Vanishing Austin—the ongoing photography series that tries to stay ahead of the wrecking ball—is looking pretty festive this month, at its first appearance at Austin’s annual anti-mall, shop small, holiday gift show, the Blue Genie Art Bazaar.

The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is decidedly aimed at Austinites who believe that to live local, you shop local. And that you support local artists. Which makes it a pretty good fit for Vanishing Austin.

While Austin isn’t lacking in holiday events, the Blue Genie Art Bazaar is one of its most beloved traditions, with handmade gifts crafted by more than 140 area artisans, sponsored by a wacky crew of creative designers, sign makers, muralists and fabricators (Blue Genie Industries), inside a former cinema-turned-event center. (Bonus: holiday flicks play free throughout the bazaar, in one of the small theaters near the displays.)

Repurposed goods are a big theme in this year’s show: 70s ties are silkscreened with new motifs to look current; cameras from Ansel Adams’ era are lit from within to become retro night lights; bicycle tubing is transformed into belts, wallets, hair ornaments; old CocaCola and Topo Chico bottles turn into trendy glassware; cherished old hardbacks become new notebooks, some with 45s on their covers, some with artist-created insert pages.

In another honored Austin tradition, live music performs each week at the Blue Genie, and a cash bar performs each day. Could that be why folks are so merry when they’re shopping local there?  ♦

BUY PRINTS: Choose from 99+ Vanishing Austin prints and a poster by Jann Alexander, starting at $25.

Shop my Vanishing Austin series: While many Austin landmarks are lost, many are survivors still. Admire them all in a slideshow, HERE. Prints start at $35.

You can marvel at what’s lost and what’s survived in my Endangered Species of Austin poster, featuring 16 Austin icons, and sized at a handsomely large 24 x 36,” available for $25, HERE.

• How the Vanishing Austin project began
• The 99+ photographs in the Vanishing Austin series
• More articles in Vanishing Austin blog series
• The Endangered Species of Austin

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