45 Things You Need To Know To Enjoy The Best Art Week In Dallas

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

The 500: A Love Letter To Dallas

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.

I. Laughter Of The Gods

“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.  

New Year's Eve and The Year In Review

Photo courtesy of Bart Hamlin

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

This Fall Green Bandana Saves The World

There is a buzz going around Dallas right now. This buzz has a lot to do with the possibility, the chance, the perhaps once in a lifetime shot, that Dallas might be in the process of redefining itself. Even the remake of Dallas hasn’t been the stumbling block some thought it would be. Football, cowboys, shopping, blondes, and JFK. For decades that is what Dallas has been known for. Yet, the new generation of leadership in Dallas aspires for more, and is taking a grass roots approach to there.

Innovation is at the core of Green Bandana Group. We love helping out with big, bold, new ideas – we love problem solving – we love doing hard things. After playing around this summer, we are spending our fall trying to save the world. If you are interested in making Dallas better – you should hire us – we are smart, fearless, flexible, and committed. Our team has never been stronger, and our future has never been brighter. Although we will always party better and harder than everyone else; we are equally serious about being the company that helps bring about this new vision of Dallas.

November 11^th 2012 will be a powerful day not only for Dallas but also for our entire country. Waves of Unity, which will be held at the American Airlines Center, will be the largest celebration of religious tolerance and multi-cultural understanding this year. The Deen Institute of North America, a Muslim nonprofit promoting religious understanding, along with the SMU Muslim Student Association, are sponsoring the event. Green Bandana has been hired to plan and produce the event which will feature national speakers alternating with major musical performances.

If you support tolerance, you should be part of this event. Period. It is isn't about being Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Atheist, etc - it is about being unified under the concept that everyone has a right to exist, to practice (or not practice) their religion as they see fit, and the fact, the small miracle, that different groups with different beliefs, can work and live together is exactly what makes our country great.

In the midst of current events, I think this message is even more important. We are unified against fear, against misunderstanding, against misrepresentation, against people who seek to divide our country, against people who seek to stir up hate.

We look forward to providing more details shortly, but save the date, there won’t be a better place to be.

Green Bandana Group in partnership with Journeyman Ink and Big Thought will make the biggest investment in the youth poetry movement in North Texas this school year via the 8^th Season of DaVerse Lounge.

DaVerse Lounge, an under 21 spoken word open mic and multi-genre art experience, was founded by Will Richey in 2005. Now in its 8^th year, DaVerse Lounge will expand to 5 shows, including a special showcase event November 16^th at Life In Deep Ellum, in coordination with the 75^th National Guild For Community Arts Education Conference. Additionally, this will be the first year of DaVerse Works, a spoken word curriculum that will be tested in 5 DISD Middle Schools and 2 High Schools this school year. As part of DaVerse Works, an online community will be developed to encourage teenagers across North Texas to share their poetry during out of school time. Finally, significant work will occur to lay the foundation for even greater expansion of the DaVerse Lounge movement for the 2013-14 school year.

DaVerse Lounge already reaches over a thousand teenagers every year, but with this additional investment, we will be able to reach over three thousand teenagers this school year. On a personal note, in 2002 I was in the first spoken word workshop Will Richey ever facilitated. Poetry, visual art, and creativity in general, has literally saved my life, and if I hadn’t met Will, I probably wouldn’t be writing this essay. I am incredibly proud of the DaVerse Movement, and am excited to play a small part in sharing the transformational power of art with young people across North Texas.

I am also really excited that Green Bandana will continue to play a role in helping build the start-up technology community of North Texas. We will partner again with Chris Gay, CEO of Zengine, to produce the Roundup For Startups, which will take place in February 2013. Roundup For Startups exists to help some of the best startups in Dallas find the best talent. Without the best talent, startup companies can’t survive, thrive, and create jobs. Continuing to cultivate and build the startup community will help churn the economic engine of our entire region. The next Facebook, Dropbox, or Instagram doesn’t have to come from Silicon Valley, or Boston, or New York. It can come Dallas, TX and it should.

One organization that is doing the most right now to help this vision become a reality is the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas – Dallas. We are honored to partner with UTD to help them build a development department at the Institute to expand and continue its important work for our region. We look forward to announcing our first official event with them, which might be as soon as Halloween – so stay tuned.

Also in October and November our client reTREEt America will be busy helping people who have been victims of natural disasters by planting trees at destroyed homesteads and promoting cycling in the process. reTREEtments are scheduled in Joplin and Canada, but we are most excited about the reTREEt in our backyard – which will take place in Lancaster, TX.

Working alongside Texas Trees Foundation, reTREEt America aims to plant 300 trees over the course of a weekend in Lancaster, TX, aka The City of Trees, which was ravaged by a tornado on April 3rd, 2012. The project includes a preTREEt October 18^th at Deep Ellum Brewing Company to meet your fellow reTREEters, have a few beers, get your bike in tip-top shape courtesy of Richardson Bike Mart, and get the itinerary for the weekend. reTREEters will actually ride their bikes from Dallas to Lancaster, Saturday October 20^th and enjoy a weekend of tree plantin', bike ridin', and down gettin'.

The Bastrop reTREEt was a huge success in March, and we look forward to doing a lot of good for the folks in Lancaster. You can register for the Lancaster reTREEt here.

When we aren’t saving the environment, promoting religious tolerance, and educating young people in innovative ways – we believe in advocating for equality.

This month our client BlaqOut Dallas will be throwing a great fete September 27th at the Penthouse of the Luxe Stoneleigh Hotel. Greater Than Aids is sponsoring the event and there will be cocktails, live music, and a fashion show. Click here to register to attend this free event. BlaqOut is the only GLBT media outlet for people of color in North Texas. We help manage their advertisements, so if you are looking for the perfect new market – you have to advertise with BlaqOut media.

 We still love the arts and cultural scene in Dallas. We will be busy this Saturday supporting Focal Point: W.A.A.S One Year Anniversary Show, and 29 Pieces Make Art. Make Peace exhibition. 29 Pieces is partnering with The Peace Project and over 100 artists from around the world to provide a great opportunity to take a stand for peace. This show will also be in conjunction with the Deep Ellum Fall Gallery Walk. Focal Point featuring Eric Trich, Kris Swenson, Edward Ruiz, might be the most significant new media show this year. It will be a fantastic party and we hope all of you come out and join us this weekend.

Next month we will be supporting the eagerly anticipated Project 1130 hosted by Circuit 12 and Red Arrow galleries. It will be a HUGE ART PARTY complete with vendor booths, live performances, DJ Sets, video installations, complimentary beer, food trucks, live screen printing and plenty of art on view in both gallery spaces. You can read the Dallas Observer preview here.

Finally, we are still working on planning both the Art Olympics and our NCAA Style 64 team Battle of the Bands with a $10,000 cash prize. We think both of these events will help build interest and community in their respective local scenes, and be first in terms of scale and audacity.

Green Bandana Group is not a silo. I have a tremendous leadership team in Grady McGahan and Vincent de Jesus. And we have a ton of new people who will be helping us out for the Fall and hopefully beyond. I will give them their own post when we are done hiring, but I am so excited to have Michael Benjamin, Stephanie Casey, Kayla Bass, Shannon Schmidt, Jonathan Merla, Rebecca Renteria, Jennifer Devany, and Taylor Danger Sheppard joining our team. There are a few more names that I will hopefully be able to add to this list, but the resources and human power we have recently added is tremendous. I can’t wait to see what this company looks like in six months.

Of course, none of this is possible without you. Your support, your attendance, your feedback, your referrals, your business, your partnerships, your work, your attention, and your passion make all of this possible. I don’t know whether or not we can save the world, but I am confident we can make it a better place for all of us, and with your help we definitely will.