Break A Sweat. Get Cultured.

It’s a big night in the gallery and nonprofit art sector, with dozens of spaces ushering in a new start of 2014 exhibitions. See our full run-down in the paper’s Culture section. If you can only get to four shows, here are my picks, but you’ll be running from Uptown to the Design District to Expo Park to make it happen. (Hey, I didn’t say getting cultured would be easy.) Start at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary (3120 McKinney Ave.) at 4:30 p.m. for an art talk with Suzanne Anker, who will discuss her new show, While Darkness Sleeps. In this exhibition Anker magnifies the intrinsic beauty of science, right down to the most splendidly infinite diorama of all: the petri dish. While there you’ll explore the world’s water supply and how it’s being doled out in Aqua-Culture, a group show, and — here’s the real kicker — you’ll want to return at 8:15 p.m. for a live orchestral performance that complements Believe It Anyway!, artist Paul Bryon’s collection of silent short films based on Old Testament stories. Visit the-mac.org. From there you’ll roll to the Design District to visit Cris Worley’s (1415 Slocum St., #104) latest exhibition, Zero Degrees Celsius, by Romanian-born artist Adela Andea. The show’s inspiration came from Andea’s recent visit to Alaska, where she experienced the humbling magnificence of ancient glacier formations. Here, Andea takes those shapes and colors, then injects them with exciting new media — LEDs, plastics, flex neon — portaling the old into the new. The resulting sculptures are simply stunning. Plus, I hear Andea has a pretty cool accent. Go say hi at the opening reception; it runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit crisworley.com. Finally, you’ll roll over to Expo Park to see Karen Weiner’s space, The Reading Room (3715 Perry Ave.). You’ll do this for a few reasons: First, because The Reading Room is a great little place to enjoy experimental, text-based art. Second, because it’s tiny and has on-demand hours, so openings become an easy time to pop by. And finally, because Travis LaMothe’s first solo Dallas show Crass: reflections on the necessities of commodification, looks cool and Karen says there’s a dick joke in it. Sold. This one runs from 6 to 9 p.m. While you’re in the neighborhood, shut it down at 500 Exposition Blvd. where four shows are launching. It closes at 10 p.m. Visit 500x.org.
Sat., Jan. 11, 2014