Art, Beats & Lyrics
Gilley's Dallas
1135 S. Lamar St.
7 p.m. Friday
Free
If you find yourself struggling to answer the question "What is art?" you have the chance to bounce around ideas with fellow art and music lovers at Art, Beats & Lyrics from 7 p.m. to midnight Friday, Jan. 13, at Gilley’s Dallas, 1135 S. Lamar St. This traveling art show combines various mediums into one event. You’ll get to experience new works from some of the most exciting emerging artists and enjoy a live concert from a surprise performer. Past shows have featured performances by Kendrick Lamar, Scarface and Flatbush Zombies. Reserve a spot at jackhoneyabl.rsvp360.co. — Danny Gallagher
Greg Piazza — Painted Lens
Wall Gallery
1529 Dragon St.
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free
Greg Piazza composes and snaps the simple, the uncluttered and the geometric through his camera lens as he travels. But photographs aren’t the final result of his artistic eye. As shown in Wall Gallery’s collection of Piazza’s work, Painted Lens, there’s another layer. A painted one. Piazza translates his inspiring images onto canvas with an array of glorious colors. It’s a vivid representation of raw image versus developed … except which one is which may not be so literal or obvious. Wall Gallery (1529 Dragon St.) hosts the exhibition through Feb. 11. Visit wallondragon.com for info. — Merritt Martin
Goodnight Brooklyn
Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
9:30 p.m. Friday
$10
Dallas’ DIY community could learn a thing or two from this screening of Goodnight Brooklyn — The Story of Death By Audio. The documentary presents viewers with an inside look at the last underground venue for music and art in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When news of the space’s closure broke, headlines in New York read: “Death By Audio Closing: An Existential Crisis for a NY DIY.” The Williamsburg neighborhood has served as a breeding ground of sorts for up-and-coming artists and musicians. But the iconic north Brooklyn neighborhood saw a 78.7 percent jump in average rents between 1990 and 2014, according to a 2016 report by NYU’s Furman Center on gentrification within the context of New York City's neighborhoods. And, needless to say, artists tend to suffer most as rent prices soar. The feature-length film documents the beginning, community-building, impact and ultimately the closure of one of Brooklyn's most important DIY venues. Texas Theatre (231 W Jefferson Blvd.) hosts a Q-and-A session (and DJ set) by Death By Audio’s Edan Wilber at 9:30 p.m. Friday. — Daniel Rodrigue
Tyler Shields - Provocateur
Samuel Lynne Galleries
1105 Dragon St.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday
Free
Most people first encounter Tyler Shields' photographs because of some controversy surrounding some of his images. To put it mildly, the L.A.-based contemporary photographer, artist and filmmaker knows how to push people’s buttons from his black-and-white image of a muscular naked black man hanging a hooded Klansman from a tree to the paparazzi-style photograph of Lindsay Lohan’s breast being grabbed in a car. Truly one of the most provocative contemporary photographers, Shields images prove anything but subtle. While some of his images may look impossible, Shields says he prefers to create worlds for his subject to inhabit. “I don't use any Photoshop,” Shields told ELLE. “Everything that you see is real.” Shields’ list of fashionable faces and celebrity collaborations makes his photography remarkably attention-grabbing and eye-catching. His collaborators have included Mischa Barton, Emma Roberts, Aaron Paul, Demi Lovato and Francesca Eastwood (Clint’s daughter). Samuel Lynne Galleries (1105 Dragon St.) hosts Tyler Shields’ exhibition Provocateur. The exhibition runs through Feb. 11. — Daniel Rodrigue
Hebocon
The Nines
2911 Main St.
7 p.m. Saturday
Free
We’re living in the future now. Rather than just sit around and wait for the robot uprising to overtake all of humanity, pit them against each other in a battle to the death at Hebocon. This traveling circus of crappy robots will make a stop in Dallas at The Nines in Deep Ellum (2911 Main St.) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. Robot builders from all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area will converge on the battle arena where robots that can’t do anything other than be adorable will battle it out for crappy robot supremacy. Visit the Hebocon Facebook page for ticket info. — Danny Gallagher
Margins Beyond: Self-Taught
Kirk Hopper Fine Art
3008 Commerce St.
6 to 8 p.m. Saturday
Free
In a lot of arenas, self-taught professionals don’t get a ton of respect. Being self-taught means you don’t get a lot of outside perspective or knowledge in realms where that’s important: like, say, medicine, or cosmetology. But artists get a pass on the self-taught label: It actually gives them an insight, a rawness and an untainted vision that can translate into a simple, spiritual intensity. Kirk Hopper Fine Art (3008 Commerce St.) presents a fascinating exhibition of pieces from self-taught artists in Margins Beyond: Self-Taught, which opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. Featured artists include Forrest Bess, Bill Haveron, Bert Long, Richard Gordan Kendall, Susan Te Kahurangi King, Frank Jones, Ike Morgan, Alessandra Michelangelo and Johnnie Swearingen — a diverse group with perspectives shaped by isolation, prison, mental illness, homelessness, detachment and staunch individualism that render striking visual representations. The exhibit runs through Saturday, Feb. 11; learn more at kirkhopperfineart.com. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Eraserhead Screening/Concert
Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
8:30 p.m. Saturday
$10 to $14
Few films in all of cinema history leave an impression quite like the first viewing of David Lynch’s surreal, black-and-white cult classic, Eraserhead. The film stands as one of the longest-running midnight movies, and for good reason, Lynch crafted one of the most remarkable, unforgettable debut feature-length films to come from any auteur filmmaker – from the Lady in the Radiator singing "In Heaven” to the chicken dinner scene to the sick, swaddled alien-like baby. And if the surrealist visuals aren't intriguing enough, the unsettling sounds and hypnotic hums that Lynch and sound editor Alan Splet recorded only add to the lingering creep factor of the film. See Eraserhead in 35mm at Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd. Screenings are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. Stick around after the credits roll Saturday for a live behind-the-screen concert with equally dreamlike performers: Street Sects, Lily Taylor and Poly Starra, as well as a DJ set by Hampton Mills of Cold Cuts. Tickets are $10 for the movie, $6 for the show or $14 for both. — Daniel Rodrigue
Lynné Bowman Cravens — House
500X Gallery
500 Exposition Ave.
7 to 10 p.m. Saturday
Free
The homes we grew up in occupy a singular space in our hearts and mind — physical structures that manifest feelings of contentment and unrest, love and despair, nostalgia and indifference. It’s why we drive past our childhood homes when we return to our hometowns, or lament major structural changes if our parents still live in them. They are the foundations of our memories, good and or bad, and they remain “home” long after we’ve left. Artist Lynné Bowman Cravens expounds on this concept in her latest project, House, to open at 500X Gallery (500 Exposition Ave.), during a reception from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. Her juxtaposition of old family photos of her childhood home with ones taken more recently in what’s now a rental property highlight the physical transition of memory, both in sentiment and in space. The solo exhibition will be on view through Sunday, Feb. 5; gallery hours are from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Awesome Toy Collector Show
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
6055 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
$5
If only we all knew how valuable the toys we toted around with us as kids would be one day. From Polly Pocket to GI Joe, these now-collector items are harder to find than we ever thought they would be. But from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites (6055 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway) collectors and sellers alike will come together for some serious play time. The Awesome Toy Collector Show features vintage and modern toys, from Star Wars to Hot Wheels to The Walking Dead, to name a few. Admission to peruse tables is $5 or you can sign up for a dealer table to sell your own goodies, with a $50 late fee. Visit awesomecollectorshows.com for more info. — Diamond Victoria
Substance — A New Order Tribute
Trees
2709 Elm St.
7 p.m. Sunday
$10
It's not always possible to see your favorite bands perform live. Whether they've disbanded or simply quit touring, it's almost the norm to just hear them through the crappy speakers of a MacBook or iPhone. But that's why tribute bands are so important. They offer up the opportunity to, at least for a little while, relive, or, experience for the first time, some of the greatest musicians the world's known. Substance, a New Order tribute band, plays this role all too well. And tonight they'll be cranking out some of the Manchester-bred band's top tunes like "Blue Monday" and "Bizarre Love Triangle," but we'll count on them playing some of the B-sides, too. — Diamond Victoria