Blue Genie Art Bazaar Starts 11th Season

Visitors to The Oasis, close to the homes on Lake Travis, may already be familiar with the Blue Genie store, which features prominently in a collection of shops and retail in the popular Austin hotspot. Blue Genie showcases the work of over 130 artists and craftspeople who live and work in central Texas, and selected vendors offer imaginative, quirky, and beautiful paintings, sculptures, jewelry, clothing, accessories, glassworks, ceramics, prints, and photography, as well as plenty of miscellany and surprises.

Blue Genie has helped many local artists become successful, as it offers space for up-and-coming artists to sell their artwork for commissions, enabling them to spend more time in their studios creating new works. The store is an offshoot of The Blue Genie Art Bazaar, an Austin tradition during the holiday shopping season and a great place for Austinites from Shady Hollow to Barton Creek to buy exceptional art and gifts. This year’s Blue Genie Art Bazaar runs from November 27th through December 24^th, seven days a week, and admission is free.

“Austin’s most recent designation is as a cradle for technology start-ups, but it was first and foremost known as an art incubator, which is part of what makes the city so unique,” said Austin Luxury REALTOR Brian Talley. “Collaborations of artists like Blue Genie are one of many ways the city celebrates its generous pool of talent.”

The selected artists show thousands of original works ranging from serious art to fun, kitschy items. This year marks a decade since Charles Randolph, a former Blue Genie Art employee, suggested that the founders of Blue Genie put together a Christmas show. The success of the first show indicated that Austin has a taste for homegrown creativity, and the show has been hosted in ever growing spaces since. Now located at The Marchesa Hall and Theatre on Middle Fiskville Rd., the Bazaar, like the Oasis store, is one of the best collections of art and gifts to be found all year.