7/9
Art in Dallas. If you don't know where to look, or if you're standing in my father's living room, you would think it was all mounted white-tail bucks, sepia-toned bronco pics and the odd Remington sculpture. Gray Matters Gallery is different. Vance Wingate's personable art space proved that art in Texas doesn't have to be cowboy in nature. Hosting shows by artists such as Tom Sale, Jack Barnett, C.J. Davis and others, Gray Matters has rocked the Dallas art scene for 15 years. Despite this amazing track record, after July 31, the gallery's doors will be permanently closed. But friends aren't going to let the Gray go away quietly. Denton's Art Prostitute magazine and gallery brings Paper Jam to Big D--a one-night showing of original artwork by AP creators Mark Searcy and Brian Gibb along with resident artist Nevada Hill. All works will be priced at $100 with show proceeds going toward the high costs of producing AP Issue 06. It's a celebration of Gray Matters, of fresh, inspired art and of AP's effort to spread great art. So grab some Benjamins and head to Gray Matters, 113 N. Haskell St., on Saturday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Shake hands with some seriously swell artists and a veteran of Dallas' art world. Because, you know, even without those steers and serapes, we do have one. Visit www.graymattersgallery.com and www.artprostitute.com. --Merritt Martin
Up in Arms
7/9
As heartwarming as it is to see thousands of hands over hearts, "The Star-Spangled Banner" just doesn't get your fists pumping like "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with our national anthem, though it does use words like "ramparts" and "vauntingly" that perplex most Americans. But the basic difference is that while "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a song about a flag, "La Marseillaise" is a rousing call to war. And naturally, it is exciting to sing about watering fields with your enemy's impure blood. We sing our anthem on the Fourth of July; they sing theirs on Bastille Day, the 14th of July. Celebrate Bastille Day at L'Alliance Française du Nord du Texas' Bal Populaire, where you can enjoy French food, entertainment and music. Marchons, marchons to the Haggar Center at the University of Dallas, 1845 E. Northgate Drive, Irving, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 9. Cost is $45. Visit www.afnorthtexas.org. --Michelle Martinez
Step Up
7/9
To think, Jason Roberts and Tim Ruble have known each other only two years. These days, the local duo creates some of the city's best pop-rock as members of The Happy Bullets, and in their spare time, the duo works on an experimental project called Escalator Maintenance Society. Catch a rare performance and art sale from the pair at IR Gallery, 830 Exposition Ave., on Saturday at 8 p.m. Entry is free. Call 469-951-7323. --Sam Machkovech
Chefs Band Together
7/9
It takes talent to grill a slab of meat with as much panache as assembling nouveau cuisine. And everyone knows that Dean Fearing has talent, so when Gourmet magazine and Fearing host their Annual Summer Barbecue Fest '05, the celebrity chef won't just turn out fantastic food; he'll also jam with his all-chef band, The Barbwires. Other entertainment includes Wynonna Judd, Holly Williams and Tony Brown. Participating chefs include Bobby Flay, Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert McGrath and Jonathan Waxman. The Annual Summer Barbecue Fest '05 is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. July 9 in the circle drive of The Mansion on Turtle Creek, 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. Admission is $250. For reservations, call 214-443-4750. --Stephanie Durham
