Safe Room at the Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Opening reception 7-9 p.m. Thursday
Artist slash motivational punk rocker Tim Kerr collected his first art award in a fire-prevention poster contest in elementary school, and it’s been full speed since. Everyday People is his latest exhibit. Kerr signs each of his pieces, which he paints on everything except canvas, with "Your name here." His works capture the essences of people who have inspired him, like John Coltrane, Howard Zinn and Garry Winogrand. Admission is free.
Art Skool — The Flatness
Umbrella Gallery
2803 Taylor St.
7-9 p.m. Thursday
In keeping with its mission to foster innovation and experimentation within the Dallas art community, Umbrella Gallery has rolled out the multiweek summer series Art Skool, spelled as such because the gallery puts quotation marks around the word “classes.” For this week’s session, “The Flatness,” Liz Trosper will facilitate a conversation about contemporary, 2-D art. In addition to panel discussions (or should we say “panel discussions”?) participants will bounce around to other art spaces in Dallas. Art Skool is free and open to artists and nonartists alike. Each week is self-contained, so come to one or all of the weekly classes.
Henry Swanson — Mad Festive
Goss-Michael Foundation
1305 Wycliff Ave., Suite 120
Opening reception 4-6 p.m. Saturday
Two watercolor people are situated next to one another. We’ll call them Person A and Person B.
Facially, Person A looks 1980 Mr. Potato Head. He or she is rocking a pair of high-top Nike replicas and some woefully diminutive gym shorts. Person A kind of has a dad bod, but that’s not a trustworthy indication of gender because so did those Botticelli chicks. This gal or guy is clutching what appears to be a magazine, possibly pornographic, and the cover subject’s gender is open to interpretation. Are we sensing a theme?
Despite its unambiguously human physique, Person B has the head and beak of a toucan, from which it’s proclaiming, “YEAH.” Person B has female breasts and is hot pink, so … girl? Not so fast, hot shot, because from the waist down, he/she is 100 percent Fabio.
Oh, and there’s a tree.
courtesy Amon Carter
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth
Ongoing through Sept. 3
Remember that anticipatory glee that happened while you were waiting for a Polaroid picture to develop? It apparently stuck with some Amon Carter overlords, as evidenced by The Polaroid Project. The exhibit features 150 images by 100 artist-photographers including Ellen Carey, Chuck Close, Marie Cosindas, Barbara Crane, David Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol. Free tours of this exhibition take place at 3 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and begin at the exhibition entrance on the second floor. No reservations are required.
courtesy Ro2 Art
Ro2 Art at the Magnolia Theater
3699 McKinney Ave.
Running through Tuesday, July 18
Adam Palmer’s solo exhibit Sister’s Sticker Collection is dedicated to all things '90s, the decade that gave rise to Beanie Babies and Pogs. Palmer, a Fort Worth high school teacher, grew up in Monahans, a tiny West Texas town. There wasn’t much to do, so he immersed himself in the delicate programming of MTV, Nickelodeon and, evidently, his sister’s cool stickers.
