El Mercado Lest we forget, galleries exist to sell art. Is the art often well-curated and are the artists often hand selected? Yes, of course. But they are shops, nonetheless. And in the spirit of the shopping season, Erin Cluley Gallery (414 Fabrication St.) presents El Mercado. It’s inspired by…
Walking into Circuit 12 Contemporary, the first thing you see is the above photograph. It’s titled Sundowner, I’ve been told by one of the participating artists – the exhibition’s curator actually, Gregory Ruppe. But he doesn’t tell me whose piece it is. Well, he tells me at first, but then…
Growing up in Texas, my visions of what Christmas should look like were always thwarted. In the movies and the songs there was all this talk of snow, but we were lucky if there was a nip in the air. Perhaps that’s why the idea of an outdoor ice rink…
It’s a fair assessment that the internet has forever altered the way we interact with photography. Everyone takes photos now, thanks to our smart phones and everyone looks at the images in digital form. Some photographers would argue this spurs a new appreciation for the art form, others argue it…
Attention, Dallas. The following art show is happening for one night only. What this means is that Saturday will be your only chance to see this art show!!! You heard me! One. Night. Only. Now that you’ve been warned, I’ll tell you why I’m yelling. Pin Show co-founder Julie McCullough…
Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. When Karen Weiner opened the Reading Room in Dallas, she turned a new page for the gallery scene, creating a project space unlike anything else that exists here. Her snug little spot in Exposition Park…
The Zombies are back. The back-alley-crawling, crack house-dwelling immersive theater company currently inhabits an abandoned ice house, and they’ve redecorated it to look like a motel designed by Norman Bates – basement and all. Karaoke Motel is creepy choose-your-own adventure theater with a disjointed narrative about what it means to…
If we’ve been cynical, forgive us. We love Dallas. In this season of gratitude, let us pause and be thankful for a few things in Dallas culture. Ahem, here goes. The Texas Theatre…
Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Earlier this year, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra unveiled its secret weapon. While Jaap van Zweden builds a top level orchestra, his daughter has been at work behind the scenes helping him strategize how to bring…
Last week I found myself in a debate with an artist about the annual fundraiser Art Con. This artist has decidedly never participated in the construction of an art piece to be auctioned off in the name of charity because in his words, “the art is inconsistent.” In my words,…
When I announced in the Dallas Observer staff meeting on Monday morning that the Dead White Zombies had a show opening this week, my boss paused, looked around the room, and asked, “Are we in it right now?” This is exactly the question Dallas’ weirdest theater mind, Thomas Riccio, wants…
In the music world, there are superbands, bands composed of a number of industry stars. The New Pornographers or Broken Bells, for example. What Circuit 12 has on its hands with Sundowner is a collaborative exhibition studded with Dallas art stars. From JJESSE MORGAN BARNETT, NINO BAUMGARTNER, C.J. DAVIS, JEFF…
To build their latest new media installation at the Dallas Contemporary, Frank and Lee Dufour spent copious amounts of time researching the most common dreams humans have when they travel into their own subconcious. They surveyed friends, scoured Web sites and interviewed experts. Then, they built a computer that can…
Bonnie Friedman will read selections from her newest book Surrendering Oz at The Wild Detectives Tuesday. Friedman is the author of Village Voice best seller Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer’s Life. She’s won numerous writing awards. Tue., Nov. 25, 7 p.m., 2014…
Most book clubs are about the wine, so why not skip the living room pretense and host it at the source? Off the Record kicks off its music-themed book club, which is part discussion part cocktail club. And since they’ve named it High Fidelity Book Club, they’re starting off with…
It would be difficult to dig up someone who doesn’t like Peter Ligon’s landscapes. Even if you’re not keen on landscape painting generally, there’s something about Ligon’s emotive, messy pieces that don’t scream of photo source material. The painter captures every Dallas scene from trees in winter to the East…
Get to know the Deep Ellum neighborhood a bit better, pick up a few things at the local shops and do it all while drinking a glass of wine. Buy a glass at a participating vendor for $5 and you’ll get refreshed at every stop (NOTE: This isn’t New Orleans,…
At approximately 2 a.m. Saturday, I jerked awake. In my dreams, my mind had constructed a computer that fabricated dreams based on the tone and pitch of my voice, as I read poetry aloud. On this screen of my subconscious there was a forest scene, and over the futuristic speakers…
Peter Ligon It would be difficult to dig up someone who doesn’t like Peter Ligon’s landscapes. Even if you’re not keen on landscape painting generally, there’s something about Ligon’s emotive, messy pieces that don’t scream of photo source material. The painter captures every Dallas scene from trees in winter to…
Most of the shows on this list require little to no explanation. You’ve likely seen A Christmas Carol before, but the holidays return every year and with it, the same shows, the same music, and the same garland your mother’s been hanging on the bannister for 30 years. So Scrooge…
If you’re reading this, you’re invited to an art party. Artopia 2015 is just around the corner. Tickets for the general public won’t be released until Friday, but as a reader of this blog you have access to the pre-sale tickets which arrive today. At 10 a.m. today ticket sales…
It’s a simple conceit. You can almost hear the artist thinking it to herself: I’ll wear my mother’s dresses. Entering Cydonia Gallery’s new exhibition by Mexican artist Julieta Aguinaco, The Depth of Now, I found myself jealous. At least her mom kept hers. My mother forever interested in discarding. Yearbook…
