Fresh-faced and, let's face it, full of themselves, three University of North Texas art students and two recent grads have taken over Photographs Do Not Bend gallery for a trend-setting summer show of their recent work. UNT alum Ben Hancock has curated the works of Baseera Kahn, Marc Montoya, Michael Powers and Lizzy Wetzel for Bent, a tongue-in-cheek counterpoint to the gallery's name and a reference to this photography's non-classical mixed-media overlays and underpinnings. Kahn made a photo transfer of a magnified musical score onto mylar, added gestural ink drawings and floated her "Systems of Sound" in the frame to allow in light. For "The Ambivelent (sic) Nature of House Guests," Montoya manipulates and oversaturates color. Powers silk-screens silhouette images and transfers other images on top, in a technique he calls "simultaneity." Wetzel traces photographs from her childhood, altering the images. Meet these neophyte artists and view the uncommon work at PDNB's opening reception Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 3115 Routh St. Call 214-969-1852. --Annabelle Massey Helber
7/19
Queens of the Desert
GayBINGO visits the City of Sin
Since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell, it's at the end of Lonely Street, it's...GayBINGO? With a uniquely themed GayBINGO every month, it might almost be your home away from home. Who knows if "there's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there," but who cares when your hosts/hostesses are Kerri Oki, Kandi Kottyn and Marci Bouquet? The July event promises to sparkle just like that bright light city that's gonna set your soul on fire--and if you haven't guessed yet, this month's theme is Viva Las Vegas. You still have time to assemble that perfect costume: Elvis impersonator, showgirl, Chapel o' Love minister...you get the idea. Just $15 for reservations and 10 lap games. Doors open for GayBINGO at the Lakewood Theater, 1825 Abrams Parkway, on July 19 at 5 p.m., and the show starts promptly at 6 p.m. Proceeds benefit the John Thomas Gay & Lesbian Community Center. Call 214-821-9084. --Michelle Martinez
7/19
The Art of Heeling
Sit and stay at the Conduit
With flourishing "dog parks" cropping up all over the area, there's never been a better time to let your lovable four-legged friend frolic with its peers. Once the scooper is stored and the pooch is snoring blissfully, however, what's one with an insatiable canine craving to do? The Conduit Gallery offers an option with a five-week run of The Dog Show, which opens with an artists' reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Join artists Deborah Samuel and Marty Walker for a photo exhibition focusing on the king of domesticated animals, and the combination of creativity and inherent charm is sure to propel the "Awww" factor off the charts. Come on (come 'ere, come on, sweetie) to the Conduit Gallery, 1626 C Hi Line Drive. Call 214-939-0064 for more info. --Matt Hursh
7/18
FIT-tastic
Anything mainstream is so unhip. But not Hilary Duff; she's way cool. Cooler than Dallas' Festival of Independent Theatres? No. Duff might be the hottest ticket on Radio Disney, but FIT--several days of one-act plays by a dozen local theater companies--lets audience members meet the directors July 18 at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive, for a discussion after an evening of their new and unusual works at 7 p.m. Be cool, support the underdogs. Call 214-670-8570. --Leah Gerchario
