Austin Gallery · The 2026 List

Austin Artists to Watch in 2026

52 artists shaping Austin's art scene right now — across painting, murals, clay, print, photography, sculpture, and fiber.

By the Austin Gallery EditorsPublished June 2026

52: Artists recognized
8: Disciplines
100%: Free — no fee
0: Pay-to-play

Austin makes more art than any one gallery can hold. So every year we point to the people doing the most interesting work in the city right now — emerging and established, across every medium — and put them in one place. No fees, no pay-to-play, no catch. Just a free, genuine spotlight on artists we admire, with a link straight to where you can see and support each one.

These 52 artists span 8 disciplines, from the muralists painting East Austin to the ceramicists, printmakers, and fiber artists working quietly in studios across the city. Follow them, buy from them, and go see the work in person. For longer features on individual artists, visit our spotlight series.

Muralists & Public Art

The artists painting Austin's walls — and its public imagination.

Murals

Chris Rogers →

Bold portrait murals centering Black, Latino, and Indigenous community, resilience, and East Austin identity.

Stencil street art

Federico Archuleta →

Iconic hand-cut stencil portraits and border-culture imagery from his El Paso roots — a familiar sight across Austin.

Stencil murals

Elena 'Niz' Nizzle →

Spiritually charged female portraiture and sacred geometry rooted in Latin American heritage.

Community public art

Raasin McIntosh →

Founder of Raasin in the Sun, bringing color and beautification to East Austin since 2015.

Murals

Efren Rebugio Jr. →

Self-taught Filipino-American muralist whose vibrant work draws on local flora and fauna and community stories.

Murals & public art

DAAS →

Color-rich work blending abstract and representational forms, exhibited from Austin to Japan.

Glass-tile mosaic public art

J Muzacz →

Community-engaged mosaics — including a 40,000-tile work — made at his East Austin Mosaic Workshop.

Figurative & Portrait Painters

Painters who keep the human figure at the center of the story.

Oil figurative

Jennifer Balkan →

Psychological narratives of the figure rendered in planes of color; director of Austin's Atelier Dojo.

Gestural figurative

Caroline Pinney →

Women confidently taking up space in curving, exaggerated forms; represented by The Commerce Gallery.

Figurative on wood panel

Ella Nilsson →

Portraits investigating light and shadow, working the natural wood grain into the composition; atxGALS member.

Autobiographical figurative

Rewon Shimray →

Native Austinite painting from childhood photos to process biethnic Asian-American and queer identity.

Oil figurative & murals

Swathi Konduri →

Family and cultural narrative, including her 'Heirloom' series; co-founder of Almost Real Things.

Oil & acrylic figurative

Ian Shults →

Cinematic mid-century scenes of sly social transgression; represented by Wally Workman Gallery.

Oil portraiture

Felice House →

Her 'Re-Western' series re-imagines classic male film heroes as women; represented by Davis Gallery.

Narrative oil portraiture

Karen Offutt →

Atmospheric portraits styled with antique fabrics and vintage furs; co-founder of Atelier Dojo.

Abstract & Contemporary Painters

Color, gesture, and idea — Austin's abstract voices.

Mixed-media abstraction

Hunter Ash →

Poured hues and textured marks interpreting the emotional human experience; shown at Austin Art Garage.

Oil & light on acrylic panel

Shawn Camp →

Back-lit paintings on perception and light; ICOSA member and ACC professor of painting.

Acrylic abstraction & installation

Vy Ngo →

Vibrant abstract landscapes on memory, healing, and cultural identity; work in the Austin City Hall collection.

Geometric abstraction & collage

Erin Curtis →

Abstraction rooted in weaving, nature, and ritual; solo project at The Contemporary Austin.

Abstract expressionism

Joyce Howell →

Atmospheric 'loose landscapes' in a nature-informed palette; represented by Wally Workman Gallery.

Abstract landscape & collage

Larry Goode →

Layered abstractions balancing structure and chaos with a surreal streak; represented by Davis Gallery.

Acrylic abstraction & illustration

Matt Rebholz →

Abstract painting alongside illustration and graphic-novel work; ICOSA member and arts educator.

Printmakers & Illustrators

Ink, plate, and press — Austin's deep printmaking bench.

Woodcut & etching

Annalise Gratovich →

Monumental hand-dyed chine collé woodcuts drawn from Ukrainian folklore; City of Austin Creative Ambassador.

Screenprint & letterpress

Dan Grissom →

Hand-pulled posters and nature prints with a magical-realist streak; gig posters for John Prine and more.

Photogravure & linocut

Matthew Magruder →

Photo-based intaglio, linocut, and handmade book works — a rare polymer-photogravure practice in Austin.

Etching

Mike Pollock →

Intaglio rooted in Austin's underground music scene; runs Warehole Press, member of Slugfest.

Risograph illustration

Kate Dehler →

Minimalist illustration drawing on vintage print and '70s pop; curated Austin's RISO CLUB edition.

Illustration & risograph

Julia Dufossé →

Surreal, airbrush-textured illustration; editorial work for Apple, A24, and Hermès.

Screenprint

Tim Doyle →

Pop-culture silkscreens and gig posters; founder of Austin's Nakatomi Print Labs.

Ink & watercolor

Charles Benjamin Russell →

Whimsical, darkly funny interconnected worlds; studio artist at the Museum of Human Achievement.

Ceramicists & Potters

Austin's clay community, from tableware to one-of-a-kind work.

Porcelain

Keith Kreeger →

High-fired porcelain tableware and sculptural work; his dishware is used in dozens of restaurants nationally.

Soda-fired porcelain

Ryan McKerley →

Eroded, water-carved surface patterns on porcelain; organizes the Art of the Pot studio tour.

Hand-thrown stoneware

Samantha Heligman →

Individually thrown 'modern heirloom' stoneware for daily use; founder of Settle Ceramics.

Wheel & hand-built clay

Lindsay Werner →

Founder-maker running Mud Studio, a community ceramics studio in Austin.

Sculptors & Installation

Form, material, and space — Austin's most ambitious makers.

Ceramic sculpture & installation

Tammie Rubin →

Porcelain forms exploring Black American citizenry, migration, and ritual; 2022 Tito's Prize winner.

Sculptural installation

Beili Liu →

Site-responsive work in thread, salt, and wax on migration and memory; 2024 Texas Artist of the Year.

Cast metal sculpture

Erin Cunningham →

Casts the female form in iron to hold fragility and strength at once; founding ICOSA member, UT Austin.

Glass & sculpture

Sarah Hirneisen →

Craft-based three-dimensional work probing care, repetition, and inheritance; ICOSA member, RISD-trained.

Photography, Lens & New Media

The camera, the screen, and the installation — Austin's lens-based art.

Photography & sound installation

Ariana Gomez →

Mythmaking and land woven from photo, video, and sound; shown at ClampArt NYC and Photo London.

Conceptual photography

Chantal Lesley →

Identity, memory, and belonging across cultures, from a Rio Grande Valley upbringing; 2023 LINE resident.

Documentary photography & film

Liz Moskowitz →

Collaborative lens-based storytelling on social justice and healing; member of Women Photograph.

New media & AR public art

Adrian Aguilera →

Memory and migration via AR projections onto East Austin sites; shown at The Contemporary and the Blanton.

Video & performance

Ana Treviño →

A feminist lens reinventing narratives around the U.S./Mexico border; ICOSA member.

Kinetic & interactive new media

Lisa B. Woods →

Immersive kinetic sculpture on technology and ecology; co-founder of creative-coding school dadageek.

Fiber, Textile, Glass & Mixed-Media

Thread, paper, glass, and light — Austin's makers across materials.

Handweaving

Zanny Cox →

Tapestries from Churro and Peruvian wool and handspun fiber, framed as 'modern talismans'; carried by West Elm.

Textile & mixed-media

Monica Mohnot →

Painting fused with jacquard-woven, stitched textiles and vintage saris on diaspora and labor; ICOSA member.

Hand embroidery

Jane Reichle →

Stitched narratives of Texan life drawn from Western wear and old-school tattoos; runs Lady Bird Studio ATX.

Fiber & weaving

Ellen Bruxvoort →

Site-specific weavings and rope works for architectural spaces; commissions for Google and Madewell.

Weaving

Lynne Brotman →

Labor-intensive 'cartoon weaving' on a Japanese-style loom with hand-dyed wool and silk; Studio 117 at Canopy.

Collage

Lance Letscher →

Intricate collages from found paper and album covers; subject of the documentary 'The Secret Life of Lance Letscher.'

Neon

Todd Sanders →

Handcrafted 'modern vintage' neon celebrating American roadside culture; runs Roadhouse Relics on South First.

Neon & glass

Sharon Keshishian →

Whimsical, surreal illuminated sculptures in neon, steel, and stained glass; founder of Ion Art.

Questions

About this list

Who are the best artists to watch in Austin in 2026?

Austin Gallery's 2026 list recognizes 52 working Austin artists across 8 disciplines — including muralists like Chris Rogers and Federico Archuleta, painters like Jennifer Balkan and Ian Shults, ceramicists Keith Kreeger and Ryan McKerley, and nationally recognized sculptors Tammie Rubin (a Tito's Prize winner) and Beili Liu (2024 Texas Artist of the Year). The full list, organized by medium, is on this page.

How were the Austin Artists to Watch chosen?

We chose artists for the strength and momentum of their current work and their active presence in Austin's galleries, studios, and studio tours — across a deliberate range of mediums. Every artist was verified from a source of record (their own site, a representing gallery, ICOSA, Big Medium / Austin Studio Tour, atxGALS, or press) and every link was checked before publishing.

Is there a fee to be on the list?

No. It is completely free, with no pay-to-play and no submission fee. It is an editorial recognition — we feature artists because we admire the work, with a link straight to where you can see and support each one.

How can an artist get on the Austin Gallery list?

Any Austin-area artist (or someone nominating one) can tell us about the work through our spotlight intake at austingallery.org/austin-artists. We review submissions year-round and update the list annually.

Where can I see and buy these artists' work?

Each artist's name links directly to their website, gallery, or studio so you can see more and buy or commission work. Many are represented by Austin galleries including Wally Workman, Davis Gallery, The Commerce Gallery, and Austin Art Garage, or show on the East and West Austin Studio Tours.

For our honorees

Were you named? Grab your badge. 🎉

Congratulations — and thank you for everything you make for this city. Here's everything you need to share the recognition, in one place. It's free to use, always.

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Feed post or story

Honored to be named an Austin Gallery Artist to Watch for 2026 🎨 Thank you for the recognition — and for celebrating Austin's artists. See the full list 👉 https://www.austingallery.org/austin-artists/watch-2026

#AustinArt #AustinArtist #ATXart #SupportLocalArt

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Named an Austin Gallery "Artist to Watch" for 2026 🎨 Honored to be on the list: https://www.austingallery.org/austin-artists/watch-2026 #AustinArt

Professional update

I'm honored to be named an Austin Gallery "Artist to Watch" for 2026 — a free annual recognition of Austin's working artists across mediums. See the full list: https://www.austingallery.org/austin-artists/watch-2026

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Drop-in blurb

Some good news — I was named an Austin Gallery "Artist to Watch" for 2026. You can see the full list of recognized Austin artists here: https://www.austingallery.org/austin-artists/watch-2026

3 · Where to post it

A quick checklist — the more places, the more people discover your work.

1Add the badge to your website — footer, About, or a “Press / Recognition” page. It links back to the list so more people discover your work.
2Post on Instagram — a feed post and a story.
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6Link to it from your Linktree / link-in-bio.

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