Frank Artsmarter isn’t here to judge you. He wants the general public to judge you. Which is why he has partnered with Glasstire to create the ArtSmarterPrize, an open call contest that has been described by some as “an artist invitational in which every artist, no matter his or her…
We are just a few weeks from summer ending, school starting and the return of the arts in Dallas. Enjoy these final quiet days before your calendar again fills up with events you cannot miss and art you want to see. In the meantime, here are three things to fill…
I don’t know why there are so many juried shows opening on the same weekend, and I’m not sure that I like the looks of them any more than any other summer group show. But I suppose if we can build a justice system on twelve impartial men, why not…
Kate Firth is one of the few artists in Dallas working in steel, not to mention one of the only women. And her art is getting bigger and better all the time. Last week, she completed her biggest project to date, a public sculpture called “I Feel You Feel Me,”…
You’re running out of time to see a few of my favorite exhibitions so far this year, so I’ve made you a list that combines those and a few new openings. Closing this weekend: Concentrations 58: Chosil Kil This is the little show that can’t be ignored. London-based artist Chosil…
Now in his thirties, Arturo Donjuan recently ran into someone at a grocery store he hadn’t seen since he was a teen. The obvious mutual question was, What are you doing these days? His old friend is now working as a manager. But Donjuan is still doing what he was…
Nature in Our Backyard & Vida Cubana Currently on display at Sun to Moon Gallery (1515 Levee St.) is a photographic exploration of the Trinity River and the Great Trinity Forest called Nature in our Backyard. One of the only galleries in Dallas to specialize in photography, specifically that of…
Circuit 12 Contemporary keeps it fresh. That could be their motto. Since opening the doors in 2012, owners Gina and Dustin Orlando have experimented with the standard gallery motto, challenging tastes, adding fashion elements, and throwing bombass parties. This weekend, the gallery moves off Dragon Street onto Levee St., adding…
Dallas Gallery Day is an art fanatic’s dream. Organized by The Public Trust’s Brian Gibb in 2012, Gallery Day is a sort of organized welcome mat that encourages the public to visit an impressive assortment of the city’s best art galleries. If you’re not really dedicated to the art scene,…
Dallas Gallery Day It’s not often enough that you can be assured nearly every gallery in town will have doors open and art on the walls. That’s exactly what Dallas Gallery Day is for. Previously split into East and West, this year will be the first all-city version. If you’ve…
In a world inundated by images, ideas, and mindless chatter, it seems we’re increasingly drawn to post-apocalyptic, science fiction narratives. At least, that’s the case for Dallas-based artist Dwayne Carter. He says there’s something alluring in the simplicity of a man, a dog and his gun. “We create a leader,…
Alan and Michael Fleming have spent their whole lives together. These Brooklyn-based twin artists didn’t just grow up mirror reflections of one another, they decided to turn it into an artistic practice. Their latest body of work, Gemini, is currently on display at Cydonia Gallery, in which they use a…
Favio Moreno is constantly losing his religion. It’s always falling out of his wallet. Well, the catholic prayer cards his mother is always giving him. “My wallet is full of these little cards of religious iconography and credit cards,” he says. “Although I don’t subscribe to religion, I still feel…
Phantom Eye There is a phenomenon known as “phantom limb,” which describes the experience of some amputees who continue to sense a missing arm or leg. Scientifically, it’s related to muscle memory, but it’s a poignant illustration of how our minds sometimes cope with loss by imagining the continued existence…
Born and raised in Dallas, 26-year-old Dyemond Obryan is a comic book artist and cartoonist. Like most of us, he enjoyed cartoons as a kid, only he never quit watching. They influence him to this day, as does sadness. “I come off as pretty sad sometimes,” he admits. He wishes…
Two salon style shows and three exhibitions enter final weekends for this week’s five art exhibitions to see in Dallas. Yeah, It’s Salon StyleIf you’ve never been to one of Ro2 Art’s high-energy, art deluge shows, aptly-titled Chaos, it would be hard to explain to you exactly what you’re missing…
Edward Montes is a Dallas painter drawing inspiration from travel and his love of skateboarding. He has always drawn a particular character, but it’s a nameless character that has constantly changed. “It transforms into whatever mood I’m in,” says Montes. After a few minor local exhibitions, his work drew the…
It’s 11 a.m. Monday morning, and Dustin Orlando is standing inside his new gallery space on Levee Street. It’s a raw, open space that he and his business partner and wife, Gina, are transforming into Circuit 12 Contemporary. For the past three years, their gallery space boasted a Dragon Street…
It started in Waco. Mick Burson, 16 at the time, watched freight trains decorated with graffiti roll past him. The markings felt free to him. They represented a breed of art that wasn’t self-serving or introspective, but mobile, liberated. He absorbed these inscriptions and wondered where the artists were from…
Why are you leaving? Where are you going? Will you come back? If you’ve ever stuck your nose down in an art history book, you’ve likely learned that master French artist Paul Gauguin spent several years in Tahiti. It’s also likely that you’ve seen one of his resulting paintings, “Nafea…
Located in the gallery known as The Safe Room upstairs at Texas Theatre, The Glacier Project is an endeavor from Amarillo artist Jon Revett, also known as Jon the Lion. The idea is to combine graphic and geometrical designs, mixing pop culture with spirituality. Revett started with album art from…
Jon Revett: The Glacier Project In a sense, the minute something is declared “art,” it has been elevated. The process of art making is transformative. Whether it’s the whittling down of tree bark, or slathering paint on a canvas, or in the case of Amarillo-based artist Jon Revett, screen printing…
