19th People's Gallery opening reception with keynote remarks, live music, and local artists at Austin City Hall.
Austin City Hall opens its doors for the People's Gallery 2026 Opening Reception on Friday, October 2, from 6 PM to 9 PM. It's the kickoff for the 19th edition of the People's Gallery, a biennial exhibition that turns the first three floors of City Hall into a public gallery of painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, mixed media, and other visual art. Keynote remarks start at 6:30 PM, and the night includes live music.
The work on display this time was selected by a panel of local arts professionals—Georgina Treviño, Nina Q. Ho, and Moyosore Okediji—with special selections from Imagine Art and Artly World. The exhibition is run by the City of Austin's Art in Public Places program, which is administered through Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME). Since 2005, the People's Gallery has occupied City Hall, drawing more than 200,000 visitors a year. Around 1,800 artists have shown here since it started, all chosen through a free, open call judged by a rotating panel of arts professionals.
One of the things that makes the show a bit more than a walk-through is the People's Choice vote. The public votes for their favorite piece, and the city then considers that work for purchase and addition to its permanent art collection. Much of the other work on view can be bought directly through the artists or their galleries, so if you see something you love, it might actually be available to take home.
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The reception is free and open to the public at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St., Austin, TX 78701. It runs from 6 PM to 9 PM, with the keynote remarks starting at 6:30 PM.
