Inside Arts

• The New Music Co-op rocked the house Saturday night. And also scraped, roared and howled. For the past two years, under the stewardship of composer/percussionist Sarah Norris, the group has busily researched and recreated 'intonarumori,' the noise-making instruments created in the 1910s by Italian futurist composer Luigi Russolo. Using a mix of store-bought hardware, recycled carpentry supplies and cast-off musical gear, Norris and company built the boxlike instruments with names such as 'the howler,' 'the roarer' and 'the scraper.' Then the group took it step further and gave themselves the challenge of composing new music for the intonarumori. More than 100 people filled a Ballet Austin studio Saturday to take in 'Beyond the Past: New Music for Extinct Instruments.' Peter Stopschinski's 'Onomatopoeia' was a raucuous and engaging number enhanced by the composer deft ability to make funny sounds while playing piano. Travis Weller offered a thoughtful and introspective piece for three howlers, two flutes, a viola, a violin and a soprano sax. The rather adorably anthropomorphic intonarumori can be seen this weekend at the studio of carpenter/musician — and now intonarumori builder — Kirk Latkas, 5305 Bolm Road, as part of the East Austin Studio Tour. Then next year they'll be shown off at the Percussive Arts Society conference (www.pas.org) when it lands in Austin. Beyond building extinct instruments, the Co-op has recently taken itself where it's never gone before: Earlier this year the group organized into an independent nonprofit organization. Stay tuned to www.newmusiccoop.org for upcoming concert info. — Jeanne Claire van Ryzin

• Could it be that the public has better taste than the Arthouse Texas Prize judges? While the jury selected Houston video artist Eileen Maxwell for the first-ever biennial award, the folks who saw the exhibit and in the People's Choice version of the contest selected Robyn O'Neil, whose meticulous epic surreal drawings demand repeated looking. Maxson received $30,000 with no strings attached; O'Neil gets an Arthouse Texas Prize 2005 People's Choice belt buckle. — J.C.v.R.

• The Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum has added a $500 cash award to its annual Umlauf Prize. For the past two years, the prize has been awarded to an outstanding University of Texas graduate student in sculpture. Previous winners are Holly Fischer and Mark Schatz. The prize money is courtesy of sculptor and Umlauf Board President, Damian Priour and wife, Paula, who will fund the award through 2010. — J.C.v.R.