The Best Things To Do in Dallas Nov. 3-Nov. 10

Wednesday, Nov. 3

Arts & Letters Live: Ai Weiwei Virtual Event
At the crossroads of political activism and art, you’ll have heard the name Ai Weiwei. His story is an epic tale of a creative legacy handed down from his political exile father. A childhood spent under totalitarian government inspired Ai Weiwei to speak out for human rights while creating stunning sculptures and installations. After being detained for his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government, Ai Weiwei’s memoir 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows has been long-awaited. Dallas has the opportunity to hear the artist speak on his experiences at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3. Dallas Museum of Arts’ Arts & Letters Live presents this virtual event along with the University Club of Chicago, Writers Bloc and the Skirball Cultural Center. Tickets are $42 ($40 for students, educators and DMA members), available online, and come with a copy of the book. Books are also available separately through the DMA.

Thursday, Nov. 4

21st Anniversary Celebration at Cosmo's
We’ve all been there. Cosmo’s (1212 Skillman St.), that is. If you haven’t, get there before Thursday, Nov. 4, so you can act like a regular when the restaurant and bar celebrates its legal drinking age. Take another deep breath; we’ve been going to Cosmo’s for 21 years. It’s fine. Even better actually, thanks to Jackson Tran’s in-freaking-credible Vietnamese menu. The party starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until closing, so celebrate according to the rules of good patrons and get there early, order kindly, wait patiently and tip like you love the place. Because you do. Oh, and RSVP. Head counts are nice.

Friday, Nov. 5

ArtCult Variety Show at ArtStillery
The first Wednesday of every month we have to remind ourselves that if there are sirens and clear skies, it’s the test of the emergency alert system. Now, the first Friday of each month, when we hear music and spoken word in West Dallas, it’s time for ArtCultivation, a variety show under the stars with a different line-up every month — ranging from music to performance art to dance to video presentations (along with resident performers Alegre Ballet Folklorico). It starts 8 p.m. Nov. 5 at Artstillery (723 Fort Worth Ave.). Food and drink are available from Manhattan Project Beer Co. and Locura Small Bites. Seats are by reservation only, starting with tables for two at $30. Or “bring your own damn chair” for $5. Get the full ArtCult line-up before you go.

Nunsense at Irving Arts Center
The funniest musicals always involve unintentional manslaughter by way of contaminated vichyssoise, or so it’s been said. MainStage Irving-Las Colinas present its take on Nunsense, which chronicles the Little Sisters of Hoboken’s efforts to raise funds to bury 52 of their fellow nuns after Sister Julia, Child of God’s rank soup took them off the prayer list. It’s been a campy favorite for 30 years and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Nunsense begins its run Friday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dupree Theatre of the Irving Arts Center (3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving), and continues Fridays-Sundays (and Thursday, Nov. 18) through November 20. Tickets are $25-$32, available through Irving Arts Center.

Saturday, Nov. 6

See You There Launch Event at Pollock Gallery
Nishiki Sugawara-Beda, assistant professor of art at Southern Methodist University, is an accomplished artist now celebrating the release of her book See You There noon-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Pollock Gallery on the SMU campus (6116 N. Central Expressway). Known for her experimentation with Japanese mediums and techniques as well as explorations of themes in her Japanese heritage and language, Sugawara-Beda will welcome families for an ikebana (Japanese art of flower arranging) class with artist Motoko Ishihara from 2-6 p.m. At 3 p.m. she will discuss her work with Jacqueline Chao, senior curator of Asian art at the Crow Museum of Asian Art at The University of Texas at Dallas. Books will be available for purchase at the event and can be signed by the artist.

Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me Celebrity Screening at Texas Theatre
We hoped to write this as the Man from Another Place, but it’s hard to type backwards with a bowl of creamed corn. Attention, Twin Peaks fans: The Dallas Comic Show is screening Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) with an intro by Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer, y’all!) and a Q&A to follow with Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne, Twin Peaks series) and Harry Goaz (Deputy Andy Brennan from the series). The Dallas Comic Show is all weekend (more on that later), but this is a separate cover, ticketed event, in a different part of town, with a totally necessary David Lynch screening so it gets its own rec. Tickets are $20 on Prekindle.

Van Gogh and the Olive Groves Family Festival at Dallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.) features Van Gogh and the Olive Groves through February, and it’s gorgeous. But do kids beg to see olive groves? They well might after the Family Festival 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6. The day is packed with activities like yoga, Nature 101, art therapy and of course, Van Gogh and the Olive Groves-specific make-and-take art fun. Admission to the DMA is free, but reserve your spot and see the complete schedule before arrival.

The Last Autumn Carnivorous Plant Open House at the Texas Triffid Ranch
The Texas Triffid Ranch (405 Business Parkway, Richardson) calls itself Dallas’ “pretty much only carnivorous plant gallery,” but also states that despite the name, they do not sell fictional creatures such as triffids or Audrey IIs. They do, however, celebrate the transition to shorter growing days with a free open  house noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6. The ranch isn’t normally open to the public for browsing, so this is a  rare and exciting opportunity to see temperate carnivores (Venus flytraps and North American pitcher plants) in their full glory, and tropical carnivores (Asian and Australian pitchers), sundews, butterworts and more in their growth cycle. Skip over to the Texas Triffid Ranch for more info on carnivorous plants before you see them in real life.

Sunday, Nov. 7

Tough Mudder at True Grit Ranch
First things first: Spectating at Tough Mudder is only $15. Now that’s out of the way, those who want to get dirty and hurl themselves through obstacles called Everest, the Block Ness Monster and Mudderhorn in an uber-competitive 10K (or 5K) Survivor-meets-American Ninja Warrior situation should register ASAP for this weekend’s Tough Mudder at True Grit Ranch (6810 Old Granbury Road, Granbury). Spots for kid and adult races are selling out. There are start times for all events on Saturday and Sunday, so check out open slots and registration fees online.

Dallas Comic Show Holiday Special at Music City Mall
Yeah, we already talked about the Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me screening, but why stop there? The Dallas Comic Show Holiday Special convention on Saturday and Sunday at Music City Mall (2401 S. Stemmons Freeway, Lewisville) offers up so much for movie fans, comic collectors, gamers and anime buffs we can’t just limit it to damn fine coffee on the big screen. Celebrate Larry Stroman, Greg LaRocque, Burton Gilliam, voice actors Stephanie Nadolny and Melanie Kohn, Valley Girl’s Deborah Foreman, the Twin Peaks crew and so many others. There’s even a costume contest. Single day passes are $10 each, or snag a pass for the weekend for $15 with Dallas Comic Show. Peep the schedule and other details online too.

Monday, Nov. 8

Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy at AT&T Discovery District
It’s been 50 years since Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut. In that time, he’s made some extremely memorable squints and been a part of some pivotal movies and political performance art bits involving empty chairs. The AT&T Discovery District celebrates the actor, producer and director with Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy, in the AT&T Showcase (208 S. Akard St.). Through Nov. 28, check out props, scripts, costumes and more from iconic films Dirty Harry, Million Dollar Baby, Bird, Gran Torino and more. Admission is free, as is snagging a selfie with THE Gran Torino. Check daily hours with the AT&T Discovery District.

Tuesday, Nov. 9

The Kennington Drawings, 1988 at Cris Worley Fine Arts
Get to Cris Worley Fine Arts (1845 E. Levee St.) before it’s too late to see The Kennington Drawings, 1988 by Richard Patterson. Known as an original Young British Artist (YBA) after being exhibited in Damien Hirst’s historic Freeze group show, Patterson describes the 1988 sketchbook drawings in this exhibition as “very personal” and created during a time he lived with his brother in a run-down apartment à la Midnight Cowboy or Withnail and I (imagery that makes these works all the more enticing). From the vivid and bold to the pastel or even penciled, the works are beguiling, creating a bit of a gateway drug to Patterson’s life work, which, perhaps, is an odd and unintentional reference back to those movie apartments. See The Kennington Drawings, 1988 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays until Nov. 13. Check out Cris Worley online for a great Q&A with the artist on the exhibition.