JK Gallery at Southside on Lamar

Recently, I interviewed Monica Amaro-Meredith, curator at the Janette Kennedy Gallery located in South Side on Lamar--a once Sears factory turned loft apartment building. The gallery was established in 2002 and is a key feature to this historical building.

Many of the rotating exhibits show pieces produced by tenants of South Side on Lamar and other community members as well as international and local artists.

The owner of South Side on Lamar intended to create a living space where the arts are an integral part of the atmosphere. 

He originally started with artist studios on our first floor because he knew that artists coming in would help to rebuild and repopulate this neighborhood. There has always been a creative element coming into this building since day one when we opened our doors.

From 2003 to 2006 our artist program became exclusive to UTD South Side on Lamar residency. So, UTD are the people who administered bringing in the artists; not only artists that were at the university but international artists as well, so they ran not only the artist program but the gallery as well.

Art Love Magic - Underground Live Showcase

When you go to South Side on Lamar and visit the Janette Kennedy Gallery you will notice that it has a very strong relationship with its neighbors in the building. It is a very unique culture of artists working within this creative space who are given the ability by the gallery to showcase their work.

What I really love about this gallery is the fact that it has a very laid back atmosphere, features varying types of artwork, and is very open to new ideas and styles of work.

Art and Heart of the Motorcycle

Being a student, I wanted to know the type of attraction they receive from those who attend the local universities: 

We do definitely try to work with the students, not only from a gallery standpoint but we also have a lot of people come through the building wanting to do photo shoots  and film shoots. A lot of them are students from UTD, UNT doing something for a project for school.

I admit being one of the students that did a photography project on this site. The building itself provides artistic inspiration with its beautiful, rustic atmosphere. 

Rolando Diaz Exhibit

My only complaint about the gallery is that their social media base is very underdeveloped. I think it would benefit the gallery immensely if they took advantage of platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest in order to help their presence within the Dallas community. 

I am definitely recommending this gallery to anyone interested in not only art but a piece of Dallas history. The people are friendly, there is no cost to for admittance (great for students), and the art is always interesting.

Cindy Sherman at the DMA

I have studied Cindy Sherman in photography and art classes, but this was the first time I had ever seen any of her photographs up close and personal. And let me tell you I can't stress "personal" enough. I'm not very impressed by artists who try to base their work off of "shock value" because most of the time, it's not really shocking rather than more or less of what you would expect.

It seems that Cindy Sherman spends a fair amount of time trying to incorporate weird, crazy aspects into her pieces; sometimes it works for me, sometimes it really doesn't. So, I wasn't really sure how to feel about her. I still don't think I know.

Image 2

Don't get me wrong, I love anything that is in puppet or doll form, but I just can't wrap my head around how and why she has used them in such a way. However, a little mystery never hurt anyone and I love an untold story. Maybe that's what makes the image above (and many others of the same nature) so intriguing to me. It's as if I'm witnessing a crime happening right infront of me. Is that what she wanted? I don't know... I still don't know. I just can't right now. 

The Cindy Sherman exhibit is so massive that there are plenty of other pieces to see without feeling offended or confused. A part from feeling slightly violated by the collection of similar works above, I quite liked the rest of her photos. 

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Here's why I'm leaning towards liking this artist: I spent so much time looking at her photos in the exhibit--yes, pondering what the photos were saying, but even more so asking myself, "Who is Cindy Sherman?" I think I also liked the fact that none of her images were titled. When you are shooting photographs, especially those that are staged, every detail has a purpose. Obviously she took these stills for a reason and an intended message. 

Why do we need to know her intent? 

Whatever your notion (if you have one) of Cindy Sherman's intent for her work, I think this exhibition is one worth seeing. Expect to see interesting rather than attractive subject matter. 

The Dallas Museum of Art is currently exhibiting works by Cindy Sherman until June 9 of this year.

P.S. Why wouldn't we want to see James Franco pose as Cindy Sherman?

Chagall at the DMA

The Dallas Museum of Art is currently holding an exhibition of his work until May 26 called Chagall: Beyond Color. It features pieces starting from early in his art career to the maturity he developed later on through theatre projects as well as more traditional mediums. The following images are pieces that are in the exhibit. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any photos of the paintings/costumes in the museum so I took note of the ones that stood out most to me and am including them now.

The Newspaper Seller 1914

Sketch for Feast Day 1914

Nude of Vitebsk

Between Darkness and Night

As an artist, I like to see detail in the texture of paintings. This means getting close, crouching down to view various angles of the work, and making the guards (and boyfriend) very nervous in the meantime. I enjoyed being able to absorb the varying weights, thickness, and texture of applied paint. I hate to say it, but digital copies of his paintings don't really compare to seeing them in person. The richness of color in each is captivating and thoughtfully composed. 

Also, this guy really likes goats. And half-goat men. 

I and the Villiage

Love, Nature, Music

Or any animal+human form I guess.

Before the visit to the museum I wasn't aware that Chagall designed costumes and backdrops for theater. Those in charge of curating and setting up the costumes within the exhibit did a thoughtful job on its presentation, creating a truly haunting yet very attractive stage for Chagall and his phantom dancers.

Costume 1

This three dimensional showcase of the costumes and backdrop was my absolute favorite part of the experience. As a former dancer I feel that I weirdly related to the dancers that once filled the costumes. It made me feel sad that they weren't on the museum's stage, filling the costumes that are now yellowing with age.

Costume 2

Costume 3

My former dance instructor is the artistic director of Elle Danceworks who are also affiliated with my current school, The University of Texas at Dallas. In honor of the series of Chagall paintings, the company will be performing choreography commemorating the artist. Find out  more information here.

Later, I will be talking about the Cindy Sherman exhibit that is also being featured at the DMA. Stay tuned!

"Art is an Expression of Life" -Rolando Diaz

Rolando Diaz is a local artist in Dallas as well as internationally known for his cubist style. I first encountered his series of work called Vagabonds at South Side on Lamar's Janette Kennedy Gallery. The idea for this series came in part by Rolando's own personal experiences. 

Rolando Diaz in front of a painting in his series Vagabonds

The Communist spread in Cuba, where Rolando is originally from, inspired his family to leave their country when he was 8 years old. This created a shift between the comfortable life he knew in his home country to an impoverished state of being. After losing his father not long after, he learned how to adapt to life as a refugee and became ingrained with a sense of compassion to those living in poverty--an idea that is very intrinsic and motivational to his work. 

Vagabonds which was featured at the JK Gallery, is a powerful collection of works portraying the beauty of holding someone's gaze, someone who may go unnoticed. It's the separation of social classes looking at each other in the eyes and seeing them as a work of art.

I was fortunate enough to interview the artist about this series and discussed the eyes as a main feature of the portraits:

“When you spend time with people who have been in tough situations...the eyes tell you a lot. Some are very angry, some are very tender, some are hurt, there are all kinds of expressions that come when you spend time with a person in the streets from their eyes”

Ahora que

Recently, Rolando has spent less time showing his work in galleries and has been more involved in performance art. Alongside musicians, he has created many paintings that are auctioned, with 50% of the proceeds going to a non-profit that helps keep art in school.

 On June 13, 2008,  he was the topic of a documentary called Recapturing Cuba featured on Art and Seek. The film captures the artist as he returns to Havana since he and his family left. Though, he may have physically moved from his home country, he has never forsaken the culture's influence on his art, nor forgotten those who he paints for.

If you would like to get more involved with the same charitable initiative Rolando has undertaken, visit http://www.citysquare.org/

A+ for this Science Project

Would you like to experience what it's like to walk through a 180,000 square foot science project? Good news, I bring to you! The Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened its doors to Dallas in December 2012 with interactive exhibits and a ton of amazing, wonderful, science facts. As a visitor of the museum, you can tell that an immense amount of thought and creativity went into, not only the architecture, but also the artistic presentation of science. 

You don't spend nearly $100 million (construction alone) on a building without it being pretty much one of the most beautiful additions to the Dallas architectural landscape.

My fusband (fake/future-husband) and I went to visit the museum last weekend and, oh boy; we felt right at home with all the kiddies running around from exhibit to exhibit. I felt like I had traveled back in time to when I presented a science project at my school's science fair; except this time I wasn't nervous and my palms were less sweaty.  

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is unique in that it offers its visitor's an interactive experience with science and encourages the museum goers to explore and absorb everything around them. They even welcome photography. Let me tell you, my inner nerd and photographer (however amateur) went ballistic in this place. 

As I walked through the museum I realized how important art is for science and vice versa. They have both taken a few pages out of each other's book for their own use and purpose. Without casting, as we can see in the two images above, where would sculpture be? Without architecture, how would we house knowledge, just as the Perot is doing?

This massive building encompasses every branch of natural science that you can think of, covering all the bases of curiosity. There is no need for parents to worry about their children being too rowdy, or boyfriends worrying about their girlfriends being too rambunctious (I wasn't lying about inner nerd). Virtually everything in the museum is meant to be touched and experimented with. 

This museum is definitely fun for kids and adults. It does a great job of getting the visitors excited about science and exploring the expanse of knowledge provided. This "science project" as I've described it is not only interactive, but thoughtfully structured and wonderful to look at. So, well done and A+ to all of those who envisioned The Perot.

Did The Perot get a passing grade from my readers? I would like to know how you all rated the Museum and others like it around the city. What other science centers don't we know about?

Creepy (Beautiful) Things

I'm not sure about the rest of society, but my definition of 'creepy' is by no means an insult. So I will unashamedly call "Borders" by Icelandic artist Steinunn Thorarinsdottir very, very creepy. In some cases the word can be inserted in place of any adjective that relates to "awesome" or "beautiful", and in others it really just means "creepy" in its purest sense--which is also good.

When referring to "Borders", an installation located in the Dallas Arts District across from The Meyerson, creepy absolutely means it's extremely beautiful but also that my skin is crawling. This piece works on the premise that we (humans) are divided by our differences but also united by our fundamental similarities. The thirteen pairs are made of two opposing materials--cast iron and aluminum. One is heavy and one is light. 

When you're standing infront of the installation it is quite haunting but also inherently relative to an idea that I think some people can identify with and a concept that doesn't always resinate with others. Maybe the artist wanted his viewers to realize that we're all in this (life) together and we should be able to recognize our differences as something that unites us. 

Or, maybe he wanted to create more amazing creepiness in the world. Either way, Dallas is very happy to have this installation in the city. So, you all must go see these creepy, beautiful men and women. They're waiting for you. 

P.S. What other statues are around the city, silently staring at us? Post pictures of your finds or information where we can find them. 

Dallas Needs a Little Color

Art is in the air and Creating Dallas is here to help us become aware of it.  Sometimes we (Dallas locals especially) move so quickly from place to place, we hardly ever stop to appreciate the art around us. Well, take a breather. This blog is dedicated to bringing an even more colorful world right to you.