Posts Tagged ‘Harry Ransom Center’

Cultural events for the Shoestring budget


2011
09.08
  • Graphic identity for Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored exhibition (image courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center)

    The “Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored” exhibit is on now until January 22, 2012 at the Harry Ransom Center. Entry to the Center is always free on Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours until 7 PM on Thursdays, and on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 PM. The opening gala is tomorrow night (September 9) from 6 to 8 PM. Tickets are $20 at the door, or free for members of the Center. And don’t miss their reading list of banned and censored books, most of which you can find at your local library!

  • The City of Austin is offering “Take it to the Next Level” free workshops for creatives, including today’s class, “Protecting Your Work: Intellectual Property Basics for Artists and Creative Types” from 3 to 5:30 PM at the Cultural Arts Division Offices (201 E. 2nd Street). Topics to be covered include legal issues of trademark, copyright, trade secrets and patents; how to enforces your right to protected work; and a guided tour of state and federal trademark applications and copyright registration. Presenter Andrea Beleno Harrington is an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s Legal Assistance to Microenterprises Project (LAMP). Check out the rest of their scheduled classes for 2011 at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/redevelopment/nextlevel_schedule.htm.
  • The Alamo Drafthouse’s Rolling Roadshow presents a free screening of our favorite 80′s movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, this Sunday, September 11 at 7:30 PM. There’s a $5 suggested donation for entry to the pre-show street party, and lawnchairs are recommended. Movie starts at 9 PM.
  • A free screening of the award-winning documentary DIVE! will be played at the Blanton Museum of Art as part of the Hungry in America panel discussion presented by the Capital Area Food Bank on Thursday, September 15 at 6 PM. The museum is located at 200 E. MLK Blvd. Attendees are encouraged to bring canned foods for the CAFB food drive to receive $1 off regular admission to the museum. Check out the film’s trailer online here.

Austin freegan alert: free movies!


2010
05.10

As a conoisseur of the freebie lifestyle, and an unreformed member of the spoiled Press Club who simply refuses to (over)pay to see movies, I was beginning to think that Austin’s freegan claims had been vastly overrated. The SXSW film end of the fest is clearly no place for bargains (nor entry sans badge, harumph!), and for those who love film, I began to suspect that free flicks were just another rainbow-colored pipe dream.

But after a fateful tip from a guy on the bus (the source of many an insider tip, Chez Shoestring, btw), I discovered the wonderful world of gofobo.com. Film-related sweepstakes and free screenings abound here, but alas, they are only accessible with a magical (and rather mysterious) RSVP code.

Curses, Batman, foiled again!

Luckily, using my mighty memory, I recalled that my mystery bus man had informed me that gofobo.com was just one of several sites he regularly cruised for access to freebies in the movie world, implying that there were others, were a young Jedi so inclined to look for them. Thus, with a quick flick of the Google button I discovered the untold riches at The Movie Outsider’s Austin page.

As The Movie Outsider notes, freebies may not always be easy to come by, but they sure beat the heck outta paying full price for admission. If you’ve got to dig a little, you may just appreciate those hard-earned tickets a bit more, too. Or at least avoid the truly terrible pap that Hollywood deems to dish out.

Whatever the case, here were some of the best sites I found in my mission to uncover movie freebies, to help you along your way:

Tell 'em Shoestring Austin sent ya!

If all else fails, Netflix is still offering a pretty sweet one-month-free subscription, where you can instantly stream movies straight from your computer (or Blu-ray player, or gaming system), or rent movies with no late fees and free shipping to and from your house. Set up your home theater and you’ll be set; at only $8.95 a month, that’s still way cheaper than paying for admission at your local theater.

Still too rich for your blood? Hit up the nearest branch of the Austin Public Library for a selection of totally free movies and TV shows, which you can keep for a full seven (7) days. With the Interlibrary Loan system, you can even snag flicks from far-away branches (provided you agree to pay a $1 fee if you fail to actually pick up your items within 10 days of your notification email), all from the comfort of your Internet connection.

Friends, freegans, countrymen: bemoan your free movie quandary no more, and may The Force be with you.