At some point in the near future, a feeble, and impoverished Romanian child will be trekking along the Carpathian Mountains in a free pair of piss-sticky rain boots, all thanks to Dallas.
Not all of the rain boots donated will be drenched in human runoff, but a few pairs were indeed tested by the warm streams of a drunk gallery goer last week, at Evol Society in the Park Lane shopping center, as the 17 artists of "2nd Thursday" threw their first party.
The group is an eclectic concoction of artists in mixed media ranging from sculpture and oil, to photography and clay. "3x3" was both the theme and self-imposed constraint the group put it self under; all pieces displayed had to be presented in a frame, or series of frames, no larger than three inches squared.
The pieces displayed on the walls were beautifully executed creations. The "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys (by co-curator Owen Jones) sat side by side on a wooden plank, depicted with their feet massaging their nether regions. An angular nine-piece photo series entitled "Lost Angles Found" was mounted on turquoise blocks (by co-curator Tramaine Townsend) depicted the city through the artist's eyes: as an imperfect balance of lost angles falling around the center.
The show was more of an ecstatic celebration than a traditional up-turned-nose gallery opening that the Park Lane district is accustomed to. Keeping in the theme of three's, solo DJs Tony Schwa, JT Donaldson, and Tyrone Smiley united for the first time and spun an Indy club dance/modern rap mix that kept the large crowd moving. Nue Vodka lubricated the audience to the happy stasis of intoxication: just drunk enough to dance at an art gallery, but not so drunk that they would harm any of the installations. Roma Boots helped sponsor the event and sold rain boots to those attending, Tom's-style: for every pair sold, one pair was donated to a Romanian child in need of footwear. Those lucky children to receive free pairs in Romania will surely stand out, as the colors of the boots would make Van Gogh jealous.
The opening marked 2nd Thursday's coming out party. The collective is a group of local artists founded by Owen Jones, Joshua King and Tramaine Townsend. Their goal is to create a larger and more interactive art scene in the Dallas area, while at the same time offering a safe haven to artists looking for creative criticism and immediate feedback on their works in progress. The artists meet on the second Thursday of every month at the American Beauty Mill located at 2400 S. Ervay Street in Dallas. Any artist in need of assistance or a few more sets of eyes on their work can contact by searching "2nd Thursday" on Facebook.
Besides a few warm drops of piss on some boots intended for charity, the gallery opening was a vodka-sipping, art-viewing, hell of a time. The next show by 2nd Thursday will be in January.
