TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art is an annual contemporary art auction held in the Richard Meier-designed Rachofsky House in Dallas and benefiting two organizations—the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. The event has raised over $34 million in the past thirteen years, enabling the Museum to acquire more than 125 works of art. October 20 marks the fourteenth annual gala and auction, which features Richard Phillips as amfAR’s 2012 Honored Artist. To learn more about the history of TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art, and this year’s events, including the First Look preview party tomorrow evening, visit the TWO x TWO website. Explore past TWO x TWO events below with guests such as Barry Manilow, Alan Cumming, Patti LaBelle, and more.
Posts Tagged 'Rachofsky House'
Destination: Anytown USA
Published August 7, 2012 Art & Teaching , Museum Insight 4 CommentsTags: Anytown USA, Dallas Arts District, Jack Pierson, Kimbell Art Museum, Museum Forum for Teachers, Nasher Sculpture Center, Rachofsky House, teacher workshop, the Modern
Our annual Museum Forum for Teachers has come and gone, and this year was another rousing success. Twenty-two teachers participated in the week-long program, and spent a full day at each of the following Museums: The Rachofsky House, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Kimbell Art Museum, and of course the DMA.
During their time at the DMA, the teachers went on a walking tour of the Arts District before spending time in Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas. Both of these experiences led to their afternoon art project: creating a watercolor painting of their impression of Dallas.
One teacher’s watercolor showed the Nasher Sculpture Center and Museum Tower.
Teachers were also able to spend time in a brand new installation, Variations on Theme: Contemporary Art 1950s–Present. While we were in the exhibition, we focused on the themes of the figure, vanitas, and place. The idea of place was one of our key themes for the day, and we spent quite a bit of time looking at Jack Pierson’s Anytown USA.
Talking with teachers during the 2012 Museum Forum for Teachers
I always love when Anytown USA is on view. There’s something nostalgic about it, and I always wonder just where “Anytown” might be. The general consensus among the teachers was that Anytown was a small town that probably looked a lot like Mayberry. As we looked at the artwork, the teachers were given the following prompt:
The letters that make up this sculpture come from a variety of places. Imagine that each of the letters came from signage on buildings in Anytown USA. Select one letter and write a description of the business you think used that letter in its signage. Remember, your response must be inspired by the look and feel of the font/letter you select.
Jack Pierson, Anytown USA, 2000, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Junior Associates, 2004.10.A-I, © Jack Pierson
Based on the teacher’s responses, it sounds like Anytown USA would be a wonderful place to live! Here are some of their ideas:
NY: A coffee shop where everyone goes to hang out. Every town has to have a coffee shop. Or, a deli run by a transplant from New York. All of the sandwiches are named after local celebrities.
T: An antique or curio store, and all of the employees are eclectic, just like the goods they sell.
O: A donut shop where grandparents spend weekend mornings with their grandkids. A city is defined by its donut shops. Or, it’s an old gas station that is practical, functional, but a little bit dirty. They don’t care about the aesthetics of their business, they just want to get the job done.
W: This W looks very commercial and slick, like it came from a Walden Books. Or, it could be from a Woolworth’s Five and Dime.
N: A feminine upscale hotel, or maybe a newspaper printing office. Or, maybe it’s for a fine art framing shop that has a Thomas Kinkade painting hanging in the window.
U: This belongs to a Western store called “Boot Country.”
S: This S looks universal and simple–it belongs to a store called Supermart that sells everything.
A: This could be part of the sign of a ball park. Or, it’s the sign for a bar called BAR that’s full of smoke and beer, but is a place to escape.
Surprisingly, none of the teachers selected to write about the first yellow A. What type of business do you think that A might represent? I would love to hear your ideas!
Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching
Sign Up Now: Museum Forum for Teachers
Published March 1, 2012 Art & Teaching , Resources 2 CommentsTags: Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Nasher Sculpture Center, Rachofsky House, summer workshop, teacher workshop
Each summer, the DMA hosts a week-long program called Museum Forum for Teachers: Modern and Contemporary Art. Over the course of the week, teachers spend a full day at five different art museums: The Rachofsky House (a private contemporary art collection located in Dallas), the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and the Dallas Museum of Art. This year, the Forum will be held from July 23-27.
Melissa discusses the Silence and Time exhibition during Museum Forum 2011
As its title suggests, the focus of Museum Forum is modern and contemporary art. The DMA day this summer will focus on the exhibition Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz’s Impressions of Dallas, 1952, as well as selected works from our contemporary collection. This will be my fourth year to lead the Museum Forum, and for me the week is always an opportunity to feel refreshed and rejuvenated. It’s rare that I have an opportunity to spend five consecutive days in the galleries, and I love the conversations and ideas that emerge over the course of the week. I also feel like I walk away from the Forum learning just as much from the teachers as they do from me.
Teachers examine a painting during Museum Forum
If you want to feel reinvigorated by modern and contemporary art, I encourage you to apply for this year’s Museum Forum for Teachers. The Forum is open to middle school and high school teachers of all disciplines, and enrollment is limited to twenty-five participants. We are currently accepting applications, and a 10% discount will be given to all teachers who apply by our early application deadline of March 30. The regular application deadline is May 25, and all teachers will be notified of their acceptance by June 8. I hope you’ll consider joining us!
Talking about On Kawara during a past Museum Forum
Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching
January Programs for Teachers
Published January 5, 2010 Art & Teaching ClosedTags: Contemporary Art, Rachofsky House, teacher, thomas feulmer, workshop
We are looking forward to two exciting programs for teachers this month!
The Rachofsky House (photo by Michael Bodycomb)
In collaboration with The Rachofsky House, we are offering a teacher workshop on contemporary art that will include the current installation of the DMA’s Hoffman Galleries and a morning at The Rachofsky House led by Thomas Feulmer. The workshop stretches over two Saturdays: January 9 and January 23. Complete details, including registration, are available on our Web site.
Teacher and DMA staff in the Tech Lab
Teachers will also have the opportunity to merge art and technology during our January Thursday Evening Program for Teachers. The featured program this month will be Tech Lab: Open Lab on January 14 at 6:30 p.m. Teachers are invited to experiment with Photoshop collages during this drop-in, hands-on program led by artist Kevin Todora.
Molly Kysar
Head of Teaching Programs
