Matters of the heart will forever baffle the mind. Besides being a multitasker of the highest extreme, with all the pumping and beating and loving and hating, the human heart provides endless fodder for the arts, and we suspect it's that enigmatic quality that makes it so popular with authors, painters, songwriters and the like. Who loves whom and why, what makes a once-tender heart turn cold and how even the most bitter can learn to love are mysteries that intrigue and confound, leading the creative among us to confront these questions in art. Beginning February 6, the El Corazón exhibit at the Bath House Cultural Center will allow such artists to present their interpretations of the human heart. Now in its 10th year, the exhibit will feature paintings, sculptures, photography and mixed media pieces from 56 artists from Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio. An opening reception with the artists will be held February 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and entertainment will include Chilean music by Cantares. El Corazón runs through February 28, and admission to the exhibit and reception is free. The Bath House is located at 521 E. Lawther Drive. Call 214-670-8749 or go to www.bathhousecultural.com. --Rhonda Reinhart
Open House
Get in the Grove
2/7
Been down to Pleasant Grove lately? We didn't think so. Don't get us wrong, though, as we aren't prone to making frequent jaunts to the lands south of Interstate 30 either. Heck, with Goody Goody Liquors and Jack in the Box only a few blocks from home, we barely leave our five-mile radius as it is. What else is there to life, right? Well, there's a group that wants you to pay more attention to South Dallas, and, no, we're not talking about the schmucks from the overblown Trinity River project. Art in the Hood, the second annual artists' studio tour, invites Dallasites to see what they've been missing from noon to 6 p.m. this Saturday. The free, non-guided tour weaves its way through galleries and homes of artists throughout southeast Dallas and includes such mediums as photography, sculptures, knitting and glasswork. The home tours and the unexpectedly nice neighborhood should be a welcome change of pace for art lovers bored with gallery openings and the like. Maps are available at www.artinthehood.com or by calling 214-381-9191. --Sam Machkovech
Rabbit Tales
2/7
Similar to the beloved chameleon, the bunny rabbit--or rabbitis fuzzitis--has the ability to conceal itself from predators by changing the color of its fur to match its surroundings. Artist Teresa O'Connor celebrates this amazing skill in her solo show, My Western Draw, which features camouflaged bunnies in their natural habitat. The show opens February 7 with a reception from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at PLUSH, 1410 S. Akard St. Call 214-498-5423 or visit www.plush01.com. --Mary Monigold
State of the Arts
Nasher puts his mouth where his money is
2/10
If a brush with celebrity art-star Raymond Nasher isn't enough to get you to Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum next Tuesday night, maybe the free snacks and wine will be. The Dallas octogenarian and proud papa of the Nasher Sculpture Center speaks about a lifetime of collecting art with the help of his late wife, Patsy, on February 10 and the museum-quality collection by top talents--Calder, de Kooning, Rodin, Matisse, Picasso, Serra, Segal, Miró, Giacommetti--donated to the eponymous art center. Nasher will spare no detail of his hands-on approach, altruistic spirit and perfectionist tendencies in the Modern's auditorium, 3200 Darnell St. Doors open half an hour before Nasher speaks at 7 p.m. Call 817-738-9215. --Annabelle Massey Helber
