Look, you work too hard for blank walls. And that swath of white above your couch, everyone is talking about it. It's time to pony up, and the conspiracists have your back. This year's Art Conspiracy is conveniently scheduled for Saturday, November 16, right after pay day, so instead of blowing that wad of cash on your particular vices why not toss a little art on the wall, help out a fantastic cause and enjoy a little music?
If you haven't been through the ArtCon trenches, your plan is a simple one. Come, peruse the art provided by more than 150 North Texas artists, get overly competitive during the auction, purchase said art and then hang out for a great lineup of music. Oh, and all the proceeds go to this year's beneficiary, My Possibilities. You are such a philanthropist. To reward you, we're giving out a pair of VIP tickets. Yours truly has been charged with DJing the VIP preview party and it'd be so much more fun if you were there too. Read on for details.
Our sister site The Mixmaster will keep you in the know on all things ArtCon but here in our corner of the Observer blogosphere, we want to make sure you have the details on all the aural sensation provided. ArtCon's Music Coordinator Becki Howard has assembled a pretty compelling night of live music all its own. Read on for details:
DJ Empty Cylinder, aka Nathan Johnson, will be bringing the smoothest grooves on his all-vinyl set. Outside of the confines of his soul night, Vinyl Fantasy at the Crown & Harp, Johnson can really exploit his unpredictability. Girl groups? Noise rock? Obscure punk? Top 40? Johnson will make it work, but you will have to be there to see how. Daniel Huffman's New Fumes' live show always makes an impressive mark. No two performances are ever exactly alike, so make plans to be there for the psychedelic goodness. New Fumes is the perfect complement to Art Conspiracy. Spontaneous, intellectual, aesthetically pleasing and strange in all the best ways.
A DJ set from Dallas chanteuse Sarah Jaffe is always a treat, and not only for the deep cuts from The Dream that usually make their way to the speakers. DJ sets from some of our favorite artists are becoming an interesting way to explore their influences and the records likely playing behind closed doors. Plus, is the Jaffe-penned hook from Eminem's latest, "Bad Guy," still in your head? Well, now you can thank her in person.
Zhora, Taylor Rea's art-pop project, also promises to make a dazzling companion to the surrounding canvases. Her live set continues to grow more and more ambitious despite its current one-woman status, proof that big, shimmery, electrifying things do indeed come in small packages. New arrangements and material continue to find their way to the Zhora live set, so be there to hear it first.
Tickets start at $10 and an advance purchase will let you skip that pesky line. Or better yet, how about you win two ArtCon Hipster tickets right here?
Your two tickets will include access to the Thursday night VIP preview party, tickets for Saturday's main event, a custom 5-by-7 art piece created by a My Possibilities student, an ArtCon swag bag and two drink tickets.
To be entered, head to the DC9 at Night Facebook page and look for the (super-duper easy) contest details there. The tickets are valued at $125, so that means you have an extra Benjamin to spend on the art. Let the bidding begin!
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