6/25
Few would call spilled wine a work of art. Most of us would spend a lot of time grumbling obscenities under our breath while cleaning up the red spilled mess left over from an all-night shindig. But Ryan Fitzer sees it differently. He is experimenting on how wine sets after it's poured, and, though he admits on his blog that "these things are pretty stressful as the wine likes to do its own thing like run off in some random direction and screw everything up," watching how it turns out excites him. "It's such an interesting process to watch the drawing take shape as it dries," he says. "I find myself waking up every morning to a new surprise." Fitzer is just one of several bright talents in the UTD/South Side Artist Residency Program. And what a sweet gig. These lucky--but hardworking--folks get to live in a cool studio/living space at the 1910 vintage Sears Catalog and Distribution building for two months to a year. In exchange for having a place to live and work on their creations, the artists have to provide guest lectures, exhibitions and performances at both the University of Texas at Dallas and South Side. If you are curious about what comes from having such freedoms, go to The McKinney Avenue Contemporary from June 25 through August 1 to view Conspicuous Production: The First Two Years of the UTD/South Side Artist Residency. The exhibit features the work of 23 artists who rounded out the second year of the program. The opening reception is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday with the artists in attendance. And for some ambience, Paul Slocum, also a resident artist, will perform with his Tree Wave music project. The MAC is located at 3120 McKinney Ave. Call 214-953-1212. --Jenice Johnson
In With the New
6/28
Is Beijing the hottest new cultural capital? Quin Mathews thinks so. The Dallas journalist and filmmaker went to China and discovered something unexpected. On the edge of Beijing, a huge abandoned factory has turned into an arts district. Dealers from Japan and Europe have opened galleries, a man from Fort Worth has opened a bookstore and, most important, emerging artists have created studios where they live, work and sell their art. Mathews' one-hour documentary, New Artists in a New China, will be shown on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St. The film is free and includes a reception at 6 p.m. and a question-and-answer session after the film. Call 817-840-2154 or visit www.themodern.org. --Emily Jacobs
Members Only
6/24
Year after year, the complaints in Dallas remain the same: When will the city fix the crime problem? When will it fix the potholes? When will Mark Cuban get a team that can play? When will downtown be cool again? When will the Cowboys be great again? When and where can I see some new and local artwork? Finally, an answer we can help you with. Head to the Dallas Center for Contemporary Art, 2801 Swiss Ave., on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Members of the center will help open the exhibit The Summer Show & Critic's Choice with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for guests and $5 for students. Members get in for free. Call 214-821-2522. --Paul Kix
She Bop
6/25
Mighty Fine Arts is doing its best to lure art lovers to its new exhibit, Polly Perez's Boplicity. The exhibit takes its inspiration from the "era of cool" and spins 1950s life into a "dynamic hybrid" that should incite nostalgic feelings like nothing else--well, at least in people born early enough to be nostalgic for the '50s. Perez dabbles in painting, silk screening and mixed media and is a regular contributor to art happenings in Dallas. Her show marks the one-year anniversary of the Oak Cliff gallery, which prides itself on featuring an eclectic bunch of artists on a minuscule budget. Boplicity opens with a reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and runs through July 31. Call 214-942-5241 or visit www.mfagallery.com. --Kelsey Guy
