Archive for the ‘Museum’ Category

A group of Hispanic activists that pushed for Industrial Boulevard to be renamed after labor leader César Chávez has a new target: Ross Avenue in downtown Dallas.

The César Chávez Task Force agreed in June to go along with naming Industrial Boulevard something other than “César Chávez,” provided the city name another street for the Latino rights icon.

Ross Avenue is a major street originating in East Dallas and cutting right through the Arts District and into the West End.

The activists fancy that since the Cathedral de Guadalupe is at the corner of Ross & Pearl and that there are about 5 blocks of Hispanic businesses between Washington and Greenville Avenue, that it makes sense to rename Ross for Chavez.

Not so fast dear activists.

There are major office buildings along Ross Avenue so it’s not just a simple case of having the local latin 7-day candle store and immigration photo place redoing their business cards with a new street name. You’re talking about thousands of people being affected and companies based in the high rises having to redo ALL of their marketing materials and letterhead and business cards.

Not to mention the influx of marketing done by everyone from all museums in the Arts District to the West End having to redo and get the word out about the name change on marketing materials and maps.

And further, have they not noticed how developers have been buying up tracts along Ross to demolish the run down Hispanic based businesses and put in business and retailers catering to those buying the $300k + townhomes in the general area of Baylor Hospital?

Changing a street name is not like changing a pair of socks.

It was challenging enough when a certain former mayor shoved Malcom X down our collective throats by having Oakland Avenue running through Deep Ellum named for the radical. Businesses along Oakland were NOT happy about having to endure this change so there is no way that everyone along Ross Avenue is going to go along with this.

The Hispanic community is just missing the boat.

Until such Dallas icons as Stevie Ray Vaughan, who embraced equality and gave amazing music to the world, is properly respected in his own hometown, the population as a whole is not going to support any initiative to have a major street named after an activist that didn’t live or work in Texas let alone Dallas.

In fact, let’s end this on a positive note for those of us that respect our hometown. Sign the Stevie Ray Vaughan petition asking the City of Dallas to honor our Pride & Joy.

Tickets for the King Tut exhibit opening this fall at the Dallas Museum of Art went on sale Tuesday via the Ticketmaster website. You can purchase tickets by clicking on this link.

The exhibit, “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs,” is making an encore visit to the United States after a two-year tour that drew nearly 4 million visitors ended in September 2007.

The exhibit, currently in London, will open at the Dallas Museum of Art on Oct. 3. It will run there through May 17, 2009, and then travel to two yet-to-be-named cities.

There will be more than 130 artifacts from the tomb of Egypt’s King Tut, including some artifacts that are new to the exhibit and have not been seen before outside of Egypt, the Dallas Museum of Art said in a news release.

In Dallas, a photography exhibit of prints from Harry Burton, the photographer who accompanied Howard Carter on the King Tut expedition, will be on display as well.

For adults, tickets range from $27.50 on weekdays to $32.50 Friday through Sunday and on holidays. For children, tickets are $16.50.

This month’s Friday Night Late Night at the Dallas Museum of Art is TONITE June 20 and is based on the opening of the exhibition, The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy.

The schedule of events is as follows:
Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art presented by Starbucks Coffee
Friday, June 20
6:00 p.m.–midnight

Be transported to the roaring twenties as we celebrate the fabulous life of Sara and Gerald Murphy. Enjoy cocktails, tributes to Cole Porter, films, and more.

CONCERTS AND PERFORMANCES
Happy Hour featuring Bar Flair Demonstration
6:00–7:00 p.m., Atrium
Bar Flair Champion Ed Blake showcases his award-winning bartending skills while visitors enjoy signature cocktails such as the “juice of a few flowers” (Gerald Murphy’s original recipe). Cocktails available for purchase.

Performances in the Galleries
7:00 p.m.
A Reading of the Murphys’ Letters, Regan Adair & Jessica Turner, Level 2 Landing

9:00 p.m. & 11:00 p.m.
Cole Porter on Keyboard, Roger Boykin, Level 4 Landing

Late Night Main Stage featuring Trella Hart
8:00–9:00 p.m., Atrium
Trella Hart, one of Dallas’s finest song stylists, sings the music of Cole Porter, who was friends with Gerald Murphy.

Late Night After Hours with White Ghost Shivers
10:00–11:00 p.m., Atrium
Revel in music from the 1920s and 30s that mixes early jazz, vaudeville, ragtime, western swing, and hillbilly, performed by the White Ghost Shivers.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Dallas Observer Appearance
6:00–11:00 p.m., Concourse
Register for a Dallas Observer electronic subscription or e-mail blast and receive a great gift.

Late Night Open Mic
10:30–11:30 p.m., Theater, Center for Creative Connections
Hear Dallas’s hottest poets or share some of your own verses. Hosted by Tisha Crear of Reciprocity. Readings may contain adult themes and language. Spoken word performances only; no instruments allowed.

FILMS
Late Night Double Feature: The Philadelphia Story and High Society

The Philadelphia Story
8:00 p.m.
This film is not rated; 112 minutes.
High Society
10:00 p.m.
This film is not rated; 107 minutes.
Part of Sara and Gerald Murphy’s glittering circle of friends, playwright Philip Barry was inspired by the glamorous and leisurely life at Villa America, the Murphys’ home at Antibes. Enjoy the classic 1940 film adaptation of Barry’s play The Philadelphia Story, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, followed by the 1956 musical film version, High Society, with Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra, featuring the music of Cole Porter.

TOURS
Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy
7:00 p.m., Meet at the main Visitor Services Desk
Tour the exhibition Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy with Scott Winterrowd, Assistant Curator of Education, Meadows Museum.

Insomniac Tour
9:00 p.m. Meet at the Visitor Services Desk
Tour the collections with the Dallas Museum of Art’s resident night owl, Director Bonnie Pitman.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Late Night Creations
6:00–10:00 p.m., Center for Creative Connections
Explore the exhibition Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy, and then come to the studio to create your own cut-out cubist collage!

Yoga for Kids!
6:30–7:00 p.m., Center for Creative Connections
Join our resident yogini, Michelle Mock, for meditation, relaxation, and some very pretzel-like poses.

Bedtime Stories with Arturo
7:30 p.m., Theater, Center for Creative Connections
Kids, wear your pajamas and bring your pillows to hear Bedtime Stories with Arturo, told by our award winning storyteller, Ann Marie Newman.
FOOD SERVICE, EVENTS, AND TASTINGS

Atrium Cafe
Food service until 11:00 p.m.
Bar service until 11:30 p.m.

Complimentary Starbucks Beverages
6:00–11:30 p.m., Atrium
Enjoy a tall Starbucks beverage of your choice.

Don’t Forget
Shop at the Museum Store and exhibition store for unique gifts and merchandise inspired by Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy

Become a member tonight and get in FREE!
• FREE admission for two when you join
• DISCOUNTS in the store and cafe
• Your $5.00 parking fee back (Museum garage parking only)
• FREE access to all Late Nights for a full year!
As a thank you for joining tonight, you’ll receive a special gift!

Save the Date for the next Late Night!
July 18
Kick off the closing weekend of Bluebonnets and Beyond with an evening of Texas music, family experiences, and country western dancing.

The annual CityArts Festival is taking place this weekend in the Dallas Arts District.

All events are FREE, including museum admission.

Click the dates below for full schedule

6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Friday, June 13
11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Saturday , June 14
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday , June 15
Hours for Museum Activities Vary

This Friday evening in the Horchow Auditorium at the Dallas Museum of Art will be a FREE screening of the award-winning film about the great State Fair of Texas, directed by Allen Mondell and Cynthia Salzman Mondell & co-produced with Phillip Allen.

Please note, this screening and all Late Night programs are free with paid admission to the Museum ($10 for public, free for Museum members). For a full list of programs that evening, visit DallasMuseumofArt.org

Date: Friday, March 21st
Time: 9:30pm
Place: Dallas Museum of Art - Horchow Auditorium

With lively music and dazzling animation, A FAIR TO REMEMBER chronicles the history of the State Fair of Texas from its inception in 1886 to its destination today as the most extraordinary fair in the country. It captures the heart of Texas-big spirited and brazenly proud. From Elvis to Big Tex, the State Fair of Texas has had it all!

Fort Worth resident Barry Corbin (Urban Cowboy, Lonesome Dove, Northern Exposure) lends his famous Texas drawl to the narration. The film also features music by Grammy-winning Carl Finch & Brave Combo and animation by Janimation (Spy Kids 2 and Spy Kids 3-D).

“Pierre Matisse and the Modern Masters Show” has added Dallas to the tour and some of the highlights of this amazing 80-piece collection include:

The show is open to the public at Reflection Fine Art (2925 Fairmount Street in Uptown at the corner of Wolf), and all pieces are available for acquisition with prices ranging from $4,000 to $130,000.

Private appointments are also available.

It’s official….when the King Tut exhibit begins touring the U.S. again in 2008, Dallas will be the first stop on the tour.

The closest this exhibit has been to Dallas was 25+ years ago when it visited New Orleans. If you had the opportunity to visit the first tour, do not expect this to be a repeat as there are many artifacts on the current tour that have never before been out of Egypt.

Mark your calendar — or, better yet — this would be a good time to join the Dallas Museum of Art because you know they are gong to pull out all the stops for this event! The DMA will have the King Tut exhibit from 3 Oct 07 - 17 May 09.

This will be a major boon for the Dallas economy as well as several million dollars are generated by attendees at every stop this tour makes.