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!