What is Austin Art in Public Places TEMPO?
Here’s what they have to say for themselves:
Temporary public art plays an important role in attracting new and emerging artists to the City’s public art program, enriches the civic dialogue, cultivates tourism, and engages public space in a unique way. The TEMPO program allows artists to explore a range of themes suitable for the outdoor environment and provides the opportunity for innovative, thought-provoking artwork that impacts the way people experience their environment.
TEMPO 2017, a temporary public art exhibition presented by the Art in Public Places program, is currently on view through November 19. Now in its fifth year, the TEMPO program features outdoor artworks by local artists sited across Austin in a temporary display. For 2017, nine installations were selected, reflecting a variety of materials and themes.
Here’s what we say: TEMPO 2017 is a fun challenge to visit all nine sites and a wonderful way to hear from new artists. We are excited to explore the city-wide exhibit with you!
What if I don’t have a bike to ride?
Austin is home to a number of bike rental businesses in addition to bike shops with rental departments.
The Downtown and Eastside tour can make use of Austin B-Cycle, the local bike share system. Daily and weekly memberships are a great way to navigate downtown Austin.
Will I be on busy streets?
On some of the routes, you will be. The longer routes are geared for riders with experience but we do make use of bike lanes and trails as much as possible as we navigate to the artworks.
We’ve included some sections of busier roads such as South Congress and South Lamar because they are home to lots of exciting things to see and do. The routes go back into the side streets after we’ve visited the highlights.
Listen to the riding tips for specific information along the way where we cover topics like neighborhood landmarks, tricky turns, and a general sense of what to expect until the next stop.
If a stretch of road or intersection is beyond your comfort level, you should get off your bike and walk it on the sidewalk.
Can I use the app as a walking tour?
ArtRides can be used as a tour guide for individual works one at a time. During the East Austin Studio Tour dates, all of the artworks will be together for TEMPO Convergence at Edward Rendon Sr. Park along the shores of Lady Bird Lake. Wander the park and ArtRides will trigger as you approach individual artworks. Be sure to check for app updates during EAST to get the updates for the festival location data.
Do I need a data plan to use ArtRides?
Not if you update the app when you have wifi access. The app will make use of your phone’s gps not your data plan. The turn-by-turn navigation feature won’t work but you can follow the location dot along the route line or scroll through the cue sheet.
The app also includes maps that can be accessed offline.
What if I’m running late to meet friends for dinner?
Need to cut a route short? With a data plan, you can use Google Maps in bicycling mode or Apple Maps to plot a route.