Guest Blog Post | Dallas Museum of Art Uncrated

Archive for the 'Guest Blog Post' Category

Speakeasy Star

This Friday we’re traveling through the 20th century during Late Night with a different decade highlighted every hour. We asked one of our favorite costume gurus, Breanna Cooke (you may remember the amazing Greek Hero look she created inspired by The Body Beautiful), for tips on how to dress for a time traveling evening.

The evening kicks off with a tribute to the 1920s-30s, so here’s how you can make a flapper headband and then put together an outfit.

What you’ll need for the headband:

Long piece of sequined elastic, or stretch fabric, or other headband
Craft foam or a large button
Hot glue
Duct tape (optional)
Feathers
Bits of lace, ribbon, fringe
Rhinestones, buttons, brooches, or even pieces from broken earrings

Make a headband
Measure a piece of elastic or fabric to fit around your head. Then use hot glue, tape, or needle and thread to attach the ends together. If you’re taping or gluing it together, overlap the two ends. Don’t worry about the seam—you’ll glue your embellishment on top of it.

Make an embellishment
Using a small circle of craft foam (or a large button) as a base, start gluing rhinestones, sequins, and buttons on top. Get creative and use what you have lying around at home. Then glue some feathers or fringe to the back of your craft foam base.

Put it together
Using hot glue, attach your embellishment to your headband. Be sure to stick it on top of the seam to hide it.

Ideas to complete the outfit

Gloves
Feather boa
Long string of pearls (Hint: Mardi Gras beads work great! If you don’t have the right color, just paint them with spray paint or acrylic paints)
Sleeveless dress
Black fishnet stockings

For the gentlemen
It’s still hot in Texas, but a suit is a great accompaniment to your flapper friends. Find a bow tie, grab your fedora, shine your shoes, and we’ll see you at the DMA!

Once you have your costumes complete, come kick up your heels with the Matt Tolentino Band, who will be performing songs from the roaring 20s and 30s at 6:00 p.m. Check out the full night’s lineup online at DMA.org.

Breanna Cooke is a Graphic Designer, Costume Creator, and Body Painter living in Dallas. To see more of her work, visit breannacooke.com. Check out progress photos of her latest projects on Facebook.

State of the Arts: Contemporary Artists

Published September 10, 2014 Arts District , Dallas , DFW , Education , Guest Blog Post Closed
Tags: Arthur Peña, Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Darryl Ratcliff, Devon Nowlin, DMA, Homecoming Committee, KERA Art&Seek, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, National Center for Arts Research & Initiative on Arts+Urbanism, State of the Arts, VICE PALACE, WARE:WOLF:HAUS

We’re kicking off our fall season with our first State of the Arts program, our collaboration with Art&Seek and KERA. Join us Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. for a discussion with three DFW artists: Devon Nowlin, Arthur Peña, and Darryl Ratcliff.

Uncrated was able to ask them a few questions beforehand:
1. What is the most appealing aspect of being a working artist in Dallas?
Devon Nowlin (artist; founding member, Homecoming Committee): As an artist who also works full-time, I have had good employment opportunities in my field and see some good job prospects for artists in both Dallas and Fort Worth. Along with exhibitions, teaching opportunities, and other work-work, one can construct a patchwork of professional activities for one’s self here.
Arthur Peña (artist; founder and Director, WARE:WOLF:HAUS and VICE PALACE): The two very prominent aspects I can think of are pragmatic ones. First, it is extremely affordable to be a working artist in Dallas. It’s not unheard of to have an apartment and a studio for under $600. I don’t know what other major cities can offer that and also boast world-class museums and an established art scene. Second, the accessibility to the Dallas art world is shockingly overlooked. If one wanted, they could meet and shake hands with other artists, gallery directors, collectors, and museum directors at one gathering. And they would be cordial and welcoming. Try that in NYC and see what happens!
Darryl Ratcliff (artist; Community Engagement Associate, National Center for Arts Research & Initiative on Arts+Urbanism): Affordability and opportunity. The access one has to cheap space is truly unique in Dallas, and the general cost of living is far cheaper than in other major cities. Also, there is significant upward mobility in the art scene. There is a willingness to experiment and embrace new ideas and artists.

2. What is something you are thankful for in your art community/peers/scene and how it/they have contributed to your practice?
DN: I am very thankful for the Education Department of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. I have benefited greatly from their programs both as a participant and audience member over the years, and as an artist-instructor in their programs. They give professional, and yet experimental and creative, teaching opportunities to artists in the area, and I have cherished my experiences there. So that is one of the many things in my community that I am very thankful for.
AP: Quick story: The recently retired WARE:WOLF:HAUS operated on limited funds for every show and especially the last fall season. Because of its location, security was needed on top of insurance for liability purposes. Not once did I pay out of pocket for any of that. WWH was able to operate and host shows strictly through donations from my fellow artists and supporters. People would toss whatever they had into the donation bucket, or specific people in the art community donated large funds to keep the door open and allow shows to happen. Considering that WWH was not a nonprofit art space and people were throwing down hard cash, I find this willingness to support the artists and work as a truly collaborative effort inspiring.
DR: It is cliché but I am very thankful for my fellow creatives in this city. My work is collaborative by nature, so I couldn’t have had any success without the constant support and cooperation of literally hundreds of creatives and lovers of creativity over the last five years.

3. How would you improve the Dallas art community/scene ?
DN: In Fort Worth, we are also in need of the facilities and funding that Darryl would like to bring to Dallas. What we don’t have that would really help elevate the local Forth Worth scene is more critical attention in both print and online publications. If artists here could get some press, I think it could help push the dialogue in Fort Worth in ways that I see happening in Dallas. I am encouraged by a level of interaction that is happening among artists between Dallas and Fort Worth, though it tends to be a one-way street with artists going from Fort Worth to Dallas. I’d like to see us mix things up a little more!
AP: Besides the obvious need for an influx of funds either through more grants or private donors, I’m not sure how one could improve the community other than more involvement from the community at large. There needs to be a cultural and psychic shift here in Dallas, and Texas as a whole, when it comes to the arts. Without a steady stream of interest starting at the city’s top level, the city at large will continue to view the arts as pure entrainment rather than as an agent for change and critical thought. We need more artists—not just those who make but those who have the discipline and vision to want to transform this city. I don’t think it’s about improving, rather it should be about energizing, invigorating, and giving everyone a swift kick in the a**.
DR: I would create at least 500 units of subsidized studio/living space for creatives in five geographically diverse parts of Dallas, award at least two million dollars per year in small grant funding to individual artists/projects/collectives, and create an international curator-in-residence program to help top curators become familiar with Dallas-based talent.

Be sure to join us tomorrow night to hear more from these artists.

Liz Menz is the Manager of Adult Programming at the DMA.

Hypnotized by O’Keeffe

Published June 4, 2014 American Art , Collections , Dallas , DFW , Guest Blog Post Closed
Tags: Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Georgia O’Keeffe, Hypnotic Donuts, National Doughnut Day

Friday is the most magical day of the year, well at least to some of the DMA staff and those in the doughnut business. Friday, June 6, is National Doughnut Day, and the DMA and Hypnotic Donuts teamed up to celebrate this tasty holiday in an artistic way. James and Amy, the owners of the North Texas doughnut store, took inspiration from the DMA’s collection and created an O’Keeffe-inspired masterpiece in frosting. We had a chance to visit with them after a gallery walk-through to spur their creative and culinary juices.

What is it about the DMA’s Georgia O’Keeffe Grey Blue & Black – Pink Circle that made you think it would make a great doughnut?
First, the shape was perfect; it had multiple circular dimensions. Next, we love the painting itself. It is very iconic and memorable.

Tell us what ingredients went into making the O’Keeffe doughnut?
We started with a base cake doughnut and then made a frosting and divided it into multiple colors and flavors. The doughnut was designed by Trevor Powers of Hypnotic Donuts. The blue is a blueberry, the pink is a light strawberry, and the green and white are both neutral.

Where there any other works in the collection that screamed “perfect doughnut” to you?
There are a lot of amazing pieces at the DMA. One thing we realized is there is a reason the works are at the DMA. These are true masterpieces and we found they are hard to duplicate, especially in doughnut form! But to answer the question, we also really liked The Icebergs and the warrior headdresses.

How long have you been making doughnut creations?
We started making doughnuts in 2010.

What are you most excited about for National Doughnut Day this Friday?
The people that jump on board and celebrate with us. Our life is doughnuts and it is cool to have a day that celebrates something we work with for a living. We love our community, city, and, of course, doughnuts, so we have some very special things in place to bring it all together.

How can people get a peek at the Hypnotic Doughnut “DMA masterpiece”?
Like all fine works of art, they truly take time. We originally had this great plan to sell the doughnut at our store and even at the DMA; however, after the time it took to make, the fact that June 6 is already going to be a busy day, and since we will not make any doughnuts the day before, the DMA doughnut will be just like at a museum: “on display only.” We will proudly display the O’Keeffe in our glass doughnut display case for all to see. At the end of the day, we will think of something special to do with it.

Head to Hypnotic Donuts this Friday in East Dallas to see the O’Keeffe doughnut, and stop by the DMA to see the painting that inspired the sweet masterpiece.

Image: Georgia O'Keeffe, Grey Blue & Black—Pink Circle, 1929, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation © The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Kimberly Daniell is the Manager of Communications and Public Affairs at the DMA.

Nothin’ Beats the Cookie Season, and That’s the Truth

Published March 21, 2014 Arts & Letters Live , Guest Blog Post 1 Comment
Tags: Arts & Letters Live, B.J. Novak, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA

It wasn’t enough that I had purchased a flight to Dallas that arrived and departed within the same 24 hours just to see B. J. Novak at the DMA’s Arts & Letters Live event; I knew that if I wanted to thank B. J. Novak properly, I had to do just a bit more.

As an avid baker, the decision to make him cookies wasn’t a difficult one. After deciding to theme the cookies after stories from his book, I started planning. I spent hours at kitchen stores gathering supplies and ingredients; two days before I left, I started on the big project. With minutes to spare until I had to leave my home in Utah to catch my flight, I finished them. Wrapped securely in bubble wrap and placed in a box fashioned like the book jacket for One More Thing, I lugged them through the airport.

After a couple of stressful layovers, I was finally in Dallas! At the hotel, I met my friend Cherokee, who traveled from Oklahoma. We made our way to the Museum, even though it was early, Having traveled so far, we didn’t want to take the chance of getting “bad” seats. The entire day, my stomach was in knots, not only at the thought of being in the same room as someone I’ve long admired, but also about how my gift would be received. I remember relaying my story to a few individuals, Before I knew it, pictures were being sent to his publicist and the knots in my stomach got even tighter. When Cherokee and I were let inside the auditorium, we sat up front and center, not thinking it’d get any better.

After a few minutes, a woman with the Museum’s Arts & Letters Live series approached us and asked if we had the cookies. Assuming she wanted to see them, I pulled them out. She kept talking but all I remember were my eyes glazing over when she said, “He wants to invite you backstage.” Nervously, we followed her to a holding room, knocked on the door, and from around the corner came B. J. Novak.

For the next twenty minutes, words like “blown away” and “impressive” escaped his mouth to describe my cookies. I was in awe. He had learned about my travels and went on to ask what I did for a living, why I chose Dallas, and where I learned to bake. B. J. and the other guests in the room were very gracious toward me—this fan that I’m sure was coming across as a nervous mess. He indulged my requests for pictures and took many himself. We talked a bit more with him about his career and thanked him for taking time out for us, and then it was time for the event to begin.

We took our seats and B.J. killed it onstage, doing readings and answering questions from the audience. Rounding off this perfect evening, he signed our books and I was sent floating home with a hug and thanks for “making his day.”

At most I wanted him to think the cookies were fun. NEVER did I think they would receive this type of reception. B. J. Novak has inspired a lot of happy memories for me; the projects he’s contributed to have influenced relationships and formed bonds. Most recently, his book has been a light during a difficult time in my life. To borrow his words, I continue to be “blown away” by what happened. I chose Dallas because it was closest, but I see now that I wouldn’t have had this experience if it weren’t for the unbelievably kind staff at the DMA. My sincerest thanks to all involved—it meant more than I could ever put into words.

Click here to discover where our title inspiration came from.

Jen Jake is a manager at a group home for adults with mental disabilities in Utah and an avid B. J. Novak fan.

New Year, New You

Published January 1, 2014 Center for Creative Connections , Collections , Dallas , DFW , DMA Friends , Guest Blog Post Closed
Tags: C3 Volunteer, Center for Creative Connections, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Pop-Up Art Spot, Volunteer

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Whether you set specific goals for 2014, or are just considering ways to give back to the community, the C3 Volunteer Program may be right for you. Center for Creative Connections (C3) volunteers help visitors to enjoy and explore the Museum’s collection and interactive activities, both in the C3 and in our collection galleries.

We’ve invited Kenton Visser, an artist and current C3 volunteer, to share his experiences–and a few of his works–with “Uncrated.”

The first question I ask myself when I wind up somewhere new is “Where is the art?” The Dallas Museum of Art has been the best answer I’ve found to that question in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

During my first visit to the DMA, my sister and I spent over an hour in C3. We were excited by how the Museum valued a space for visitors to not just observe art objects but respond by creating as well. The people at the DMA are aware that the Museum contains worlds to be found, and they encourage exploration with self-guided tours that focus on a particular theme or subject in various areas of the collection. As my personal take on these tours, I sometimes give myself drawing assignments in order to absorb what’s on display more fully, often surprising myself with what I can notice if I really look.

Recent changes with the DMA’s return to free general admission and the launch of DMA Friends have removed barriers and made it easy for visitors to gain rewards based on a point system. Volunteering brings its own rewards (such as free parking and free admission to special exhibitions and events) as well as 500 points for every shift. Naturally, I’ve enjoyed these perks, but volunteering has been rewarding enough in itself.

Although the Museum isn’t exactly close by for me (I currently live south of Fort Worth), I’ve always found it to be worth the trip. I applied to be a volunteer this past summer, looking for a way to better connect with artistic circles. My monthly shifts have given me a recurring reason to visit the Museum, and volunteering with C3 has provided an energizing platform for interacting with visitors through art. Even though I spend a large portion of my time making art, being in the Museum (and especially in C3) gives me a unique chance to see how art is received by a wide variety of people. School groups, individuals, adults and children, those who have studied art and those who haven’t—everyone who comes into C3 has a different reaction to the art and the hands-on activities available.

I’ve particularly enjoyed volunteering at the Pop-Up Art Spot, a compact cart stocked with simple activities that shows up in different galleries each week. It’s a nice oasis in the galleries and brings creative connections to people who wouldn’t seek out the main C3 space. I’ve been able to win over a number of visitors who seem unsure about participating in an activity (usually “I can’t draw” or “Isn’t this for kids?”) but then find themselves thoroughly enjoying it. Because I’m usually drawing or working on activities myself, I often have conversations with visitors about my own art. I’ve even had a few requests to prove my abilities by drawing portraits of the visitors or popular cartoon characters. These experiences in the C3 Gallery and Pop-Up Art Spot are perfect proof of the DMA’s belief that an art museum shouldn’t be just a building full of objects but a place where art happens.

If you are interested in becoming a C3 volunteer, request an application here. The application deadline is Friday, January 10.

Kenton Visser is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and has lived in Crowley, Texas, since 2009. In addition to volunteering, he works as an illustrator, studio assistant and certified framer. His portfolio can be seen on his website.

Melissa Nelson Gonzales is the C3 gallery manager at the DMA.

Rooms Within Rooms – Stephen Lapthisophon

Published November 15, 2013 Exhibitions , Guest Blog Post Closed
Tags: Artist Talk, Concentrations 56: Stephen Lapthisophon, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Stephen Lapthisophon

Stephen Lapthisophon shared with “Uncrated” what he hoped visitors would see and take from his exhibition Concentrations 56: Stephen Lapthisophon—coffee, seasonal fruit, root vegetables, and “Selected Poems,” currently on view at the DMA.

This is an exhibition that can be approached in many ways. It is an exhibition about how we approach the art. How our bodies move through space, and the things, materials, and stuff we carry around with us. It is a show about closeness and distance. The exhibition is divided into two distinct but related rooms. And rooms and walls within rooms. And boxes and drawers and suitcases within the rooms and underneath the drawers. The layers of accumulated dirt, marks, stains, scrapes, and scratches are an invitation to stay. I hope the works ask you to ask questions.

Pencils, ink, cardboard, olive oil, and rust. Bacon fat, spray paint, sheetrock, nails, bricks, rosemary, and books. String, coffee, eggshells, dirt, wax, saffron, and more dirt. A desk, a ladder, and books. This exhibition exists in tribute. Reading, thinking, and acting through and with things. “Denken ist Danken.”

Before the opening, Lapthisophon sat down with us to discuss his art and process. Find out more in the video below:

What did you feel and think after visiting “Concentrations 56: Stephen Lapthisophon”?

Stephen Lapthisophon is an artist and educator.

What Hopper Saw

Published November 13, 2013 Exhibitions , Guest Blog Post Closed
Tags: Carter E. Foster, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Edward Hopper, Hopper Drawing: A Painter's Process

The opening of the much-anticipated exhibition Hopper Drawing: A Painter’s Process is just around the corner. Organized by Curator of Drawings Carter E. Foster of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the show had a very successful run there before coming to Dallas. Shortly before the show’s opening here, we were fortunate to sit down with Carter for a quick Q&A to learn a bit more about the exhibition.

Edward Hopper, Self-Portrait, 1945, fabricated chalk and charcoal on paper, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.287, © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by Whitney Museum of American Art, N.Y.

In what regard did Hopper hold his drawings? Simply as a means to an end? Or more?
Hopper actually tended to belittle his drawings when asked about them. During his lifetime, he somewhat reluctantly shared them with others when they inquired about his drawings. He most definitely considered himself first and foremost a painter, and his drawings were the means through which he worked out his ideas for paintings. But he also seems to have done them for his own private satisfaction, as many artists do, as a way to keep his hand and eye honed.

Study for New York Movie, 1938 or 1939, fabricated chalk on paper, Whitney Museum of American Art. Image courtesy of gwen-photoblog.blogspot.com

Do you have a favorite drawing,or suite of drawings that have a particular appeal? And, why?
There are many, but I especially love the close-up bust-length study for New York Movie, in which Hopper features just the slightest winsome half-smile on the face of the usherette (in this case, his wife, Jo, who posed for him). The technique of this drawing is just amazing, with a variety of textures and great subtlety in the play of light across her face.

Did you have any preconceived notions that were overturned by what you learned during your research?
No. When I do research I try to let the material lead the way. Research is about asking the right questions, rather than having pre-formed ideas.

How did you discover some of New York’s buildings in Hopper’s drawings?
Mainly by looking at the incredible collection of photographs from the 1930s commissioned by the Local History division of the New York Public Library. They are all online and searchable by street location. Very useful! Also, the collection of “Subway construction photographs” at the New York Historical Society was an important source of images of a vanished New York City.

How did your idea for this exhibition develop?
Since I’m curator of drawings, and half of our drawing collection is works by Edward Hopper, it made perfect sense to propose an exhibition. I was lucky to be able to delve in so deeply.

Edward Hopper, Study for Nighthawks, 1942, fabricated chalk and charcoal on paper, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase and gift of Josephine N. Hopper by exchange 2011.65, © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by the Whitney Museum of American Art, N.Y.

What new discoveries about Hopper’s drawing process did you make in the course of working on this exhibition?
The heart of this exhibition is examining what Hopper saw, what he drew, and what he painted in order to understand better his artistic process. I think the research, in particular on Nighthawks and New York Movie, helped us elucidate more clearly than ever before the way Hopper tweaked and tinkered with reality to get to his uncanny, often strange, and ultimately universal imagery of the human condition and the self in the world.

Martha MacLeod is the curatorial administrative assistant for the European and American Art Department at the DMA.

Permanent Waves and Lipstick Craves

Published October 21, 2013 Behind-the-Scenes , DMA Friends , Guest Blog Post Closed
Tags: Art Beauty Shoppe, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, DMA Friends, Isaac Soyer

When my husband, Bryan, unexpectedly told me that he had redeemed the Art Beauty Shoppe reward from the DMA Friends program, I could hardly contain my “blow-your-wig” (check out other 1930s lingo) excitement. Bryan and I are in love with the DMA. We are both researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and its close proximity to the Museum allows us to easily enjoy lunch breaks and late night events in one of our favorite places. I was particularly surprised that he had used his points because we were trying to redeem a voucher for the coveted Overnight at the DMA, which takes 100,000 points. (I was actually able to redeem it for us—see you there on November 1!).

Friends_Reward_Beauty_Shoppe_09_2013_036

Lacey (second from right); her husband, Bryan; her friends; and Pouf stylists

With the Art Beauty Shoppe reward, three of my friends and I were able to have our hair and makeup done in 1930s style and then have photos taken in front of the DMA’s 1934 painting Art Beauty Shoppe by Isaac Soyer. Pouf Blow Dry Salon accommodated the four of us just as if we were the four customers in the painting.

I was elated to get to share my love of the DMA with some of my friends in such a “swell” way. So I gave my friends, Amanda, Stephanie, and Katrina, a “dil-ya-ble” and we hit the Internet and antique malls to find the perfect vintage-style dresses to wear for the occasion.

Bryan had the idea of adding props to make us look as if we were actually sitting in the salon, waiting for our appointment. He found a spring 1934 edition of Women’s Home Companion for us to peruse. I could “bump gums” for hours on that magazine alone, but I digress.

Lacey with her vintage copy of Women’s Home Companion

Amanda was able to find a 1930s cigarette holder, Stephanie brought tons of “snazzy” 1930s-era costume jewelry, and, with the addition of my red hat and mirror, we knew we were going to look like a group of “hot tomatoes.”

Lacey with her red hat

Amanda with her cigarette holder (don’t worry, there were no cigarettes!)

The day of the photo shoot went off with a “bang”! We had quite the “hop.” The ladies from Pouf did an amazing job. They even saved the day when Katrina’s hair hadn’t quite dried enough—she ended up with quite a cool up-do. With our “keen” makeup and “nobby” hair, we posed our hearts out in front of the compelling painting. It was so much fun!

Katrina with her up-do

Stephanie with the vintage mirror

Then, to top it off, Sarah Coffey—DMA assistant to the chair of learning initiatives, and organizer of the event—wasn’t going to take back stage or “goldbrick” around. She gave us a history of the painting and style of the time period. What I found most interesting was that not only did Soyer have his friends pose for the painting, but the granddaughter of the woman with the red hat actually spoke to the Museum about the piece. She informed them that her grandmother had just been engaged to her grandfather prior to sitting for the painting, and you can actually see her engagement ring while her nails are being painted a bright red. It’s so fascinating that each piece in the DMA’s collection has its own unique and interesting human history. Thank you so much Dallas Museum of Art for bringing this piece to life for me during such a wonderful experience!

Lacey Smith is a DMA Friend and researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Sensing Sight

Published October 9, 2013 Art Beyond Sight , Education , Guest Blog Post Closed
Tags: Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, John Bramblitt

It’s Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month, and we have lots of great programs happening at the DMA throughout October that focus on visual awareness, including a number of opportunities to meet and work with artist John Bramblitt. John is a visual artist who lost his vision in 2001. Check out the month’s activities here, and meet John in the video below.

Kimberly Daniell is the PR manager and Adam Gingrich is the marketing administrative assistant at the DMA

Autumn in the Arts District

Published September 25, 2013 Arts District , Dallas , DFW , Guest Blog Post , Late Nights Closed
Tags: AT&T Performing Arts Center, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Crow Collection of Asian Art, Dallas Arts District, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas City Performance Hall, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Theater Center, DMA, Klyde Warren Park, Nasher Sculpture Center, Shakespeare Dallas, The Dallas Opera

This October is going to be one of the most exciting I can recall – from the 15th anniversary of the Crow Collection of Asian Art and 10th anniversary of the Nasher Sculpture Center to the U.S. premiere of Jim Hodges: Give More Than You Take at the DMA, and even (dare I say it?) the unveiling of a new Big Tex at the State Fair. Having spent most of my life in the Dallas Arts District thanks to my mom, Susan (a DMA docent since 1976), I am thrilled to serve my first year as executive director of the Dallas Arts District during the inaugural year of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Klyde Warren Park, and the Dallas City Performance Hall, and in the first year of DMA Friends (the DMA’s free membership program) and free general admission.

Image source: dbdt.com

With the end of summer, the Dallas Arts District is in full swing again, beginning with a day of activities on Saturday, October 5. The Dallas Black Dance Theatre will kick off its 8th annual DanceAfrica marketplace and festival at Strauss Square with a pedestrian parade of dancing in the streets from the DMA to the AT&T Performing Arts Center. CBS Radio’s Fall for the Arts will have free family activities and three stages of performances from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can also catch a sneak peek of Jim Hodges: Give More Than You Take at the DMA that day, before the exhibition officially opens. Additionally, the Crow Collection of Asian Art will celebrate its 15th anniversary with the grand reopening of its sculpture garden, which will include kids events and food truck lunch service.

Jim Hodges, and still this, 2005-2008, 23.5K and 24K gold with Beva adhesive on gessoed linen, The Rachofsky Collection and the Dallas Museum of Art through the DMAamfAR Benefit Auction Fund , © Jim Hodges

The Crow isn’t the only institution celebrating a milestone anniversary this fall. The Nasher Sculpture Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary with Nasher Xchange, a three-day weekend of free festivities culminating in a ten-hour celebration on Sunday, October 20. Friday, October 18, will also include a free afternoon concert and tour at the Meyerson Symphony Center, TEDxSMU at the Dallas City Performance Hall, and the Arts District Fall Block Party. The Nasher, DMA, and Crow Collection of Asian Art will stay open until midnight for our fall Arts District Block Party, and light-based, site-specific new media and immersive art installations can be explored district-wide as part of Aurora’s Light of Convergence, presented by the Dallas Morning News.

Image source: dallasaurora.com

A new class of first year students has begun their academic semester at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and a new crop of leaders is starting a new chapter in the neighborhood as well. Dr. Scott Rudes is Booker T.’s new principal; Tara Green started this summer as president of Klyde Warren Park; Doug Curtis is the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s new president and CEO; and The Dallas Opera welcomes its new music director, Emmanuel Villaume. Maestro Villaume will begin his inaugural season with Carmen on Friday, October 25, at the Winspear. The performance will be simulcast free in Klyde Warren Park – complete with a costume contest and singalong. Park visitors can also enjoy food and drink from the Park’s new restaurant, Savor, and their grab-and-go kiosk, Relish – both opening soon.

Courtesy of Dallas Opera

There’s far more to share, including new seasons of the Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Shakespeare Dallas, as well as newcomer Oral Fixation’s true storytelling series. You can enjoy a Pearl Cup Coffee or free Patio Sessions concerts in Sammons Park. To stay up-to-date on all the goings-on in our neighborhood, “Like” Dallas Arts District on Facebook, follow @DalArtsDistrict on Twitter, and subscribe to our weekly e-blast here.

Thanks for supporting our new collaborative and inclusive programming, and I hope to see you soon in the Dallas Arts District!

Catherine Cuellar is the executive director of the Dallas Arts District.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Dallas Museum of Art Uncrated

Archive for the 'Guest Blog Post' Category

Speakeasy Star

State of the Arts: Contemporary Artists

Hypnotized by O’Keeffe

Nothin’ Beats the Cookie Season, and That’s the Truth

New Year, New You

Rooms Within Rooms – Stephen Lapthisophon

What Hopper Saw

Permanent Waves and Lipstick Craves

Sensing Sight

Autumn in the Arts District

Search Uncrated

Archives

Flickr Photo Stream

Join Us on Facebook

Categories

Archives

Categories

Meta