Events for the week

thursday
march 12
Raymond Nasher: You may know him as the filthy-rich Dallas bigwig who owns more than 250 artworks by Rodin, Picasso, and de Kooning. But businessman-art lover Raymond Nasher is a key player in the revitalization of the downtown Dallas Arts District, which means his expertise in the field of art collection could have an indirect effect on your pocketbook. Developers will soon approach Dallas voters for public money to kick-start the Arts District, and Nasher's sculpture collection is a crown jewel in their master plan to woo taxpayers with yet more talk of "world class culture" for a "world class city." Nasher speaks about his tastes in art collecting, and plans specifically to address the issue of how his private collection is supposed to translate into an economic and cultural resource for the public. Nasher speaks at 7 p.m. in the University of North Texas' Eagle Student Services Center Auditorium, with parking on Highland Street between Avenues A and C. Call (817) 267-0651.

Monty Roberts: A Real Horse Whisperer: It's not necessarily a good thing that the release of Robert Redford's upcoming film The Horse Whisperer has been bumped several times. We won't know how that flick turned out until May, but we can tell you one thing: The character on whom Redford's role is based, horse wrangler Monty Roberts, is a quietly fascinating figure in equestrian circles. The title "the horse whisperer" refers to Roberts' slow, almost sensual technique of taming wild horses. He flies to Dallas' KERA-TV Channel 13 studios to host live the documentary Monty Roberts: A Real Horse Whisperer, a 45-minute peek into Roberts' world that includes his efforts to woo a wild mustang across the plains of Nevada. The documentary gets its first airing at 7 p.m. on KERA-TV Channel 13. Call (214) 871-1390.

friday
march 13
Riding the Wind and Other Tales: There's a school of literary thought that says that what distinguished North American writers from others across the globe is the way the land around them shapes their words. If so, then poet, short-story writer, translator, and Midwestern State University professor James Hoggard writes in ink made from a very special recipe: the dust of the Texas flatlands mixed with the muddy waters of the Rio Grande. The Writer's Garret hosts a reception, reading, and book-signing to celebrate the Wichita Falls resident's new collection of stories, Riding the Wind and Other Tales. The night starts at 8 p.m. upstairs at Paperbacks Plus, 6115 LaVista. It's free. Call (214) 828-1715.

"Live Event" Professional Wrestling: Theater snobs love to cling to the stylized language of classical literature, but they conveniently ignore the blood and sweat that often accompanied the performances of that time. We think the ancient performances of Sophocles resembled a contemporary pro wrestling match far more than they did a big-budget stage production. With the prospect of Mike Tyson entering the ring, the wrestling world could become a throwback to those fun-for-the-whole-family, lions-eating-Christians spectacles of yore. The National Wrestling Alliance revives a five-decade tradition in Dallas with the return of Friday Night Pro Wrestling. They plan to attract top showmen--er, athletes--from the nationally syndicated Worldwide Wrestling Federation TV shows. Bell time is 8 p.m. at Palenque Dallas, 7331 Gaston Ave. Tickets are $4-$8. Call (972) 881-2452.

saturday
march 14
Ron English and Daniel Johnston: Some call it "synergy," but we prefer to think of it as two artists throwing their talents up into the air and seeing where they land. Daniel Johnston, small-town Texas recluse and nationally covered musician-artist, gets together with New York-based former Texan Ron English, who had the nerve to name a school after his freaky, frenetic pop culture visuals--"POPaganda"--in a one-night-only collaboration of sights and sounds. The event happens 7-11 p.m. at Angstrom Gallery, 3609 Parry, and an after-event party moves next door to Bar of Soap after 11 p.m. Call (214) 823-6456.

Homework: The gripey theater critic of this publication must confess that the Undermain Theatre's last show, Uncle Bob, was for him the theatrical equivalent of a root canal without anesthesia. But that's what's great about the Undermain: They respect their audiences enough to aggravate the hell out of them in the name of artistic experimentation. Chances are their newest show, a special workshop (not a full production) of Franz Xaver Kroetz's German script, will do the same with many Dallas viewers: It's a "for mature audiences only" look at a desperately poor family going to outrageous lengths to survive in the city. Undermain artists are notoriously good-natured about criticism, so if they solicit your input after the show, let it fly. Performances happen at 7:30 p.m. March 13 and 14 and March 18-21 at The Undermain Theatre, 3200 Main St. All performances are pay-what-you-can. Call (214) 747-5515.

Scarecrows by Hawkins Bolden and Prison Art of America: Webb Gallery splits its 5,000 square foot Waxahachie space into two kinds of darkness: that of the visually impaired, and that of the American penal system. Scarecrows by Hawkins Bolden exhibits the 84-year-old, blind Tennessee artist's elaborate found-object sculptures--made ostensibly to stop the birds from plundering his garden--in darkness, giving viewers the choice of touring the pieces with a flashlight or by hand. Prison Art of America features works from Texas, Oklahoma, and Connecticut in various media created by hard-timers. The show opens with a reception 6-9 p.m. March 14 and runs through April 26 at Webb Gallery, 209-211 W. Franklin, Waxahachie. Call (972) 938-8085.