Best Things To Do in Dallas June 16–22

Wednesday, June 16

Get Down
Like other artists, Tokyo-based Tomoo Gokita spent life during the pandemic lockdown working on his craft and breaking the boundaries of his own art by abandoning his usual monochromatic and grayscale figurative paintings for vibrant pastels — with motifs ranging from pin-up models and female wrestlers to Donald Trump and socially distanced individuals — for a series titled Get Down. In a press release, the artist said: “What can I do in this pandemic? What will become of humanity?... Ignoring such questions, I simply focused on painting.” Catch the exhibition now through Aug. 22 at Dallas Contemporary (161 Glass St.). Admission is free with a $5 suggested donation. Visit dallascontemporary.org for more information.

Soul Art Renewal
Thanks to shutdowns and the pandemic, the last year and a half devastated the arts and music communities, but a new multimedia exhibition at the Greater Denton Arts Council (400 E. Hickory St. in Denton), shows local artists having the last laugh. A series titled Soul Art Renewal features pieces made in response to the pandemic and its effect on mental health and self-identity, through self-portraits, jewelry, video projection and more. Admission to the exhibition is free, and it will run through the summer. Visit dentonarts.com for more information.

Thursday, June 17

Deep Ellum Wine Walk
It’s been a while since the last Deep Ellum Wine Walk, so stop getting drunk at home alone and join other folks to stain your lips in a tipsy haze of fun at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 17. Mosey around Deep Ellum for the first official wine walk in 17 months and enjoy in-store specials and a one-of-a-kind wine glass to take home. Sip, shop and soak up some of Dallas’ best cultural attributes with live music, street art and retail hotspots. The walk begins at 2650 Main St. Glass presale is available for $15 at deep-ellum-wine-walk.square.site and it's $20 at the event.

Sanctuary
Revisit child-like wonder through the thousands of LED lights, balloons, ribbons and pieces of cotton at the immersive art exhibition Sanctuary, presented by Rainbow Vomit (3609 Parry Ave.). As the name suggests, your childhood will feel right at home at a show billed as a “peaceful oasis” with “pockets of whimsy.” We’re not entirely sure what that means, but it sure beats adulting for an hour or so, and it’ll certainly provide some illuminating content for your Instagram. This exhibit pretty much runs through the rest of the year, and the curators have adjusted the experience to encourage social distancing. Visit rainbowvomit.com for more information.


Frida Kahlo: Five Works
Frida Kahlo was once regrettably described in a Detroit newspaper over 80 years ago as the “wife of a master mural artist” who “gleefully dabbles in works of art.” Today, she’s one of the most revered artists in modern history, and the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.), celebrates her work with a showing of four of her paintings and a drawing at Frida Kahlo: Five Works, which runs Thursday, June 17, through Sunday, June 20. The exhibition runs alongside Devoted: Art and Spirituality in Mexico and New Mexico, featuring works from the DMA’s Latin American collection. Admission is free.

Drac in the Saddle Again
Monster stories like Frankenstein and Dracula have stood the test of time, and we’ve seen plenty of spoofs like the Leslie Neilson classic Dracula: Dead and Loving It and Gene Wilder’s Young Frankenstein. But we’ve never seen a campy vampire Western starring the bloodsucking Count Dracula until now. Making his way from Transylvania to Tombstone, this family-friendly play, aptly titled Drac in the Saddle Again, sees an aging Dracula settle down in the Old West. Catch the antics Thursday, June 17, through Saturday, June 19, at Pocket Sandwich Theater (5400 E Mockingbird Ln, Ste.119). Tickets, available at pocketsandwich.com, start at $19.50.

Friday, June, 18

Jurassic World: The Exhibition
They say that life finds a way, but sometimes we have to settle for the next best thing: animatronics. Ever watch Jurassic World and wonder what it’d be like to explore a real dinosaur park? It’d be terrifying, actually, so an exhibition in honor of the beloved Michael Crichton series that roared its way onto big screens in the ’90s is here to fulfill that curiosity, but minus all the bloodshed. Jurassic World: The Exhibition at Grandscape in The Colony has everything from baby dinos to giant T-rexes. Catch it now through Aug. 8. Tickets start at $24.50. For more information, visit showclix.com.

Summer of Cirque: Pirates and Princesses
Circuses have thankfully come a long way from the early days of displaying disfigured and disabled kids behind glass or abusing animals in the name of entertainment. One thing that’s remained, though, is the fine-tuned skill and finesse of acrobats dangling on small wires, contortionists, jugglers and costumes so elaborate you can see them gleam and sparkle from the cheap seats. This month, you can catch all the wonderment and awe of the circus as Lone Star Circus presents the action-packed Summer of Cirque: Pirates and Princesses, every Friday and Saturday through June 26 at Glass Cactus located inside Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, 1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine. Tickets start at $14.99 at gaylordtexantickets.com.

Sunday, June 20

Class of '81 Series: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
It’s fair to say that there are few things a dad wants more on Father’s Day than to sit back with a cold beer and watch a movie from his youth — if he can stay awake long enough. Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) hosts a summer series of super-cheap classic family movies to give him just that option with its screening of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark as part of its Class of '81 series at 3 p.m., Sunday, June 20. Give Dad the gift of watching Harrison Ford kick some Nazi ass while convincing us that archaeologists have exciting lives. Tickets, at thetexastheatre.com, are a buck each, so you’ll have plenty of money for the theater’s full bar and snacks.

Taste of the Bishop Arts District
Bishop Arts, the charming historical neighborhood in the heart of north Oak Cliff with over 60 boutiques, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, theaters and art galleries, is a great place to kill a little time or spend an entire day. If you’ve wanted to sample some of the district’s cuisine, the Dallas Bites and Sights Food Tour regularly hosts Taste of the Bishop Arts District, a 3-and-a-half-hour jaunt that will fill your belly and your afternoon. The tour kicks off at 1 p.m., Sunday, June 20, and tickets are $45 for children and $53 for adults. Visit dallasbychocolate.com for more information.

Monday, June 21

The Science of Guinness World Records
Ever wonder how those folks who make it into the Guinness Book of World Records do what they do? We’re talking about things like the most drum beats in 60 seconds (2,400 beats, or 40 beats per second), how one premature baby given a zero percent chance of life beats the odds, or how a freediver holds his breath for 25 minutes. Get to know the science behind feats like these and others with The Science of Guinness World Records at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science (2201 N. Field St.) now through Sept. 6. Admission is free for members of the museum, or $13 to $20 for nonmembers. Visit perotmuseum.org.

Tuesday, June 22

Love, Loss and What I Wore
The writer of rom-coms including When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle wrote a brilliant play based on a 1995 book of the same name: Love, Loss and What I Wore. In a series of monologues, women tell the tales of important moments in their lives, marking each with detailed accounts of accessories and clothing they wore (or didn’t wear) at the time. Recalling high school prom, motherhood, failed marriages, and all phases in life, the clothing discussed in Love, Loss and What I Wore act as time capsules. Catch one of six shows throughout June at Pocket Sandwich Theater (5400 E Mockingbird Ln. Ste.119). Tickets start at $15 at pocketsandwich.showare.com.