In more ways than one, the art scene in Dallas covers a lot of territory. From the resurgent South Side, rising from urban industrial decay to stand tall as a trend-setting residential center, to a modern, architecturally important mansion set amidst a stellar sculpture garden, and everywhere in between.


In the warehouse district forming the southern quadrant of downtown Dallas, century-old National Historic Landmark, the Sears, Roebuck Building, is reborn in the new millennium as “South Side on Lamar,“ a community of luxury loft apartments, restaurants, clubs, commercial businesses and art galleries. A magnet for artists, musicians, investment bankers, business men and women, it is the official loft community of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team. Nearby, a billboard for a new development proudly proclaims: “Visit The Beat, Dallas' decidedly non-conformist community on South Lamar...New Upscale Loft Condominiums."


Other side of downtown, “The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts,” now under construction, will become the eastern anchor of the formal "Arts District" of Dallas. The complex, which includes an opera house, a theater, parks, and other indoor/outdoor venues, is situated on the eastern end of Flora Street - home to a string of architectural landmarks, including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, as well as the home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra , Meyerson Symphony Center. An integral part of the Center, the DSO recently announced a new development of it's own - Jaap Van Zweden has recently been announced as the new Music Director of the Orchestra, a position which he starts in 2008/09 season.

According to CEO and President Bill Lively, the Center “will provide our city with extraordinary venues in which to enjoy the performing arts at the highest level and will be a catalyst to foster important collaborations with our city's visual arts institutions and organizations, all of which are part of Dallas' emerging cultural landscape."

left picture : Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Image courtesy Dallas Center for the Performing Arts
Credit Auralab

right picture :Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
Image courtesy Dallas Center for the Performing Arts
Credit Foster + Partners


The Dallas Contemporary, a non-collecting museum located one mile east of the downtown Arts District, works to spotlight emerging artists with almost two dozen exhibitions each year. Three blocks east of downtown Dallas another renovated warehouse district, Deep Ellum, features cool urban architecture and echoes of the gritty romance of Lower Manhattan. The area is home to venues for jazz, rock, blues, Latin and alternative music, as well as the Road Agent and Barry Whistler Galleries. West of downtown, and across the Trinity River, the Bishop Arts District, offers a 1930’s feel.


Successful commercial and residential marketing of such real estate could have the (probably intended) result of the regional art market spending more time and money in Dallas rather than relying, as now, upon traveling to NYC. A group of 13 local dealers known as CADD (Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas) has organized to plan an art-fair style event later this spring. New York dealers are catching on to this and have already initiated relationship building, visiting Dallas and getting to know the people and the galleries.


The fact that the Dallas is home to a community ready, willing and able to support several innovative and profitable gallery districts is made very clear on a visit to Rachofsky House. Designed by Richard Meier, the residence of prominent collectors Cindy and Howard Rachofsky is also open to the public for the viewing of annual exhibitions of work selected from the their collection. The Rachofskys, whose collaboration in collection building with the Dallas Museum of Art has recently made news, chose this time to present an eclectic mix of recent acquisitions, reflecting the variety of types of work available in today’s art market - to pique curiosity and perhaps challenge their neighbors to go and see what’s out there…and perhaps acquire some works for themselves

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Kiki Smith & Jeff Koons at
THE RACHOFSKY HOUSE,

Links

Performing Arts Center
Dallas Musuem of Art
Dallas Contempory
Nasher Schulpture Center
Meyerson Symphony Center
Rachofsky House
Decorazon
Bishop Art District

and/or gallery
art prostitute
barry whistler gallery
craighead green
conduit gallery
dunn and brown contemporary
gerald peters
goss gallery
holly johnson
marty walker
pan american art projects
road agent
valley house

CADD

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