Yard Dog Gallery

I always enjoy a trip into Yard Dog. They have art at every conceivable price point and everything they show is a little funky, a little out of the norm, and made with a whole lot of soul!

Really fun Austin style gallery. There’s a lot of fun pieces here. It’s a clean, well thought out space. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. I enjoyed talking to them about different pieces in the store and some of the more recent things they had gotten in.

Totally boring and tasteless stuff going on here. Lots of that in Austin though. Good job keeping Austin weird y’all… More like keep Austin redundant/​tasteless. Still haven’t seen any art in this city that strikes me as being legitimately original, might just be where the world is at these days…

When you walk into an art gallery and are greeted, aw my favorite couple is here, either means you spend far to much money on art, we do, or you are just window shopping experts. Yard Dog has blessed our house with many fine pieces of art which have made our house a home. We constantly get compliments from our friends when they are hanging at the casa. We like a medium called «Found Art», which Yard Dog generally have in house. Another bonus is during SXSW they generally have good bands out back and cheap beer. However I do remember in the past free beer, this year it was 2 bucks I believe. They have a continuing list of artists who have shows as well as some more permanent installations. Our most favorite recent piece is a little robot who sits on our mantel and smiles at us all day. It is a nice stop for us during our funday/​sunday on S. Congress.

Another great place on S. Congress. Several really interesting artists represented here. Emphasis on folk/​naïve art. Great stuff!

I’ve never been a big fan of outsider or folk art, so Yard Dog isn’t a gallery that I walk into and spin numerous circles overwhelmed by my surroundings. I do have some serious love for the work of Jon Langford though and go to Yard Dog to specifically see if he’s brought in anything new.
Nice gallery. Clean space. Art displayed in a fashion that doesn’t make your eyes bleed (don’t ask, I’m not sure I even know what that means). Prices a little higher than other galleries in town though… could be a location thing?
Yard Dog is known for it SXSW day parties. The partner with Bloodshot Records and have several of their artists perform behind their gallery. I haven’t seen a line-​up for this year’s festivities, but Bloodshot Records is promising it’s going to be a hoot.

An interesting little art gallery off the SoCo Austin drag. I have been in there a few times over the years, and it is at least worth a stop in for you never know what might catch your eye.

This is a pretty cool spot which is home to some hot parties during SXSW. I have only really been intrigued by the art here but overall it’s a very cool gallery. The space is small, but snappy and everything is laid out invitingly to touch or feel although I’m sure you’re not supposed to …
They specialists in folk art which makes it all the more interesting because all of the art here is very unique, has unique roots and if you ask the staff they’re happy to give you the run down on any of them.
This gallery is unassuming and a very easy browse, recommended.

I know nothing about art. But I know music. And once a year, Bloodshot Records hosts the best day party of SXSW.
For SXSW’09, I had a 1 week old daughter and a exhausted wife. So I skipped it. But the year before… well, suffice it to say that SXSW’08 was so fun that in no time we got pregnant!
The space behind the gallery is converted into a tent covered festival grounds with some nice folks manning the free Shiner barrels. The lines, though they look long, move quickly. And you get to rock out to the likes of the Waco Bros or Justin Townes Earle.
I stopped buying wristbands about 7 or 8 years ago and Free day parties at places like the Yard Dog make it all work out for me. If you’re really into the music, you will be taking those days off from work anyway… and come on… even though you don’t believe me, you don’t need to sleep until 5pm. Get out while the sun is still up and hit the Yard Dog Bloodshot Day Party during SXSW’10!
BTW…do any of you babysit???

It’s SXSW again and that means day parties. Once upon a time there was only a handful of day parties during SXSW week and Yard Dog hosted the most badass party for Bloodshot Records. Years later, the list of day parties is longer than 25 pages and Yard Dog still hosts one of the best day shows for Bloodshot Records.
But that’s only one week a year (really only four days) what about the other 51 weeks? Well Yard Dog is a gallery specializing in outsider/​folk art — artists that have received little or no formal training.
Many of these artists live in rural areas and have an attachment to religion within their work. Others are notable musicians that produce their own unique brand of art. You might view some of the art as purely bad or amateurish, but others will see the same work as pure genius.

If you are looking for Outsider/​Folk art then you should check out this gallery… They have so many different pieces of art and all of them are very unique in their own way… I have purchased three pieces over the last year or so and I love them…
One of the pieces was done by Ike Morgan who is a Austin resident, and it’s one of my favorites.
My latest purchase was done by Brad & Sundie Ruppert, and it’s so awesome… It is the «Soulfoul Guitar», it may still be on line, be sure to check it out… They also have other pieces in the gallery which are definitely worth seeing… and they are affordable!
And I should also mention Yard Dog has their on line gallery as well, and their other gallery in Marfa… So if you don’t see it here in Austin, it may be in one of these places…
Another thing I would like to mention, to my knowledge all of this art is hand made here in America, and in my opinion that is very important…
One other thing, they do offer a layaway program and that is how I was able to afford some very beautiful pieces of art…
I thank Yard Dog Art Gallery for making my home a bit more lively!

I went to Yard Dog because it was recommended and because I was in the neighborhood. I am one of those people who knows absolutely nothing about art, but can appreciate the craft.
Since I can’t speak with the jargon of an artist donning a critical eye, I’ll speak on the logistics. Yard Dog is easy to find. It’s a small studio sandwiched in between the also artsy Antigua and Avenue Gallery in the ultra-​cool SoCo district of Austin (no sarcasm here… I really think SoCo is awesome!)
YDFA is mainly a gallery, although it can easily be mistaken for a shop, given its location. The front part of the building is essentially an open exhibit hall and I feel like they could have made better use of the space. You might disagree. Opened in 1995, the showroom started as a display venue for «folk art of the American South,» but has since expanded to include… well…whatever the owners fall in love with.
The art is interesting to peruse, and I really appreciate how they put the artist’s picture next to the work, so you can make up little images in your head of that person at home in their studio in overalls with paint splattered all over them and a cigarette hanging from their mouth. (Stick to the details, Sarah).
Anyway, if you are into art, definitely check out Yard Dog. If you’re not, my bet is that you could still appreciate this slice of life. Street parking only. Free of charge.
Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

I’m not sure if it’s still in place, but they used to have a rule that to show here, you had to have no formal art training.
I like the fact that there’s a gallery in a cool part of town that has that rule, and doesn’t just try to be ultra trendy. They give an opportunity for us to view art by artists who aren’t able to show elsewhere because they don’t have the right resume. It’s also great that the artists have a place to get the satisfaction of being in a gallery and having their work shown and sold.

It’s all about the outsider, folk art. The pieces displayed there make me want to get my hands dirty. Maybe even go a little crazy. They do show some of Daniel Johnston’s work, after all.
I am only sad «The Titanic Birdhouse» made entirely of metal scraps, by Samuel Mirelez, has been sold. Not that I could have afforded it.
It’s also the home of the SxSW Bloodshot Records party with lots of free beer and great music, usually of the Americana punk bluegrass variety.