and hope you’ll bring a poem, song, story, or other performance (or two) to share.
No need to sign up, just come to the meeting and we will round robin.
Join us on Zoom:
Email info@artsparktx.org to receive the zoom link

The Lion & Pirate Open Mic - Virtual
2025-02-01 19:00 - 20:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85231105344#success
The Lion & Pirate invites you to our virtual inclusive open mic for writers, performers, and musicians! As always, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform!
🗓️ **When**: Saturday, February 1st, 2025
🕖 **Time**: 7:00 – 8:30 PM CDT
Join our co-host Amy Litzinger, as she and Laura Perna launch our co-hosting Lion and Pirate Open Mic project!
and remember, next month we will be writing together, and then a hybrid gathering in April at the Art Spark studio location on San Bernard!
Please sign up Here to speak/read/sing:
If you have any questions, please email Celia at celia@artsparktx.org
PLEASE NOTE: Zoom link to the open mic here

Vibrancy Exhibition
2025-02-10 08:00 - 16:30, 2025-02-12 08:00 - 16:30, 2025-02-19 08:00 - 16:30, 2025-02-26 08:00 - 16:30, 2025-03-05 08:00 - 16:30, 2025-03-12 08:00 - 16:30, 2025-03-19 08:00 - 16:30, 2025-03-26 08:00 - 16:30 and 1 more date | Austin Lighthouse for the Blind, 4512 S Pleasant Valley Rd, Austin, TX, 78744, United States
Vibrancy is a group exhibition that brings together 3 Austin-based artists who explore visual harmony, color and light in their work. Hosted by Art Spark Texas, this group show includes works created across multiple mediums; including painting, photography and digital processes.

Located @ AUSTIN LIGHTHOUSE , TRAVIS ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND4512 S Pleasant Valley Rd, Austin, TX 78744 Hours: 8:00AM – 4:30 PM, Exhibition dates: Feb 7- April 4

The Lion & Pirate - Virtual Writing Group
2025-03-02 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
For our March gathering, we’re going to try writing together!”
🗓️ **When**: Sunday, March 2nd, 2025
🕖 **Time**: 1:00 – 2:30 PM CDT
Here is what our first-ever writers’ group will look like:

Get settled and say hi to everyone (like usual).
Laura will screen share and read a couple of writing prompts.
Time for questions.
Free write for 30 minutes (it will go faster than you think)!
Read us what you wrote or tell us about your experience (only if you want to)!
Debrief: how was this? What worked? What do you want to see done differently next time?

In the interest of keeping things accessible to all, we’ll be very interested to find out how we can use the virtual space to accommodate everyone. So please, fill out the form below, or get in touch any time to let us know what you need to write comfortably in this space.
Let us know you are coming: Here
If you have any questions, please email Laura at lperna@txdisabilities.org
PLEASE NOTE: Zoom link for Sunday’s event here

The Lion & Pirate Open Mic - Hybrid In Person/Virtual
2025-04-05 14:00 - 16:00 | Art Spark Texas, 1152 San Bernard St., Austin, TX, 78702, United States
CTD and Art Spark Texas are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all attendees and participants. We ask everyone to act with kindness and respect.
Lion & Pirate content warning policy: We use content warnings to keep this space safe and welcoming. Please use them! If you have questions about content warnings, feel free to ask us before or during an open mic.
Things we believe:

We feel and practice respect for all people, and for diversity of thought and identity.
We see honesty as a form of love.
We acknowledge that free speech is difficult sometimes.
We accept that we are unaware of the traumas people within even our own communities are trying to live through, and we have to teach each other, learn from each other, make each other more aware.

🗓️ **When**: Saturday, April 5th, 2025
🕖 **Time**: 2:00 – 4:00 PM CDT

In-person – Art Spark Texas, 1152 San Bernard Street, Austin
Virtual – Zoom link for event here
Sign up to perform: Here!
If you have any questions, please email Celia at celia@artsparktx.org

The Lion & Pirate Open Mic - Virtual
2025-05-04 13:00 - 14:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85231105344#success
The Lion & Pirate invites you to our virtual inclusive open mic for writers, performers, and musicians! As always, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform!

🗓️ **When**: Sunday, May 4th, 2025🕖 **Time**: 1:00 – 2:30 PM CDTJoin Laura Perna and her guest co-host for this months Lion and Pirate Open Mic!
Sign up sheet coming soon.
If you have any questions, please email Celia at celia@artsparktx.org
PLEASE NOTE: Zoom link to the open mic here

The Lion & Pirate - Virtual Writing Group
2025-06-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
Join us for our Lion and Pirate writers group
🗓️ **When**: Saturday, June 7th, 2025
🕖 **Time**: 7:00 – 8:30 PM CDT

Get settled and say hi to everyone (like usual).
Laura will screen share and read a couple of writing prompts.
Time for questions.
Free write for 30 minutes (it will go faster than you think)!
Read us what you wrote or tell us about your experience (only if you want to)!
Debrief: how was this? What worked? What do you want to see done differently next time?

If you have any questions, please email Laura at lperna@txdisabilities.org
PLEASE NOTE: Zoom link for event here

Disability Pride Showcase
2025-07-06 16:00 - 18:00 | Alienated Majesty Books, 613 W 29th St., Austin, United States
Sunday Jul 6th, 20254:00 PM – 6:00 PM
This July, we’re hosting a Disability Pride Month showcase in partnership with Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD), Alienated Majesty Books, and Thunder & Lightning Poetry Collective.
For over ten years, CTD and Art Spark Texas have hosted monthly Lion & Pirate open mics to celebrate writers and performers with disabilities. Open to everyone in the community (with and without disabilities), this month’s L&P at Alienated Majesty Books will be hosted by Sueitko Zamorano-Chavez and feature a line-up of local poets and authors with disabilities to present an hour and a half long reading.
✦✦✦ ABOUT THE GUESTS ✦✦✦
Sueitko Zamorano-Chavez (elle/they/them) is an Indigi-Latine, Two-spirit, Queer, 2 time cancer surviving, chronically ill, neurodivergent multidisciplinary storyteller, event producer, host, and healer dedicated to highlighting experiences of the QTBIPOC community. Their upbringing sparked their creative and community work that has been featured and published in multiple zines, blogs, and anthologies. Earning a Bachelors and Masters in mental health focuses inspired led healing circles and various workshops on mental health awareness , creative healing and expression, as well as awareness of injustices toward often marginalized groups. Sueitko is a humble member of various local organizations and projects dedicated to empowering and enhancing our community. Follow them on Instagram for virtual open mics, variety hours, and TLPC events!
Jennifer Toon is a passionate prison abolitionist. As a formerly incarcerated woman, her experience with the criminal legal system began at age 15 when she was adjudicated under Texas determinate sentencing laws. Her conviction started a long journey through 27 years of criminal justice involvement. Jennifer has been published in The Texas Observer, The Marshall Project, The Guardian and is also the co-host of On the Rec Yard: Women’s Prison Podcast. She is also a JustLeadershipUSA Leading with Conviction™ (LwC) graduate. As the Executive Director for Lioness, Jennifer aspires to use her lived experience to bring attention to the voices of other system-impacted individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+, youth, and people with disabilities. She lives in Austin, Texas with her cat Taylor, who embodies the mischievous energy of Taylor Swift.
Born Benjamin Joseph Kolbeson, Benny Kolbeson is a native Austinite. After moving around Texas while struggling to find meaning in education and employment, he came back to Austin in 2017 and received his ASD diagnosis at the age of 37. Since then, he’s gone mostly crazy while trying to be creative, focusing mostly on writing poetry and song lyrics, making melodies, and composing a few simple songs for piano. He also enjoys singing, painting, balloon art, cooking, and volunteering to an extent. Benny has been involved with the local autism community in Austin through organizations including ArtSparkTX, Autism Society of Texas, and Greenleaf NCC. He recently completed UT’s ACT LEND program for autistic self-advocates.
Christina Culverhouse is a passionate and dedicated artist, jewelry designer, and poet/writer with over 20 years of experience in the arts. Christina has an eclectic body of work. She has showcased her art at multiple venues in and around Austin, Texas as well as with an online gallery through Artlifting. In addition to her art, Christina has published three books containing her poetry and artwork that are available on Amazon and Lulu.com. Christina holds three degrees from St. Edward’s University: Bachelor of Arts in Art, Master of Arts in Teaching, and Master of Arts in College Student Development.
✦✦✦ ABOUT THE ORGS ✦✦✦
Coalition of Texans with Disabilities is an Austin-based advocacy organization working to ensure that persons with disabilities may work, live, learn, play and participate fully in the community of their choice.
Art Spark Texas challenges perceptions of how people contribute by creating an arts-inspired, inclusive community of individuals with and without disabilities.
Thunder & Lightning Poetry Collective is a collective for disabled BIPOC & queer poets, working to foster creative, accessible community spaces that celebrate creativity within the chronically-ill, neurodivergent and disabled community.
✦✦✦ WHERE TO PARK ✦✦✦
Alienated Majesty is located at 613 W 29th St. There is (limited) free parking in our lot, as well as free street parking in the surrounding neighborhood.
✦✦✦ ABOUT ALIENATED MAJESTY BOOKS ✦✦✦
Alienated Majesty Books is a bookstore and community space that specializes in small presses, works in translation, comics, and the weird and radical. In 2024, AMB was voted Best Obscure Literature Collection by the Austin Chronicle.
