Cloud Tree Studios & Gallery

**Avoid This Gallery at All Costs** My experience with Cloud Tree Gallery was deeply unsettling. The owner’s behavior was unprofessional, erratic, and outright toxic. During my visit, they displayed blatant arrogance, dismissing concerns from visitors and staff alike in a way that felt manipulative and self-centered. I witnessed interactions that crossed ethical lines, including exploitative treatment of artists and disrespectful remarks that hinted at discriminatory attitudes. The environment felt hostile, and multiple sources I’ve spoken to allege a pattern of abusive conduct behind the scenes. Steer clear of this place—support galleries that value integrity, not opportunism and harm.

Love this gallery was a great opportunity to show up and showcase my work amongst other artists.

Philip Trussell has been a truly remarkable & humble artist. He went to Yale where he earned his MFA. Then he taught art for some years. He has been a great mentor to some truly talented people. He is truly brilliant & has published a small book of poetry. Feel free to visit & see his work through June 18th.

They Treat Artists Like Garbage If you're wondering in what ways Austin is becoming a worse city, here's an example of the type of people currently moving here that are making it that way. Initially I had positive experience with them regarding using the space for an art event. I had spoken to the Communications Director via email about setting up a time to meet to look at the space. A time to meet was agreed upon and when I arrived they weren't at the gallery. Other people who ran the gallery said that she was running errands and gave me this person's phone number and when I called her she ignored me and never responded back. The owner was there and was nice enough to show me around, but told me to contact the Communications Director about setting up the deposit, date, etc. Which was a red flag since she was clearly becoming a roadblock to this process. I sent multiple messages over Instagram and email only to get a response over a week later with the Communications Director apologizing to me saying she was too busy with the Studio Tour and asking what date I wanted to reserve with a bunch of seemingly accurate rental information in. I responded immediately to tell her which date we wanted in January. It is now January (2 months since the last communication) at the time of writing this and I still have not received a response. Cloud Tree is kindling a business model which revolves around ghosting people and wasting their time as a method of handling an artist they have second thoughts about, instead of telling them "no." It was totally unacceptable how the Communications Director acted. If you care about artists and the concept of common courtesy, don't spend money here and let this place financially starve.

I visited during East Austin Studio Tour weekend and was invited in to explore the studio spaces, chat with the artists - and made to feel totally at home. Huge fan of BDJs gorgeous woodwork.

Anchored by Brian Johnson's BDJ Craft Works, this intimate gallery space is perfect for finding affordable, hand crafted artwork, jewelry, and wood works. Hard to escape without buying something - we'd bet this place / these artists will only get more popular. Brian will even show you the wood shop if you're up for it. Definitive (East) Austin.

Great place for regular art events. Never know what you'll see there. Usually, draws a very nice crowd of all ages.

This little gallery off East 5th street is a treasure and deserves your attention. Cloud Tree has consistently strong shows and has several studios that artists work out of. Places like this are getting harder and harder to come by in East Austin while providing the local art scene with character and flavor.