Last week I swung by the Goss-Michael Foundation to meet my good friend James Cope for lunch. They had just put the finishing touches on their upcoming show featuring Marc Quinn, and I had a chance to take a look around. This is an incredible show, and I believe it is the best exhibition the foundation has mounted to date, that says a lot since they have hosted the likes of Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Noble and Webster and Richard Patterson among others.

Here are the details…
The exhibition runs from September 24, 2009-January 23, 2010…Plenty of time to work this in your schedule.

The GMF is located at 2500 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, TX 75201 // 214 696 0555

For more details visit their website…gossmichaelfoundation.org

This Friday in Oak Cliff…

Decorazon Gallery: David Peterson
Opening Reception Friday, September 11, 6-9:30 pm
417 North Bishop Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75208
214.946.1003 // decorazongallery.com
image: David Peterson
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Next Saturday in Deep Ellum…

The Public Trust: Manifold: An Exhibition of Editioned Works
Opening Reception Saturday, September 19, 6-9 pm
2919-C Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75226
214.760.7170 // trustthepublic.com
image: Marcel Dzama
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Barry Whistler Gallery: Lawrence Lee
Opening Reception Saturday, September 19, 6-8 pm
2909-B Canton St, Dallas, TX 75226
214.939.0242 // barrywhistlergallery.com
image: Lawrence Lee
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Kettle Art: The Green Line
Opening Reception Saturday, September 19, 7-10 pm
2714 Elm St, Dallas, Texas 75226
214.573.7622 // kettleart.com
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Best part about next Saturday is that will be the first day the Dart “Green Line” will be in effect. This has been a long time coming, so why not park your car, go all Quad City DJs and, “get on the train and ride it!” The Reel FX + Brad Oldham “Travelling Man” collaboration (pictured above) is a sight to see, as is Frank Campagna and crew’s ode to the Deep Ellum tunnel, which is across the street from the man.

Like I said, galleries load it up for the fall. My favorite Brit, James Cope is serving up some real bangers and mash at the Mac with his show Blueline, while Dale Chihuly, the often imitated never duplicated, glass blower kicks off the fall at Dunn and Brown. Keep an eye out (pun intended), because this one opens on a THURSDAY. For all of you who love vintage technology, Dan McPharlin is holding it down in a huge way at Conduit, with his sculptures in the project room. Beloved Dallas artist Otis Jones is opening a solo show at Holly Johnson Gallery, while Howard Sherman (H-Town Represent) is gonna be sittn’ crooked in his slab at Pan American. Newly crowned MFA champ Sarah Williams steps into the ring for her solo heavyweight debut at Marty Walker Gallery, while wooden pixel pusher Shawn Smith sets it off at Craighead-Green. Head north for a walkie-talkie at Valley House Gallery and Sculpture Garden with Mary Vernon. And finally, in the immortal last words of Billy Batts in Goodfellas,”Go home and get your fu@#in’ shine box” because PDNB’s Burt Finger has laced up a collection of vintage shoeshine boxes coupled with photos from the 30s to the 70s of the entrepreneurs who used them. Part 2 is coming up next week so stay tuned in to find out what is happening in Deep Ellum and the O.C.

The Mac: Blueline: Brian Fridge, Amy Revier, Edward Setina and Paul Slocum
Curated by James Cope of The Goss-Michael Foundation
Opening Reception Saturday, September 5, 5:30-7:30 pm
3120 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75204
214.953.1212 // Blueprint Show Archive
image: Paul Slocum
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Dunn & Brown Contemporary: Dale Chihuly
Opening Reception Thursday, September 10, 6-8 pm
5020 Tracy Street, Dallas, Texas 75205
214.521.4322 // dunnandbrown.com
image: Dale Chihuly
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Conduit Gallery: Jill Foley, Steven Miller, Project Room: Dan McPharlin
Opening Reception Saturday, September 12, 5:30-8:30 pm
1626-C Hi Line Dr, Dallas, TX
214.939.0064 // conduitgallery.com
image: Dan McPharlin
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Holly Johnson Gallery: Otis Jones
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 5-8 pm
1411 Dragon Street, Dallas, Texas 75207
214.369.0169 // hollyjohnsongallery.com
image: Otis Jones
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PanAmerican ArtProjects: Howard Sherman
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 5-8 pm
1615 Dragon St, Dallas, TX 75207
214.522.3303 // panamericanart.com
image: Howard Sherman
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Marty Walker Gallery: Sarah Williams
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 6-8 pm
2135 Farrington St, Dallas, TX 75207
214.749.0066 // martywalkergallery.com
image: Sarah Williams
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Craighead-Green Gallery: Shawn Smith, Arturo Mallmann and Ursula O’Farrell
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 5-8 pm
1011 Dragon St, Dallas, Texas 75207
214.855.0779 // craigheadgreen.com
image: Shawn Smith
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Valley House Gallery: Mary Vernon
Artist Talk: Saturday, September 12, 10:30 am
6616 Spring Valley Road, Dallas, Texas 75254
972.239.2441 // valleyhouse.com
image: Mary Vernon
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PDNB: Shine
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 6-8 pm
1202 Dragon Street, Suite 103, Dallas, TX 75207
214.969.1852 // pdnbgallery.com
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Christina Rees, director of Road Agent, recently published 2 articles entitled State of the Union parts 1 and 2 on glasstire. In a nutshell, the first article was a personal account of how the economy has affected her gallery, some thoughts about how everyone else is doing and what Dallas’ elite collectors should do about it. Part 2 is an in-depth exploration of what running a gallery is like and the types of collectors that are out there, and what they should be doing to support galleries.

At the end of the second article a person commented on Herb and Dorothy Vogel. Herb and Dorothy started collecting from today’s leading contemporary artists before they were famous. This was also before a lot of them had representation and before many of today’s superpower galleries had even opened their doors. They bought small and they bought often. They continued to support these artists throughout their careers, whether by attending every opening in Chelsea or buying small works from the galleries. They had an eye for minimalism, but still maintained a diverse collection. The point is that they did this on the combined salary of a librarian and a postal worker.

The moral of the story is that collecting art is not just for the social elite. I have seen so many people who have little resources be more fashionable than those who can afford any designer label. Being on the pulse is not about dollars, it’s about sense. The same is true of art. If you love it, go and and take some in. Check out your local galleries. Right now I am looking at 8 framed drawings by a well known artist that are $300-$350 framed. In the other room there are original prints starting at $30, if $300 sounds too rich.

I have sold so many people their first piece of art, the reaction is the purist joy I have ever seen (as it relates to commerce). You will never make another purchase like it. There is this ultimate satisfaction that comes with supporting the arts. You directly impact the life of an artist. It is encouraging when an artist sells work. It motivates them to make better work, those sales keep their gallery’s doors open. In turn the gallery continues to develop the artist’s career, museums take note, they are awarded grants and residencies. Before you know it, that piece you bought for $300 five years ago is now going for $1500 or more. Speculative investment is not the reason to buy, you should buy what you love. The point is that original art and prints will never be worth less than what you pay for them, unlike that wall decoration for $300 for at Z Gallerie.

I am a little late in posting this, but it was kind of a shocker and it has been difficult to deal with.

On Thursday June 26th, Andrew Sie unexpectedly passed away at the age of 48. Andrew was half of Light and Sie the beautiful contemporary art gallery that he ran with business partner and long time friend Stanley Light. In his short time as director of Light and Sie he produced 11 exhibitions with an amazing group of artists and curators. He had a wealth of knowledge about the art world that ran as deep as his passion for the work itself.

Andrew was a colleague of mine, but moreover he was a friend. It was fitting that the last time I saw him was at the gallery during an opening, I along with many others will miss Andrew dearly.

Long time no post… I have a good reason, on March 21st I got married, then Honeymoon, moving, plus everything else I have going on= no time to blog. I am back in the saddle and what better way to do so than with a whole lot of art openings.

Conduit Gallery: Lance Letscher, Stephen Lapthisophon and Jennie Ottinger
Opening Reception Sat. May 2 (5-8PM)
1626-C Hi Line Dr, Dallas, TX
214.939.0064 // conduitgallery.com
image: Lance Letscher
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Holly Johnson Gallery: Christopher French
Opening Reception Sat. May 2 (5-8PM)
1411 Dragon Street, Dallas, Texas 75207
214.369.0169 // hollyjohnsongallery.com
image: Christopher French
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PanAmerican ArtProjects: Maysey Craddock, Faith Gay & Darlene Wall
Opening Reception Sat. May 2 (5-8PM)
1615 Dragon St, Dallas, TX 75207
214.522.3303 // panamericanart.com
image: Maysey Craddock
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Marty Walker Gallery: Jay Shinn & Rupert Deese
Opening Reception Sat. May 2 (5-8PM)
2135 Farrington St, Dallas, TX 75207
214.749.0066 // martywalkergallery.com
image: Jay Shinn
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Craighead-Green Gallery: Heather Gorham, Leslie Tejada and Carolyn Zacharias McAdams
Opening Reception Sat. May 2 (5-8PM)
1011 Dragon St, Dallas, Texas 75207
214.855.0779 // craigheadgreen.com
image: Heather Gorham
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PDNB: Wu Jialin & Don Schol
Opening Reception Sat. May 2 (5-8PM)
1202 Dragon Street, Suite 103, Dallas, TX 75207
214.969.1852 // pdnbgallery.com
image: Wu Jialin
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Normally I would just list one of my gallery’s openings along with the other openings, however this one is different. I can’t begin to tell you what a tremendous influence and inspiration the work of Charley Harper has had on me as an artist and designer. The man had one of the most sophisticated color palettes ever, and I don’t even know where to start when it comes to his imagery, just completely amazing.

That being said, here are the details…

Charley Harper: An exhibition of original paintings and vintage serigraphs
Opening Reception: Sat. March 7, 2009 (6-9PM)
Exhibition Runs Through April.

The Public Trust
2919-C Commerce St. Dallas, TX

PDNB Gallery: Todd Stewart: The Garden
Opening Reception Sat. Feb. 21 (6-8PM)
1202 Dragon Street, Suite 103, Dallas, TX 75207
214.969.1852 // pdnbgallery.com
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PanAmerican ArtProjects: Colin Murasko – Instinctive Sensibility & Carolina Sardi – Counterpoints
Opening Reception Sat. Feb. 21 (6-8PM)
1615 Dragon St, Dallas, TX 75207
214.522.3303 // panamericanart.com
image: Colin Murasko

Spazmatics are playing tonight at The Loft…
1135 S. Lamar St. // Dallas, TX // theloftdallas.com
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MK and Hugo are friends of mine, and they have a great spot in the O.C. called Decorazon Gallery. I highly recommend this opening, Kathleen Wilke’s photos are quite incredible, and if memory serves me correctly, they are priced at a fraction of what you think they would or should be, gotta love those emerging artists.

Decorazon: Kathleen Wilke, Wendy Kveck & Jane Fulton Alt
Opening Reception Sat. Jan. 17 (6-9PM)
417 North Bishop Avenue, Dallas TX 75208
214.946.1003 // decorazongallery.com
image: Kathleen Wilke, from her Lady of the Lake series
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Having spent nearly a decade living in Denton, there are 2 things I know for certain. One, the best music in Dallas isn’t in Dallas, it is in Denton. Two, people in Dallas never drive to Denton for anything. Which is why everyone should go to the Sons of Hermann Hall this Saturday for their Salute to Little D.

Here is the Line Up…
Doug Burr, Dust Congress, Robert Gomez and The Baptist Generals.
Tickets are $10 and you can get them in advance at frontgatetickets.com

The show is listed as a Doug Burr show, on the 17th at Sons of Hermann Hall. There aren’t too many live music acts (local or touring) that I am looking forward to in the coming months, so don’t miss out.
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This one is long overdue…DJ Sober of The Party has finally released his first official mixtape. Well it actually isn’t a tape, it’s a cd, but you get the idea. This one is a freebie, and guaranteed to be free of horn and gunshot samples, so pick one up at the next Zubar gig. You can find info on that and all of their other shows at centralbooking.blogspot.com
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HCG Gallery: New Year, New Art
Opening Reception Fri. Jan. 16 (5-8PM)
1130 Dragon Street, Dallas, TX
214.906.8474 // hcggallery.com
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Friday, January 16; 5 – 8 pm

So I am on the super late train with this one. I went to The Porch last night over off Henderson, and it was amazing. I sampled a few appetizers with my fiancée, and they were slammin’. Mac and cheese ham casserole was the highlight and I am sure you can get it sans pig, for those of the vegetarian persuasion. I also had the chili (which was good but not amazing) and the brisket sliders, which are served on Hawaiian rolls, the right mix of savory and sweet. I washed it all down with a couple of pints of some dark beer microbrewed in Fort Worth.

Highlight of the evening was learning that they do NOT serve white zinfandel in the establishment. So shocking to me the number of really great restaurants that push that nonsense to people, instead of giving their patrons a hand up in the world, by weening them off that garbage. Nothing better than when a blinged out Dallas girl shows her class, orders up some white zin and gets shut down. All in all a good time.

Word to the wise, this place jumps off early, so get there by 6 if you don’t want to wait.

The Porch
2916 N Henderson Ave // Dallas, TX 75206
214.828.2916