The Dallas Arts District launches “Art In October”

The Dallas Arts District is the place to be in October.

The shiny new Winspear Opera House

"Art In October" is a celebration of the Dallas Arts District, spotlighting the district’s organizations, venues, and programs with a variety of events, including street performances, art activities, and a few surprises, says Veletta Forsythe Lill, executive director of the Dallas Arts District. “We wanted to create a way to celebrate our unique cultural offerings and engage the community.”

Exhibitions during this time include: The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy at the Dallas Museum of Art, Revelation: The Art of James Magee at the Nasher Sculpture Center, and Tibet: The Land Closest to the Sky: Photographs by Marc Riboud at the Crow Collection of Asian Art.

The Dallas Opera opens their season with a free Opening Night Simulcast of Don Giovanni at the newly opened Annette Strauss Square at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The Dallas Theater Center’s Henry IV runs through October 10, with a Pay-What-You-Can performance on October 2, in honor of our Art in October Opening Celebration. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents works by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, and other special performances including Liza Minnelli with the DSO. As part of D Magazine’s FrontRow Presents: A Film Series, the Dallas Film Society and AT&T Performing Arts Center will present Casablanca on October 16 at Annette Strauss Square at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

Several new collaborations have taken shape for Art In October. The Dallas Arts District and Dallas Center for Architecture, in collaboration with the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and First United Methodist Church will present a Sacred Spaces Tour on October 26. In addition, the Dallas Arts District and Dallas Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Arc Dallas, present a special exhibition to be featured at the Rotunda at Chase Tower. Art & Ability is a 10-day exhibition showcasing the work of The Arc of Dallas’s Artistic Expressions class and other artists with and without disabilities. For each artwork sold, half of the proceeds will go to the artist, providing an important source of income. The other half supports The Arc of Dallas’ programs and services for people with intellectual and related developmental disabilities. The Art & Ability exhibition series feature extraordinary paintings, sculptures, drawings, and more to delight audiences throughout the D/FW area and help extinguish stereotypes about the “ability” of those with a disability. The exhibition will run October 22 through October 31.

The Dallas Arts District organizations participating in this celebration include: The AT&T Performing Arts Center, Booker T. High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Crow Collection of Asian Art, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Center for Architecture, Dallas Film Society, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Opera, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Theater Center, Nasher Sculpture Center, and TITAS.

Art in October spotlight days include:

October 2: Opening Celebration – The Dallas Arts District will celebrate the start of Art In October with free admission to museums, a Pay-What-You-Can performance of Dallas Theater Center’s Henry IV, outdoor performances, tours, and other activities. The Dijon Must’Art delegation from Burgundy, France will offer food, wine, and mustard samplings at the Flora Street entrance of the Dallas Museum of Art.

October 9: DanceAfrica – Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents their 5th Annual DanceAfrica Marketplace, featured at the newly opened Annette Strauss Square at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Enjoy a day of free performances of African dance and music, along with activities for kids.

October 10: Member & Subscriber Day – Members and subscribers of Dallas Arts District organizations will enjoy free admission to the Dallas Arts District museums, discounts on tickets to performances by Dallas Arts District organizations, and other special offers.

October 15: Museum Block Party – The third Friday of the month will bring the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Crow Collection of Asian Art together for a block party, with all the museums open until midnight and films presented by the Dallas Film Society.

October 22: Dallas Opera Opening Night & Simulcast – The Dallas Opera opens its season with Don Giovanni. The all-star cast, led by Tony Award-winning baritone Paulo Szot as Don Giovanni, also features Claire Rutter, Georgia Jarman, Jonathan Boyd, and Mirco Palazzi. In collaboration with the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the Dallas Opera will present a free simulcast of the opening night performance. Bring a blanket and experience Mozart's Don Giovanni on the lawn of the newly opened Annette Strauss Square at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located between the Winspear Opera House and the Meyerson Symphony Center.

October 31: Closing Celebration – Art In October concludes on Halloween with costume-themed festivities and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s annual Spook-Tacular. Admission will be free to the museums. The Dallas Museum of Art will host a “Masks and Máscaras Family Celebration” in honor of the Mexican bicentennial exhibition México 200, Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos, and the African Masks exhibition. Families are encouraged to come in their favorite costume and can begin their trick-or-treating with complimentary Asian candies from the Crow Collection of Asian Art. Celebrate the culinary arts with the Fall Block Party at One Arts Plaza, featuring cooking demonstrations and live music. Dallas Theater Center will present “A Conversation with Regina Taylor,” author of their upcoming production of The Trinity River Plays and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre premieres an original dance at the Dallas Museum of Art. Throughout the district, there will be free behind-the-scenes tours, outdoor performances, mask and costume-making activities, scavenger hunts, and more.

Source: Dallas Arts District