Two exciting pieces of news!

First, we are having a pop up party, Neon Summer, this Sunday, May 26th, at Ash Studios from 3 to 11 p.m. We are partnering with Dallas Music who has curated a stellar line-up: Howler Jr., Track Meet, The Chloes, Missile, Mr. Kitty, and Taylor Effin Cleveland. We will have an open bar courtesy of Austin based Treaty Oaks Distilling Co. (Thanks!) We will also have some murals by Fred Villanueva, bonfire, sprinklers, and 200 water balloons. The Dallas Observer has this event listed as one of the best things to do this weekend. It is a steal for only $10 pre-sale, and $20 at the door. Get your tickets now.

Second, Art This Week has posted the video of our panel, Not Waiting For Permission: 2nd Annual State of the Emerging Arts. I would like to thank Richard Serrano for filming, editing, and posting this panel. I want to thank my panelists, Francisco Moreno, Sally Glass, Lucy Kirkman, Brandy Adams, and Michael Morris for having the courage to express their thoughts and opinions in front of a room full of their peers. I want to thank Heyd, Brian, Laura, and everyone at UTD-Centraltrak for hosting this discussion for a second year. Finally, I want to thank everyone who attended the panel and everyone who takes the time to watch these videos.

Christina Rees wrote a review of this panel for Glasstire that you can check out here, and Lee Escobedo wrote a review of the panel for Dallas Observer which you can check out here.

I just finished watching the videos for the first time, and here are some quick thoughts that I want to share. I might come back and expand on some of them later. I will embed the actual videos as the end of the post.

Things that still seem important to talk about a month later.

1. Lucy’s call for more cross-genre collaboration
2. Sally’s statement that individual curators/collectives are more important than commercial galleries.
3. Defining the paths for emerging artists. Are they all equally viable?
4. Michael Morris’ call for more artist led critiques. Is this a private venture?
5. I like Lucy’s statement of artists and writers growing up together. Who are our generation of art writers in Dallas?
6. I disagree with Brandy about being colorblind. I think it is a literal impossibility for someone blessed with sight. I think the goal of diversity and inclusion is to recognize and celebrate difference, and not let them define who we are. I applaud her for making W.A.A.S a diverse space.
7. I think discussion of transgression, taboo, sins, and politics in Dallas is worth having.
8. Lucy’s statement about her being a collector just as much as The Rachofskys
9. Michael’s statement of working assuming there won’t be a lot of support. Does that need to change?
10. Sally’s statement that we need a funding model for individual artists
11. Where are the arts administrators? How do we connect them with individual artists?
12. Brandy’s call for a collective to help teach artists how to write grants/ important life skills
13. $200 is helpful for the people on the ground level doing the work
14. Lucy’s vacant skyscrapers
15. Commissioners from the Cultural Affairs Commission publicly admitted to failing the arts community over the last half a decade
16. Many people have tried and failed. Can a large scale/craiglist style barter system work?
17. Sally’s, “Trust is a funny word”
18. Cultural Affairs Commissioner says come to the table

So, in the panel I told one of the comissioners that I would personally be responsible for making sure that my community is represented at the table. I am happy to announce that I have held true to my word. June 20th at 4:30 p.m. I will be leading a presentation to the Cultural Affairs Commission advocating for the need to fund artist projects directly. Danielle Georgiou and Jessica Martinez has agreed to join me representing Dance, Theatre, and Music. So far, Meg Friess from Arts Counsel, Liz Trosper from Artistic Dropout, Greg Metz, John Pomara, Heyd Fontenot, Michael Morris, and Sally Glass have agreed to help craft this proposal - and I will reach out in a serious way for more voices next week.

The template right now is to create a body that will advocate on behalf of individual artists and have this body be who is in charge of the grant process. There is a proposal to call this body the Dallas Artists District. We are thinking of asking the City for $150,000 and seeking a total of $500,000 to get things started. Who knows what will happen, but we will give it our best shot. Hang on to your seats, good people, things are about to get fun.

In the book, “The 12 Million Dollar Shark”, the author relays an oft-told joke about race and the New York auction house scene. The joke goes like this: the only black person you will ever see at an evening auction is the doorman.

At the Dallas Art Fair, I counted one black gallery director. No black press. A total of 5 people of color at the Preview Gala. And 20 black staff personnel. At Mayor Rawlings’ art panel, as much as I tried, I couldn’t get past the visual on the stage: 6 white men representing the city.

This is not a lament. It’s just that ever since writing “Where Are All The Black People”, I haven’t been able to ignore it. Once you acknowledge the elephant in the room, it becomes impossible to unsee it. I hadn’t written about or discussed race before because I thought it was enough that my events were diverse. It is one of the hallmarks of Green Bandana Group; from the very beginning we attracted a wonderful mix of everybody.

Also, I secretly dislike talking about things, especially race. I prefer to speak through actions over rhetoric. Dallas loves to talk about stuff. One of my clients calls it the “rah rah” moment. We all get together in a room, we talk about something, everyone goes “rah rah”, we feel good about it, then everyone goes home, back to their busy lives, and nothing really changes.

Honestly, the last thing I want to do in my life is to talk about race. I am trying to build an amazing social club called The 500. I am one of the producers of a creative education program, DaVerse Lounge. I’m working to expand it to an additional five schools next year. I am partnering with over 20 other arts and community organizations to curate a community art project called The Dallas LOVE Project that will produce and exhibit 10,000 pieces of art in response to the 50^th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. I still want to establish a live/work artist residency and I wouldn’t mind directing a gallery space again. I am writing more consistently, and lately I have even started to make art again. I really don’t want to spend any more of my time discussing race.

Yet, I have to talk about race. I have a moral obligation to talk about race. And so do you. We must talk about it in public. On Facebook. On Twitter. On KERA. In D Magazine. In The Dallas Observer. In The Dallas Morning News. In FD Luxe. In Arts and Culture. In Glasstire. Anytime we can describe an opening, a party, a panel, and the leadership of any institution, as “all white everything”- we are obligated to say something.

Dallas will not become a world class arts city until it becomes more diverse and inclusive. Dallas will not change its perception issue until it becomes more diverse and inclusive. Talented people of color often don’t feel welcome in Dallas and are the first to leave. And for people who are not from Dallas, the lack of diversity in our arts scene is very noticeable.

So, how do we make Dallas more diverse? First we must be willing to talk about the issue and pressure institutions, leaders, and board members to be accountable for diversity inside of their own organizations. While I am happy that there are many people of color employed at the Dallas Museum of Art as gallery attendants and security guards, what percentage are employed as curators, leadership, and mid-management support? Could you count them on one hand, on two?

Second, we must realize that as in every other aspect of American life, a disproportionate amount of minorities start off economically disadvantaged. This means that even for the rare overachievers, they have no familial safety net. They can’t live at home with their parents, while saving money to open and operate a gallery. They do not have that luxury. At the same time that we are wrestling up money to support our emerging artists, curators, writers, arts professionals, we need to find and assign specific resources to help attack our diversity problem.

Third, we need people who are willing to mentor and help talented people of color. Mentorship isn’t talked about publicly very often, but it is so crucial for professional success. A mentor provides encouragement, advice, feedback, and care. A mentor shapes and helps pave the way for professional growth. Your mentor participates in conversations that you aren’t yet a part of, and when someone mentions your name – they say “I know this person, they are really talented.” When someone says “We are looking for someone to do this” – your mentor says, “Oh I know just the person who would be perfect for that.” This is how people get jobs, get nominated for awards, get invited to be part of shows, get invited to curate shows, get invited to write and review. It is the strength of their mentors and peer group.

I won’t ever grow tired of talking about and thanking my mentors. When I came to Dallas, I did reach out to Vicki Meek and she sat down with me and helped orient me within the city. Karen Blessen is a huge mentor to me, incredible advocate, and very positive influence on my life. Roberto Munguia and Will Richey have been mentors to me since I was a teenager. Nancy Whitenack and Danette Dufilho taught me early on and continue to teach me what it means to be a gallery director. Charissa Terranova and Heyd Fontenot have always been advocates and supporters of my endeavors. When I first started my company, a lawyer, Craig Gant was a big mentor in helping me get Green Bandana off the ground. I could easily rattle off a hundred names of mentors and peers who have supported me over the last three years. And I thank all of you. The point is that no one does it alone. You don’t have to be black to mentor a black kid. You just have to care. 

Finally, there needs to be a pipeline to increase and retain black people in the arts in Dallas. We need to figure out how to identify talented kids who are 7 or 8 years old, help them stay in school, help nurture their creativity, help them thrive in high school, help them get into college, help them get internships, help them travel, help them graduate, help them find jobs or apply to graduate schools, help them establish their personal careers, and mentor and financially support them every step of the way.

This is not easy or simple and will take serious resources, finances, and will to achieve. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We have an obligation to do this.

We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. One model is Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M Health Science Center, which has the highest rate of diversity amongst all dental colleges in the US. Baylor does this through committed funding for grants to strategize and sustain a pipeline from elementary school right through to dental school.

I am well aware that race is not the only problem facing our arts scene. I am aware that many women and Latinos have similar inclusion issues at the higher levels of the Dallas arts scene. I am excited to be moderating a panel discussion next week called “Not Waiting For Permission” with five of our most talented emerging arts leaders, Sally Glass, Michael Morris, Lucy Kirkman, Francisco Moreno, and Brandy Michelle Adams. We will have a free flowing, wide ranging conversation about the state of the arts in Dallas, April 25^th at 8 p.m. at UTD-Centraltrak.

Yet, after going to almost every visual arts activity during the biggest art week of our calendar year, and seeing only a handful of black people and very few minorities in general – I had to write this essay. I had to say something. I didn’t want to. But I had to. And I hope you feel the same way.

It isn’t hyperbole to say that this is the biggest week of the entire year for visual arts in Dallas. In terms of scope, quantity, and quality, there is nothing to compare to these next five days. If you don’t go to at least one visual art event this week, shame on you. If you are able to go to all of them – I will personally award you a medal. This started as just trying to list some things for some of my friends, and then became a bigger list for The 500, and now it has become this length of a Bill Simmons' column.

Speaking of The 500, everyone who knows that they should have subscribed to The 500, please take a second and do that now. When you join the 500 you get me to tell you about stuff like this, except every single week. Oh and then I throw you a party at the end of the month. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

Without further ado – the Biggest, Baddest, Bestest, Sweetest, Most Awesome, Exciting, Head Exploding, Week for Art In Dallas.

Wednesday

Dallas Arts: A Creative Conversation

(art panel discussion hosted by the Mayor)

Dallas Performance Hall 5:30 p.m.

Panel Starts at 6 p.m.

Need to RSVP http://dallasartsweek.eventbrite.com/

http://www.facebook.com/events/165107213647597

Deetz: Free wine, Free To Attend, Need To RSVP, Arts District

The Mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings, (1) whose daughter Michelle is a visual artist  (2)and shows with Oliver Francis Gallery (3), anointed this week Dallas Art Week (4). He also set up a panel. This is going to be great! First its at the new Dallas City Performance Hall (5) which you probably haven’t ventured into yet. Second, it has my homie Kevin Jacobs (6) on it. Actually you can just call this week Sweet Kevin’s Baadaaassss Song (7). Already controversial because the organizers (the Mayor/his people/”they”) did that thing where they didn’t pick any women for the panel (8). Organizers of public panels that are supposed to be representative of a major city, please include a female and someone not white. Just a great rule of thumb.

"Tobias Madison, Emanuel Rossetti & Stefan Tcherepnin"

Power Station 6 p.m – 8 p.m.

3816 Commerce Street, Dallas, Tx 75226

http://www.facebook.com/events/468502099883176/

Deetz: Free drinks, Free To Attend, Fancy ppl, Expo Park

Everyone likes The Power Station (8). They don’t do a ton of programming compared to other art institutions, but they tend to do a really good job. Also they tend to have a pretty fancy crowd that doesn’t regularly attend other local art openings. I have a feeling this will be doubly so because of the Art Fair.

Thursday 

Dallas Art Preview Gala

Fashion Industry Gallery

1807 Ross Avenue, Dallas, 75201

7 p.m – 10 p.m.

Deetz: $250 (9), Super Fancy Party, Super Fancy PPL, Feel Free To Invite Me As Your Plus One, Arts District

So, everyone cool from all over the world is going to be here and they are going to drink a bunch of champagne, give one armed hugs, and kiss each other on the cheek. Depending on who you are this is the best thing and/or the worst thing happening this week. Drop the money if you got it. Make fun of the whole deal if you don’t.

Official Dallas Art Fair Preview Gala After Party

The Joule Hotel (10) (rooftop deck)

1530 Main St., Dallas, TX 75201

10 p.m – 2 a.m.

Deetz: Downtown

Yeah, I bet you can probably crash this. Wear a nice suit, crazy dress, and be fearless.

Matthew Cusik – Motor Transgressions

Texas Theatre

8-11 p.m

http://www.facebook.com/events/276206602514043

Deetz: Free To Attend, Oak Cliff

The Texas Theatre (11) is cool. So this might be cool too.

Color, Colour, Colores

South Dallas Cultural Center

6:30 p.m. Bites and Drinks

7:00 p.m. Screening Ozwald Boateng: A Man's Story 

http://www.facebook.com/events/132658416917668/

Deetz: Free Drinks, Free Bites, Free To Attend, South Dallas

South Dallas Cultural Center (12) is probably the best art place you have never been to. You should go there more. I should go there more. My fashion people, especially my men’s fashion people, will probably like this. Plus, you know, it’s good to support black and brown people (13). 

"Platonic Solids" by Matthew Koons

TractorBeam Gallery

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
325 Cesar Chavez, Dallas, Tx 75201

http://www.facebook.com/events/442140689195547

Deetz: Free To Attend, Free Drinks, Downtown

Tractor Beam (14) knows how to throw a great party. This will be no exception. The hipster glitterati will be out in force. (15)

Friday

Dallas Art Fair

11:00 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Fashion Industry Gallery

1807 Ross Avenue Dallas 75201

http://www.dallasartfair.com/

Deetz: $25, one day pass, Arts District

The Dallas Art Fair will have a ton of art from a ton of galleries and will be generally awesome. Just go. It’s worth it. Oh and Culture Map Dallas has a deal for a free ticket on Friday. (16)

Sightings: Nathan Mabry

Nasher Sculpture Center

2001 Flora Street, Dallas, 75201

6 – 8 p.m

Deetz: Free To Attend, Arts District

It’s the Nasher (17). You have to go to it before Museum Tower (18) finishes melting it (19). Just kidding, I love Museum Tower and want to do awesome things there before the year is over. Seriously, it will be great.

Dan Rees

Goss Michael Foundation

6:30 p.m – 8:30 p.m

1405 Turtle Creek Boulevard, Dallas, 75207

Deetz: Free To Attend, Free Wine, Design District

Sweet Kevin’s Baadaaassss Song continues at the Goss Michael Foundation (20). You want to see the beautiful people. You want to feel beautiful. Go to GMF.

Stutter, slip, stack – Kristen Cochren

Re Gallery

6 – 10 p.m.

1717 Gould Street, Dallas, TX 75215

http://www.facebook.com/events/441759859236292/

Deetz: Free To Attend, Free Wine, The Cedars

I love RE Gallery (21). I love it is in a house. I love it is run by Wanda Dye (22). I love it shows (so far) smallish art objects. I love there is often a small bonfire. I love you that there is a gang of young artists who has carved out the turf as their home base (23). I love turf. But what I love most is how easy Wanda makes it for you to see the art. Art viewing is often social. We like to look at art with other people, particularly at openings or closings, and particularly with a drink in our hand. I’m sure that doesn’t apply to you, but it does apply to the majority of people who look at art in Dallas. Wanda has openings, closings, and an artist talk. Every single show. For this show she is having a double opening because it is an insanely busy week. Check it out Friday or Saturday, and fall in love.

High Contrast – Lucas Martell

Mountain View College

7:00 p.m.

http://www.facebook.com/events/561758993847324

Deetz: Free To Attend, Just Google Map It

I also love Lucas Martell (24). I think most people love Lucas Martell. Every time I see him I say his name in a sing songy voice that is to the tune of the opening of Lupin III (25). LUCAS MARTELL. LUCAS MARTELL. LUCAS. LUCAS. LUCAS. LUCAS MARTELL. So that’s why I am driving to his closing and showing love. You should too.

Moonlight In Dallas (Red iD 5^th Anniversary)

Avanti Fountain Place

1445 ross avenue, suite 150
dallas, tx 75202

http://www.facebook.com/events/181314802016213

RSVP: http://moonlightindallas.eventbrite.com/

Deetz: Free To Attend, Downtown

Red iD Agency (26) is a wonderful PR and Branding company and Teresa Nguyen is an awesome person. And 5 Years is no joke. Plus, The Danny Church Band (27) and magic! For Free!?!? You are too good to us Teresa.

Caja Dallas

Dallas Contemporary

8:00 p.m – 12:00 a.m

161 Glass Street, Dallas, 75207

Deetz: Free To Attend, Free Drinks, Design District

Oh where to begin? First, if you attend one art event on Friday – it has to be the Dallas Contemporary (28). I love the Contemporary. I thought the scandal earlier this year was horrifying (29). I think the shows can be incredibly uneven, fashion dominated glitzy affairs. I think the shows that aren’t that are often really great. I think it was great that people called Peter Doroshenko (30) out for being largely invisible on the local art scene, and I think it is great that I have seen him out and about the last three weekends. I think the institution has done the best job at attracting a diverse crowd of any arts institution in Dallas. I think it also does a great job at helping local talent reach the next level. Most importantly, I think the Dallas Contemporary is an institution that is wonderful barometer for where we are at as a city. Which is why everyone will be there Friday night.

Wax Addicts

Circuit 12

9 – 2 a.m.

1130 Dragon St Suite 150

http://www.facebook.com/events/626736250686601

Deetz: $10, Design District

This is what you should do after the Dallas Contemporary. Three of the best most consistent DJs in Dallas, and the new show, Milestone #1 (31) that opened up last weekend is one of my favorites from this gallery.

Saturday

Dallas Art Fair

11:00 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Fashion Industry Gallery

1807 Ross Avenue Dallas 75201

Deetz, $25, Arts District 

If you didn’t go Friday. You should go today. If you went Friday, you should also go today. There is A LOT OF ART TO SEE.

Panel Discussion – Navigating an Art Fair
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Dallas Contemporary,

161 Glass Street, Dallas, 75207

Deetz: Free To Attend, Design District

Might be interesting for my artist friends who want to form a wandering art fair tribe.

Panel Discussion – Why Can’t We All Get Along?
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Dallas Contemporary,

161 Glass Street, Dallas, 75207
Deetz: Free To Attend, Design District

Sweet Kevin’s Baadaaassss Song continues as part of this panel that I wish will be Dallas-centric but have a feeling will probably be general talk about artists and galleries. Oh and Papa Heyd Fontenot (32), Defender of the City, and Guardian of Centraltrak (34) will be on the panel as well. Heyd is the best and will probably say worthwhile things and doesn’t do a lot of public panels so you should go listen to him.

360 Speaker Series: Nathan Mabry
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Nasher Sculpture Center,

2001 Flora Street, Dallas, 75201
To reserve seating, please email 360RSVP@nashersculpturecenter.org

Deetz: Free To Attend, Free Wine, Must RSVP, Arts District

See the show, hear the artist talk, and get free wine. Perfect for those who missed the opening.

Innate

Oil and Cotton

837 W. 7th Street, Dallas, Texas 75208

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

http://www.facebook.com/events/645472422135410

Deetz: Free To Attend, Free Wine, Oak Cliff

Oil and Cotton is really cool (35), and I have slept on it for a while. No more! Shout out to Sally Glass, editor of semigloss. (36) for getting me to see the light.

Fallas Dart Air: Low and Slow

Mama Faye’s BBQ

7:00 p.m – 11:30 p.m.

http://www.facebook.com/events/145838148923936/

Deetz: Free To Attend, Deep Ellum

I am really hopeful that this will be the best thing ever and change my life. Seriously these are my expectations. I love subversion or transgression or whatever you want to call it. Had a chance to chat with Ludwig Schwarz (37) last week and he seems like a swell guy. And can you hear that sound? It’s the tune of Sweet Kevin’s Baadaaassss Song. Finally, have you had Mama Faye’s BBQ (38)!?

Stutter, slip, stack – Kristen Cochren

RE Gallery

6 – 9 p.m.

1717 Gould Street, Dallas, TX 75215

http://www.facebook.com/events/441759859236292/

Opening so nice they had to do it twice. I will probably be attending the Saturday opening.

TINAY/IDNCTBH (SRTAMHMWF)

Oliver Francis Gallery

7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m

209 S. Peak St. Dallas, Texas 75226

http://www.facebook.com/events/500095190026121/

Sweet Kevin’s Baadaaassss Song comes to a glorious climax at the house Kevin Rubens Jacobs built – OFG. I really hope they burn things. I also hope there is an ice chest. Maybe Green Bandana (39) will revive our pop-up bar concept (40). I hope there is a dance party til 4:00 a.m. Seriously what is there to do after 10:00 p.m? Maybe we’ll throw a pop-up party. Ash Studios (41)? I’ll ask Fred (42).

Landscape Is Motorized

500X Gallery

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
500 Expositon Avenue, Dallas, Tx 75226

http://www.facebook.com/events/589861854358410

500X (43) is like your favorite t-shirt. No matter where you are going, you are always going to take it with you. New things come and go, 500X is forever. That is why you should always go to there show openings.

Sunday

Dallas Art Fair

12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Yep – you finally have to cave in and go the actual Dallas Art Fair (44). It was crazy. Let’s do this more often. Oh yeah, and I hear there is some international film festival (45) that is happening too.

xoxo art ppl,

Darryl

When I was 20, I would drive 45 minutes south of Dallas, past Mansfield, to hangout at the house of a musician couple who had toured with Sly and The Family Stone. Inside of this unlikely house was a state of the art recording studio. I would listen to professional musicians jam out, write poetry, and just soak up the atmosphere of being an artist.

When I was 21, I would drive to Northeast Dallas for house parties thrown by an amazing South American couple. We would drink wine, listen to world-class jazz musicians, hear beautiful poetry, and look at great art. My friends would try to get me to salsa, and I would protest, but occasionally, I would attempt to spin someone around.

When I was 22, I flocked to the Bishop Arts Distict, and friends would DJ afrobeat on the sidewalks, and we would drink wine, and laugh, and dream. I started going to every gallery opening that I could. I started to really look. I would soon get the opportunity to start this company, book and manage a music venue, and represent some amazing talent.

By the time I was 23 I had officially fallen in love with Dallas. I would take midnight walks through Downtown and the Arts District, and just breathe the city inside my soul. I would lament that some of my friends didn’t love the city as much as I did, and I would wonder what I could do to help them stay. I would dream about how great Dallas could be, and what I could do to help her get there.

Three years have passed since I fell in love with Dallas and we are at a pivotal moment. There are many people who are falling in love with our fair city. Talented people are giving Dallas a try. The excitement and enthusiasm is infectious. Over the last three years, I am most proud of the moments in which I have helped communities of like-minded people establish and grow. The reason I focus on this is because I believe when the right people interact, great things organically come from these interactions.

Yet our creatives need more than just friends. They also need finacial support to make new, ambitious, and risky work. The visual arts in Dallas does not have a grants program for emerging talent. Artists are left to fend for themselves, hustle where they can, and hope for the best. Towards the end of last year, I wondered what would happen if we could form a community of people that would help address this issue? If we could gather 500 people in Dallas who wanted to do something tangible, something that would have an outsize impact, on our arts community.

We are calling this community The 500, and we really want for you to be part of it. The idea is simple – once enough people join The 500, we will start awarding $1,000 grants to artists to make new work, every month. The artist will debut their new work at the monthly event for 500 members, and then are free to do whatever they want to with the work. For our creatives the benefits are threefold. They get money to help create a new piece, a platform to exhibit or debut that work, and an audience to enjoy and respond to the new work.

What members of The 500 get is an easy way to support the cutting edge artists who will make Dallas a world class arts city. They also get a chance to be part of one of the best communities of like-minded individuals in Dallas. They get a monthly, amazing multi-genre art party planned by Green Bandana. They also get information and access to all of the beautiful underground art happenings that make Dallas great. All for “the crazy, affordable” price of $30/month.

There is only so much that any of us can do alone. For Dallas to continue to grow we need to build the audience for the arts, and not just on the museum level. We need to get the people who donate to large arts institutions to support artists, thinkers, and doers who often do much of the heavy, innovative, lifting that makes Dallas special. We need the young professionals who want to help but don't have the time to really get involved. We need the shoegazers, the creative class, the service industry, the students, everyone to get some skin in the game. It is truly superb to have a Cindy Sherman exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art, but supporting artists like Hillary Holsonback, Haley Kattner Allen, Danielle Georgiou, and Sally Glass is just as important for our global ambitions.

Last year Green Bandana pumped in over $60,000 into our local arts economy. Every time I write someone a check, it helps them continue to survive and do their part to make our city great. If The 500 is successful we will be able to double that number to $120,000. But it will take all of us, each of us, to make this a reality.

This Saturday we are having a preview event, called Gloria, to give people a taste of what they can expect from The 500 in terms of the quality of our offerings. It will take place at the Conduit Gallery, we will have a poetry reading, an amazing concert by The Danny Church Band, a dance party by The MoodSwing DJs, and a sponsored Open Bar. There will also be something you probably haven’t ever experienced before that is collaboration between Roberto Munguia x Conduit x GBG.  Oh, and it is also my birthday party, so there’s that. All for only $15, get your tickets here, find a dope hat, wear a suit, put on that dress, party with us, and learn more about The 500.

We all have our reasons for being in Dallas. Some of us love her, some of us are indifferent, and some of us are still struggling to see her charms. All of us have struggled from time to time, to find our tribe in Dallas - to find that group of people amongst whom we belong. Once a month, let us build you a home, an oasis, where we can all come together and celebrate everything that makes Dallas special. Let us come together to help our art scene take an important step in her growth. Join The 500, and let us help you fall in love.

“Don't play for anybody other than your family, or God, or whatever you believe in," he said. "It's easy to get caught up in playing for the crowd, trying to play a game you're not capable of... I try harder not to do things that are over my head, not do anything too special." – Stephen Curry

"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." – Albert Einstein

No one likes talking about luck. However, if you asked most businessmen if they could be consistently lucky or consistently smart, most would choose to be consistently lucky. If you are always lucky and have a few good ideas, you will become a millionaire. If you have a million great ideas but also have terrible luck, you will die penniless. The biggest reason people don’t like to discuss luck is because it shoots holes in our beloved idea of meritocracy. The narrative of hard work, dedication, and occasional brilliance are hallmarks of the upward mobility mythology. We love any retelling of the American Dream because it gives us hope, a reason to keep striving, and like religion, it helps us orient ourselves in the world.

We love sports because they serve as a pageant that lets us frame, tell, and digest the morality of our country. One of my favorite bits of theater is March Madness, a 68 team college basketball tournament to crown the NCAA champion. As the tourney approaches commentators will gush over how hard every team has worked to get there, and up until the opening tip off on Thursday every team imagines that they have a shot to win it all. We all take turns marveling in this seemingly level playing field where David and Goliath stand hand in hand; where everyone who works hard has a chance to clutch the brass ring. 

Of course this is simply not true. If you are a 16 seed you are going to lose your game against the 1 seed. A 16 seed is a ritualistic sacrifice. Statistically the chances of winning are close to zero which illustrates the gap in ability between a 16 seeded team and a team who receives a number 1 ranking. It has never happened before, and every year we wait, and someone will say maybe these kids can give them a scare, but it simply does not happen. 

For me the interesting thing about teams that are 16 seeds is that they are often conference champions, many of whom dominate their conferences. What does this say about a mediocre team in their own conference? And then I remember that there are two entire college divisions of basketball below the division I. How big is the gulf in ability as you go down the ladder? And the average DIII team would wipe the floor with a really good high school team. The worst team in the NBA would absolutely blow out whichever college team wins this year NCAA tournament. The one thing that all of these teams have in common is that they are working really, really, hard every single day to get better.

What attracts people to March Madness are the teams seeded 14 though 10. Those teams have a shot to beat their opponent. Even better we almost know that at least one, and often several of them, will actually upset their first round opponent. If this team survives the first weekend, they will be dubbed the “Cinderella” team. The press will spend a week crafting stories around this team that will revolve around how hard they work, how unselfish they play, how “together” the team is, how well they are coached, how they play the game the “right” way. The Cinderella team becomes the stand-in for the bootstrapping immigrant in our mobility narrative.

I love the Cinderella team. I went to a school, Davidson College, that made a trip to the Elite 8 my senior year. It was lovely. All of a sudden the country cares about your tiny school of 1600 kids, and by extension cares about you. I knew our star player, Stephen Curry, but that was the beauty of it – we all knew Stephen Curry. After we beat Gonzaga in the Round of 32, I remember being in an apartment with some friends and some members of the team and Steph comes in. Everyone is just jumping and shouting and for a second the moment belonged to all of us.

We would lose to the eventual champion, Kansas, at Ford Field in the Elite 8. The trustees had arranged to pay for any student who was interested in attending room and board, and I was there amongst the faithful. I saw our senior point guard and nation assist leader, Jason Richards, take the final three point shot. For those tenths of a second as the ball arced through the air, every one of us believed it was going in. I will always treasure that moment, being with tens of thousands of people all praying for the same thing, and confident that their prayers would be answered.

Statistically, Davidson College never had a real shot at being a National Champion. There has only been one team since the tourney expanded to win the championship at below a three seed. It was a 4 seed – Arizona State. Yet every year we are sucked into suspending our belief. Perhaps the greatest Cinderella of all time was Butler University in 2010, making it to the championship game against Duke and having a legitimate final second shot to win the game. Upon reviewing the tape experts concluded that if their star players elbow was angled an 1/8^th of an inch to the left, the shot would have gone in. The difference between making history and losing everything came down to “the width of a tear.”

One of the problems with the art world is that we do not have a suitable pageant upon which to project our beliefs. Economist Don Thompson suggests that at any given time in New York City there are 40,000 artists, 300 who have mature careers, 5,000 with gallery representation, and 15,000 artists actively looking for representation. He also suggests that it is better to be represented by the 51^st best gallery in New York than by the best gallery in Baltimore. This is similar to being the 7^th best team in the Big East compared to the best team from the Southwestern Atlantic Conference. I am sure that the best gallery in Baltimore works really hard, and perhaps even harder than a top NYC gallery. I am equally sure that if they both wanted the same artist, like any 16 seed, the Baltimore gallery would have zero chance of winning.

Most of us are closer to 16 seeds than we are to number one seeds. If we are really honest most of us aren’t even Division I material, let alone ready for the Big Dance. If we are painfully honest most of us won’t ever upset anyone, or ever even make a splash. No one talks about this because it is impolite and because everyone harbors some idea that they may get lucky. It is impolite because it violates our idea of hard work trumping all. It is impolite because we do not like to think about how much of our own life is outside of our control.

Making art and playing sports are very similar. We start off in the same place; we learn the same fundamentals, but relatively quickly a few people start distancing themselves from the pack. In sports this is mostly a matter of genetics. Shaquille O Neal is a hall of famer because he was destined to become 7’1 and 325 pounds and one of the most physically explosive and imposing players of all time. If you were destined to grow to 5’10 no amount of will or hard work would ever lead you to a Hall of Fame NBA career.

Similarly most artists know by the age of 30 if they are going to have a branded art career. Even artists who make vastly different types of work come from the same dozen or so elite art schools, are included in the same important art shows, win the same awards, are shown at the same art fairs, and are represented by the same dealers. If they haven’t experienced any sort of success by 30, they probably won’t ever be in the Whitney Biennial or other similar exhibitions. They probably won’t even have a shot of getting a show at the best gallery in Baltimore.

Yet, the beauty of both sport and art is that most people don’t do them to one day have a Hall of Fame career or get into the Whitney. There is a distinct virtue in simply participating in both – your life improves by the process. And what makes art even better than sports is that you can keep participating even as your physical body betrays you. Even the best professional athlete is rarely able to play past 40. My mentor Roberto Munguia’s mentor Leonard Brooks created a collage every day until his death at 100 in 2011.

My alma mater is back in the tournament this year as a 14 seed against 3 seed Marquette. I am eagerly devouring any material that suggests we have a chance to defeat this other team. I know in most of my brackets I will pick us to win over Marquette even though we only have a 25%-33% chance of doing so. Although I know it is statistically impossible, every year I fill out at least one bracket where Davidson wins the NCAA championship.

Whether it is rooting for a small school in North Carolina, supporting a burgeoning art scene in Dallas or rejoicing in the triumph of a living God, the act of belief has its own rewards. Faith allows us to enter into communities of value. It helps us establish relationships with likeminded people, other human beings who care as we care. It orients our world and allows us to conquer fear and enjoy the life we have been given. It is our antidote to the laughter of the gods.  

“Our job is not to flatten the sky, it is to wander along that field and report back the findings.” – Kyle Whellston

The Boys Scouts of America has caused me much angst recently. Over the last few years, a mountain of evidence has been released concerning the abuse of children and subsequent cover-up of abuse and shielding of abusers. Also, the B.S.A. has continued to hold onto its antiquated stance on gay rights – refusing to allow gay scouts or gay scout leaders. I have never felt so conflicted about an organization that I believed in so strongly.

I grew up a scout. I was a Tiger Cub. I was a Cub Scout. I was a Webelos. I was a Boy Scout. I was a Venture Scout. And I am an Eagle Scout. One of the most important parts of scouting, especially for a city dweller, is to get an opportunity to grow up in Nature. From age 5 to17, I went camping at least once a month. I learned how to fish, track, build fires, shoot guns, shoot arrows, hunt, put up a tent, build a temporary shelter, navigate, canoe, climb, tie knots, cook, and survive.

When I became a teenager, I joined our Venture Crew and focused on high adventure camping – venturing into the woods for more than a week and having to survive with what you could carry. Two times stand out in particular. The first was our trek to the Boundary Waters, the famed series of lakes between Minnesota and Canada. On the 24 hour bus ride up, there was a fireman who kept talking about how he wanted to see a bear. Of course, he became part of my crew and our first day out – about 20 minutes after setting up camp, a black bear lumbered into our campsite.

We were scared. Immediately we started banging pots and pans and trying to scare the bear off. He turned away, but returned after five minutes. Protocol should have been for us to leave and find another campsite. Instead we decided to take pictures of the bear, emboldened by not having previously been swallowed up. I decided I needed to have the best picture, so I set off towards the bear with my wind-up Kodak disposable flash. As I was looking through my viewfinder, inching closer and closer, trying to frame the perfect shot, I forgot two very important things.

One: objects in a viewfinder are closer than they appear. Two: my camera had an automatic flash. I took the picture and three things happened almost simultaneously. There was an unexpected large flash of light, I pull down the camera and realize the bear was less than six feet away from me, and the bear rears up on its hind legs, shows his teeth, and roars.

I honestly thought I was about to die. Yet, my crew came storming to my rescue. Banging pots and pans like my life depended on it – trying to trick the bear into believing that together we were a dangerous, multi-limbed, predator he had never met before. Somehow it worked. The bear ran off again and never returned.

The second time found me at the mecca of scouting, Philmont. I had just confronted my fear of falling by rock climbing for the first time at 8,000 ft. I had cried, I had frozen up, but with the support and encouragement of my crew – I did it. I remember being at camp that night and just looking up into the sky. I had seen stars my entire life, and had been surrounded by beautiful night skies before. Yet, perhaps because of the day or the altitude, this wasn’t like any prairie sky I had seen before. I was literally overwhelmed by the stars. I couldn’t help thinking about God, and how small we are, and how big the world is and the universe, and how awesome it was that I could see the sky like this. I felt ancient – like I had the same soul as the millions of people who have looked heavenward for answers. To this day, whenever I am especially confused or anguished, I still go outside and look up toward the stars.

Towards the end of 2012, I found my gaze often tilted towards the heavens. I was feeling like my company was unraveling at a startling speed. Literally in a few weeks, we went from feeling invincible to being thousands of dollars in debt. After three years of growth and success and after a year that made our name mean something – I couldn’t believe that I was dealing with failure. I couldn’t believe that I was considering shutting down my beloved company.

You hardly ever hear about the failures. The individuals, collectives, companies, and institutions that have come before you and silently floated away. Perhaps the largest tribe in Dallas is the almost famous. A few days before the New Year, I found myself at the Grapevine Bar, alone, and completely miserable. I had less than ten dollars to my name, had been dealing with major depression for weeks, and honestly just wanted to give the whole game up. We had one more shot at getting back on track, our New Year’s Eve party, but the numbers weren’t looking promising, and I had to make the decision on whether or not to cancel it. If we canceled, Green Bandana was done. If we went ahead and failed again, Green Bandana was done, just with more debt. I remember talking to Dustin Orlando, owner of Circuit 12 Gallery, and he reminded me that there is no shame in failure – that he had failed and experiences moments when he wants to give up, and there is no shame in that. The shame is in not trying, in not giving it your best shot. That night I went home and turned my head skywards, and remembered that I was not alone.

We had the party. It was a success, over 200 people brought in the New Year with us that night. Green Bandana was still alive, yet we were all exhausted. It was time to do something I hadn’t done in years. It was time to take some time off, venture back into the wilderness, and see what I would find there. It was time to once again let the stars guide me, and surrender to a higher, enveloping power. It was time to regain my sense of wonder, my sense of awe, my sense of purpose, my sense of humility, and my sense of thankfulness. It was time to read the constellations.

This essay series is my report of what I have found whilst wandering in the heavens. It is modeled after my favorite essay series that Kyle Whelliston did before the start of Season 5 at The Mid Majority. The titles of each essay are borrowed, verbatim, from his essays, and I will include a quote or two from his essay before I start my own.

So, without further ado, let us continue our slow journey around the sun. Let us all pause and take time to frolic amongst the stars.

Over the last two years I have been developing a statistical framework to look at the careers of artists, called Art STATS.

Art STATS is designed to be a tool for evaluating the careers of professional artists.

In short, this program assigns numbers to artists.

Right now Art STATS is an infant. It can give an artists career an overall numerical value. It can compare artists to each other regardless of age. And it can predict whether or not a young artist will have a long career.

In time, Art STATS will hopefully be able to predict an artist’s selling potential, have increased sophistication based on genre and region, and also evaluate galleries and other institutions as well as individual artists.

Art STATS won’t be able to tell you which art is good or bad. It won’t tell you which art is important/relevant and which art isn’t. It won’t be able to tell you which artists are nice and which artists are assholes. It won’t help develop your taste.

It will be transformational for the entire contemporary art world.

The statistical revolution has transformed almost every major industry in this country. From sports, to medicine, to Wall Street, the idea that there are things we can objectively know has been a powerful one.

It is also one that makes many people deeply uncomfortable. Most people see statistics as a threat; an affront to their own training and expertise.  Yet, the goal of statistics is to simply try to better understand what is really happening, and quantify it numerically.

The art world is not transparent. It revels in anecdotal stories and thrives in subjectivity. Art STATS cannot take the mystery from art; that will always be there and that is part of what makes viewing art so unique and enjoyable.

However, the careers of artists are not subjective. Where an artist went to school, where an artist had a show, the number and amount of pieces they sold, all of these things are objective, discoverable, facts. We can code these facts, dice these facts, compare these facts, and learn from these facts.

Once again the goal isn’t that this set of data we are creating and manipulating tells the whole story. It won’t and it can’t. It can however report things that are true and valuable.

Most importantly, I believe that Art STATS will create the type of fandom and audience building the contemporary art  desperately needs. It will make art more democratic and accessible. I don’t think artists are going to suddenly light themselves on fire just because there are numbers in the game now. Millions of people play basketball every day even though they know they will probably never make it to the N.B.A. In fact, one could argue that a certain statistical category called an “assist” is what makes the sport of basketball most similar to art.

I met Trenton Doyle Hancock when I was in high school. A couple art kids from my school got selected to go to some workshop which he facilitated and we drew stuff and glued stuff and wrote stuff and collaged stuff. It was grand. We were really excited about it. I have seen him a couple times since then, and he seems like a really swell guy.

I was 24 when I had an opportunity to curate shows at a gallery space. It was in the Design District, on Dragon Street, and my first show was a 2-man show by Alfredo Salazar-Caro and Shane Mecklenburger. Hundreds of people showed up for the opening. Terranova came. It was grand. I was the youngest and blackest thing for miles and miles. 

I was 16 when I had the opportunity to interview Nancy Whitenack about what it means to own and operate a gallery. It was in preparation for spending a month at the McCombs School of Business at University of Texas, Austin. I have spent a decade trying to figure out better ways to bridge art and commerce. 

I came back to Dallas at 22. I started attending every art happening I could find. I went to house parties. I went to warehouse parties. I went to galleries. I went to museums. I looked at as much as possible for two years before I started to do anything that related to the visual arts scene. All of that looking gave me confidence. I knew who was good. I knew what was exciting. I knew what sucked. While everyone was sleeping – I was awake and looking.

It’s been four years since I have been part of the Dallas arts community. I can count on both hands the number of black people I see regularly in the arts community. At 26, I am no longer the youngest, but I am still often the blackest and almost always the black malest gentlemen for miles and miles (shout out to Christopher Blay).

There are many black artists in this city. Hundreds. There are shows where the crowd is mostly black. There are thousands of black people in Dallas who are interested in visual art. Just because Trenton Doyle Hancock and Annette Lawrence exist doesn’t mean that the art scene isn’t segregated. Anytime you have to start counting, well I represent this one black artist, I know these three black artist, I am friends with this black person who always goes to these types of things – there is a problem.

If I go to a show at a CADD or DADA gallery and see more than 10 black people, I am genuinely surprised. In fact, I raise my eyebrows if I see more than three. I usually don’t see any. Even on nights where I go to 12 or more gallery openings, I can usually count on one hand the number of black people I saw the entire night.

The question isn’t where are all of the black people, but why don’t more black people participate in the most recognizable form of the contemporary art scene in Dallas?

1. Exposure

I was lucky enough to have a good friend, Matthew Whitenack, whose mother, Nancy Whitenack, owns the best contemporary art gallery in town – Conduit Gallery. I was lucky enough to have an established, respected artist, Roberto Munguia, teach me art from 5^th grade through high school graduation. He found the Romare Bearden Scholarship and encouraged me to apply. Winning that scholarship gave me other opportunities in the arts, like travel grant awards. I don’t get my first travel grant award if Roberto doesn’t have a place for me to stay in Mexico for a month. I don’t meet any of these people if I don’t go to Cistercian Prep School, which about only 44 new people attend per year, and usually none of them are black.

The point is that I am an outlier. Very few black people get early exposure to the contemporary arts scene (outside of a museum level). Many more white people get this type of early exposure. Exposure matters. Familiarity breeds comfort. It makes you brave. I am very smart, ambitious, and work my butt off – but I also have benefitted greatly from being exposed to the gallery scene at a young age. Many young people I meet who are gaining traction either in their art careers, have a similar type of early exposure. Whether it is through parents who are gallerists, or artists, or having the right mentor or teacher to help shepherd them, most successful art people get that exposure earlier than their peers.

2. Time

Time is a class issue much more than a race issue, but it still applies. Good ideas take time. Having time just to think is a luxury that requires money or some form of security. When you have to spend all of your time/most of your time doing some form of work to provide money so that you can clothe yourself, feed yourself, and provide a roof for yourself – you are probably not going to win in the realm of ideas. From observing rich kids all of my life, the single biggest thing I’ve noticed is that they are able to beat non-rich kids because they have more time. They are able to spend a year in Europe or Panama. They are able to go out and try a new idea or start a business. They are able to fail. Because when they fail, they are not going to starve, they are not going to be homeless. They were born into families who have the resources to take care of them. They have security. It is easier to be brave and innovative when you have some form a safety net, even an implicit one.

Not everyone can go live at home with their parents. Not everyone grows up in a household or a community that understands the value of time. Yet, if you take two artists of equal skill, the one who has more time to devote to their craft will become the better artist. The one with more time will develop better ideas. She will make better connections. She will win. Apple doesn’t happen without the Steve Job's parents garage (and access to super computers at a young age). Most people don’t have this luxury, and especially most black people.

And even black people who do have the luxury don’t understand time the way white people who have the luxury do. The newly rich were outliers who won through hard work. Old money understands that to preserve power, you must control the battle of ideas – which requires time to do so. Time and exposure go hand and hand, and more white people have it than black people.

3. Culture

Walking into a gallery can be intimidating. And I mean intimidating for a white person with both time and exposure. It is akin to walking into a church. It all depends on your relationship with god. I have walked into some galleries and have not felt welcome. Now this could be for a lot of reasons. It could have been my age. It could have been because I was male. It could have been because I was a stranger. It could have been because I was black. Honestly, I believe it has to do with the fact that I fell outside of the normal demographics of the business and thus was deemed unimportant (young black males don’t buy art). This I think is why many young people, period, feel unwelcome in some galleries. The gallerist doesn’t have any economic incentive to give a fuck about them, thus they don’t.

People don’t go where they don’t feel welcome. Most people don’t like being out of their comfort zones. Most people have trouble changing their patterns, their migration patterns. We are creatures of habit. I don’t go to galleries that aren’t on my art parade route. We don’t go to the South Dallas Cultural Center because we don’t know other people who are going there. Because it isn’t convenient. Because there isn’t a ton of buzz. Even though there are a few stellar shows there every year that is a good as anything on the strip. Even though there are some great write-ups of those shows. We follow the parade.

I don’t like being places that make me feel uncomfortable. I don’t like being the only black person in the room. I have been forced to become used to it. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t dwell on it. I am committed to being the best at what I do, and that has almost always meant mostly dealing with white people (they have most of the power, resources, money, professorships, good spaces, etc). This isn’t to suggest that I don’t like white people (although I tend to gravitate more closely to other minorities), hell, I love some of them. It is just a statement that while you can choose to be amongst black people, I can’t choose to be around white people – I have to.

There are CADD gallerists who have asked me about where they can find more black artists. I am only slightly offended because they are my friends, and perhaps don’t see why asking someone who has publicly communicated his curatorial interests as being new media, video, performance, and installation art, where to find more black artists is probably offensive. But they are also right. I am black and thus more likely to know about other young black artists than they do. How can I not notice that sort of thing?

I’ve only had one episode of outright racism directed towards me since I’ve been part of the Dallas arts scene. It happened on Dragon Street. It involved the owner of a CADD Gallery and the word nigger. The incident happened because we had too many black and brown people over at our gallery next door. No one likes being outnumbered.

So, what does this all mean?

Black people are less likely to be exposed to the contemporary gallery scene at young age, they are less likely to have the time needed to develop the ideas to be a top notch contemporary artists, and they are less likely to feel welcomed into a culture where they are seen as the other, and are in fact, other.

There will always be outliers who are black and have had some of the same benefits of the majority, or overcome through sheer will, talent, and determination, and are exceptional. They will be applauded and supported by the well-meaning majority, as they should be.

However, until programs, money, resources, and effort are put into place to deal with the three systemic issues I’ve outlined – the Dallas art scene will still remain segregated, and it will remain more difficult for the average black person than for the average white person to be successful inside of it.

It is has been a crazy year for Green Bandana Group. When I think about all that we have done and accomplished this year – I can’t help but feel that this was the year that we proved ourselves.

We talk a big game. We aren’t shy about calling people out or expressing our opinion on the Dallas arts scene. However, I feel like we did a great job of not just talking but actually doing a lot of exciting things. We tried a bunch of new things; we threw the pasta against the wall, and some of it stuck.  

I am so thankful to everyone who is and has been a part of the Green Bandana movement. Everyone who comes to an event. None of this happens without you. Seriously, thank you for your support.

We are ending the year with four amazing events. This Friday we are having our End Of The World Beer Pong Tournament for Ash Fridays at Ash Studios. Saturday we are having a special edition of #popUPdallas at Red Arrow Contemporary Gallery in the Design District. Next Friday we are having our Best New Talent Concert to close out Ash Fridays. And finally we are throwing an amazing New Year’s Eve Party – Unforgettable to close out the #popUPdallas series.

Unforgettable is going to be an insanely good time. -Topic with a full band, Chanise Condren with a full band, The Chloes, DJ Killtron, Taylor Effin Cleveland, Jason Presley Marsh (TV Jesus), open bar, in the Design District for only $35 bucks presale. Deal of the century. Come party with us.

Without further ado – this is our year in review.

 Last New Year’s Eve Ever

We kicked off the year with “Last New Year’s Ever” our first ever NYE party which featured the Danny Church Band, Able Youth, Slik Stockings, Hot Flash, and furniture install by Lew the Zulu at what would eventually become theSPACE. We partnered with Chasquis Group to pull it off, and it was completely magical. We have been chasing that 3:00 a.m. snowball fight for an entire year.

2nd Annual Who Are You? Masquerade Ball

This annual fundraiser for 29 Pieces featured live music, live mask auction and fashion show, cocktails, and Guinness Book of World Records sword swallower Roderick Russell.

Dallas Morning News 

Celebrate Mardi Gras In Style With These Local Events

DaVerse Lounge Season 7
This under 21 open mic and live art experience is in its 7th season. Hosted by spoken word artist Will Richey, area youth perform original works while a 7 piece band, Melody Memory, improvs behind them. Local art collective, Art Love Magic, provide live art and interactive art workshops.

Dallas Observer

Leave Your Fake ID At Home

Round Up For Start Ups
This event was a concept job fair for the start-up technology community. It took place at the Deep Ellum Brewery. All job applicants received 3 free pints, no resumes or ties were allowed, and a live band and circus performers kept it engaging. Most importantly, over 800 people attended, 32 companies offered 108 salaried jobs, and many great hires were made.

Dallas Morning News

Hiring Headaches Lead To Birth Of Startup Recruiting Event

Lakewood Advocate

Calling All Techies For Startup Event

Deep Ellum Spring Art Walk and After Party

Over 1000 people go to 18 art spaces in Deep Ellum to experience art installations, drinks, and light refreshments. The After Party at Life In Deep Ellum kept the party going with several live artists, bands, DJs and beer.

Dallas Morning News

There’s A Lot To See On Deep Ellum Art Walk

Crave DFW

Deep Ellum Art Walk 2012

1.2 Million Stories: State of the Emerging Arts

This panel discussion continued the discussion on the State of the Arts in Dallas started at the Dallas Museum of Art and at Radical Regionalism at UTD-Centraltrak. The panel provided insights into how the younger generation of art leaders in Dallas (all panelists and moderators are under 35) view the Dallas art scene.

Dallas Observer

Tonight’s Panel At Centraltrak Works Towards Positive Outcomes

On Criticism: Fostering A Supportive Dialogue For Dallas Arts

If I Had A Million: Ideas To Inspire And Improve From Artists In The Trenches

Friday Night Live! + Grand Opening of theSPACE

Friday Night Live! is our monthly potluck party for creative people and those who love them. Guests encouraged to bring either their talents, a dish or alcohol to share, or a $5 donation.

Dallas Observer

Galleries Open Wide, Get In Them This Weekend

D Magazine

Weekender: Dallas Area Concerts For May 31 – June 3

Neon Sessions
This event was a concert featuring local electronic music acts.

Dallas Observer

Tonight: Neon Sessions Puts A Spotlight On Local Electronic Music

D Magazine

Weekender: Dallas Area Concerts for June 21-24

V I S U A L U Z
This event was a group visual art show centering on the theme of cosmic futurism and light. It also featured a DJ Battle between two of the most important DJ crews in Dallas, Track Meet and Hot Flash.

Dallas Observer

10 Of The Weekends Top Events: Ruby Jane, School Boy Q, Track Meet vs Hot Flash, And More

What Not To Wear To V I S U A L U Z

D Magazine

Weekender: Dallas Area Concerts For June 28 to July 1

Centraltrack

Spaced Out

Thursdays at the Penthouse
This bi-weekly, invite only event takes place in the breathtaking penthouse of the Stoneleigh Hotel.  We plan this event with our friends at RED iD Agency and Danny Garcia. The event features a live band, cocktails, and the most successful and interesting people in Dallas.

Dallas Observer

Penthouse Pets: Going To Church At The Stoneleigh Hotel

D Magazine

Thursdays At The Penthouse At Stoneleigh

 Dallas Morning News

Scenes: Stoneleigh Party

You + Dallas

Thursdays At Penthouse Brings Style And Soul To Luxe Stoneleigh

UrbanDaddy

A Private Penthouse Party In Uptown

Deep Ellum Outdoor Market’s Deep Night Dance Party - Free Pancakes
The DEOM was celebrating it’s 2 year birthday.  We threw the after AFTER dance party complete with impromptu karaoke, a Celebrity Chef (all-you-can eat pancake bar), and an interactive jukebox.

Central Track:
Things to do on Saturday, July 21

Dallas Observer
Saturday's Deep Night Dance Party Promises All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Bar:

12 of This Weekend's Top Shows

13 Awesome Things To Do in Dallas This Weekend: July 19 to 22

D Magazine:
Weekender: Your Guide to The Best Dallas Area Concerts For July 19-21

#popUPdallas Olympic Beer Pong Tourney

We launched #popUPdallas, which is a concept of throwing event in a super contracted planning period. We wake up on Monday, think of an idea, and execute it in three or four days. We focused on things we had never done before – like a beer pong tourney.

Dallas Observer:

15 Awesome Things To Do in Dallas This Week: July 26 to 31

D Magazine

Weekender: Dallas Area Concerts For July 26-29

Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend: July 27-29

#popUPdallas Thread Count Fashion Show

For this pop up we tried our hands at doing a fashion event/art party, and it went surprisingly well. Some great street fashion designers, great DJs, great location, and open bar.

Dallas Observer

13 Awesome Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend: August 23 to 26

D Magazine

Weekender: Dallas Area Concerts  For August 23-26                                                                       

Centraltrack

Things To Do This Weekend

Focal Point

We helped out with this show at W.A.A.S Gallery for their one year anniversary, which featured a solo show by our good friend Eric Trich.

Dallas Observer

20 Awesome Things To Do This Weekend, September 20 to 23

Slideluck Dallas

Our very own Leila Wright hit a home run by organizing the debut of Slideluck Dallas.

KERA

Food and Photos: Slideluck Coming To Dallas

Dallas Observer

Slideluck Potshow at the Power Station: Bringing Together (and Feeding) Dallas’ Photographers

Slideluck Potshow: On Saturday at the Power Station, Photography Starred Once Again

FD Luxe

Photos: Slideluck Event In Dallas

D Magazine

Events

Centraltrack

Eclectic Slide

Things To Do This Week

DaVerse Lounge 8 Year Anniversary Showcase

We put together an extra special DaVerse Lounge to celebrate 8 years of the program. The bill included some of the best poets and playwrights in the world, as well as our North Texas young people.

Dallas Observer

DaVerse-ify Your Vocabulary

13 Awesome Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend November 15 to 18

D Magazine

Weekender Dallas Area Concerts for November 15-18

CentralTrack

Things To Do This Weekend

Ash Fridays

We decided to close out the year by throwing a party every Friday at Ash Studios.

Dallas Observer

17 Awesome Things To Do In Dallas This Week, December 6 to 12

D Magazine

Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend : Dec 7-9

Weekender: Dallas Area Concerts for December 6-9

Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend: December 14-16

Pure Wow

The Party Artists

Photo by Bart Hamlin/Batty Photography

When Green Bandana Group throws a party we want to change your life.

We almost violently want to disprove every negative thing that people have to say about Dallas. We want to show you that the people are cool and interesting, the music is great, the artists are talented, the boys are handsome, and the girls are cute.

We want to make you regret that you went to Austin or New York or L.A. for the weekend.

We want you to feel inspired by the time your hangover wears off the next day.

When you think about your life in this city – we want to be responsible for providing some of your best memories.

We want to push you past where you normally go.

We want to be the reason you stayed out a little too late, you drunk a little too much, you had a little too much fun.

We want to prove to you that going that extra 10% is okay.

We want to let you know that we are your friends, and that you never have to be alone again.

We believe we can change Dallas.

We believe we can build community.

Because of this, Green Bandana is throwing a party every Friday until the end of the year, starting this Friday, December 7^th.

Each party will take place at Ash Studios, which is by far one of the coolest spaces we have ever found.

Each party will have some conceptual underpinning – throwing parties is how we process through life.

For example “POST PARIS” comes from a conversation with a friend about what do n*ggas do after “N*ggas In Paris”. How do you continually try to push? When you can have access to everything, what do you actually want? What do you do when you grow tired of wanderlust?

Or our two part party – End Of The World (Friday December 21^st) and Brave New World (Saturday December 22^nd); plays with the idea of uncertainty. We celebrate things at their ending and their beginning – yet in this case who is really sure what is going to happen. Will we be fearful on Friday, relieved on Saturday, or will none of it matter?

That being said – ultimately Ash Fridays is about having fun, spending time with those we care about, meeting new people, and being open to the possibility that yes, something as small as a party has the capacity to change your life.

I hope to see you this Friday.