Over the past 10 years, Art Conspiracy has made a name for itself by bringing Dallas some of its most interesting and progressive arts programming. The community of artists focuses on raising money to benefit local art programs, along with uniting artists and musicians and raising awareness about exciting local projects.
Its annual Art Con event is a yearly favorite and attracts a dedicated crowd. A full night of live art, Art Con is a place where you can score a great deal on a work by a great local artist while doing a little good for the community. Since its inception, it has raised close to $300,000 for local arts programs, and now, Art Conspiracy plans to do even more good by introducing year-round arts programming in Dallas.
Earlier this week, Art Con announced it is starting this expansion by developing relationships with museums and artists across the city. The group has already established connections with the Anita M. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Kettle Art Gallery and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Earlier this year, Art Con introduced an innovative new curation project in conjunction with Kettle Art Gallery in Art Con Select.
Art Con Select provided the gallery with exclusive access to paintings from artists who had never shown at Kettle before, and allowed it to choose works for a new show with one caveat -- the gallery wouldn't be able to visit with the artist or review their portfolios while making the choices. The entire 10-piece collection was curated based on one work from each chosen artists. Throughout the rest of the year, Art Con hopes to expand this program to other galleries in the city.
Among the eight new programs that Art Con will introduce in the years ahead, Art Con(nect) will create a crowd-sourced, interactive map of the city of Dallas, rolled out in four progressive stages. Art Con(verge) will provide instruction to the organization's patrons on how to get started in art collecting, drawing on information from local collectors and docents. Many of these initiatives will be long-term, ongoing projects.
In the meantime, Art Con is planning its annual summer event, SEED, which helps prepare for the fall signature event, Art Con. Art Con features the work of nearly 150 artists, who create works in a warehouse-turned-arts studio that are auctioned off to the public, starting at just $20. Food, live music and booze accompany the live art during the event. More details have yet to be announced.
