"When I realized it coincided, I thought, 'How far do we lean into this? Some galleries will lean in, some will not, but we're all very interested," she says. "A lot of the gallery directors are staying through Monday because they want to see it happen. There will just be lots of energy around that [event]. All the parks downtown have programming all weekend long, so we're looking to be part of that programming."
As Cornell says about the eclipse, "Apparently the birds stop chirping and people, too, get quiet," the vibes should align with precisely the state of mind one should have when gazing at art. Kismet!
Galleries new to the fair, like Amsterdam-based Torch Gallery, are even tailoring their programming to the event — its booth will show the work of Ashley Zielinski, a NASA collaborator who uses 3D printing and laser-cut canvas to create galaxy-inspired work.
Also fresh for the 2024 edition? Among the 91 participating galleries, there's a more extensive array of Los Angeles-based institutions this year. London's Joshua Lilley and Italy's Luce Gallery have expanded booths, and there’s the addition of Dreamsong in Minneapolis, Bracket Creek Exhibitions in Bozeman, Montana, and Wolfgang Gallery in Atlanta, giving programming a broader base.
Sourcing participation from smaller, less high-profile markets is essential to Cornell, who spends a chunk of non-fair months traveling around to discover what spaces are new and exciting.
"I think it's something important that fairs can do," she says. "You can have a gallery anywhere now and be impactful in a unique community. Fairs allow these galleries to get on the radar, too, of the larger art collector circuit. A lot of times [we discover galleries] from recommendations from other galleries, and we take those seriously and rely on those. It's really valuable for us in the process of making sure the Art Fair has a unique edge."
There will be a fresh fashion collab featuring embroidered tees designed by multimedia artist Patrick Martinez and a tote designed by Rosson Crow. Offering purchasable items that are more affordable than what's on the walls is a key opportunity to get everyone into an artful spirit.
"We want there to be a moment for anyone to participate in the fair and make it as accessible as possible for people," says Cornell. "That's part of the goal."
A Foundation Preview Benefit ticket for April 4 (benefiting the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Contemporary) is $255, and regular one-day Fair admission is $34 ($29 for seniors and students). The fair will run through Sunday, April 7, at the Fashion Industry Gallery, 1807 Ross Ave.
Surrounding the main event is an array of on- and off-site activations, plus free programming to ensure everyone can enjoy the fair, even if a pass is outside their budget.
Tuesday, April 3
In the Know, ShowGreen Family Art Foundation at Atelier, 2121 Flora St.
The nonprofit Green Family Art Foundation's pop-up In the Know, Show in the lobby of Atelier Apartments is kicking off the whole caboodle on Tuesday. This free exhibition focuses on rising artists the Foundation is excited to introduce to Dallas.
It's open to the public 5–7 p.m., and there's no RSVP needed, making the night the perfect soft launch into a jam-packed week.
Wednesday, April 3
Construction Site: 3 in 3DSite 131, 131 Payne St.
The nonprofit space Site 131 always shows vibrant, thought-provoking work, and its current exhibit is no exception. Curated by abstract artist and long-term University of Texas at Dallas professor John Pomara, Construction Site showcases the work of sculptors Alicia Eggert, Jeffrey Lee and Kasey Short.
From 5 to 7 p.m., the high-powered show will open to viewers, with Eggert's double entendre neon sign leading engagement. Also on view is a monumental futuristic watchtower by Short, and retailer-turned-rising-art-star Lee's three-dimensional sculptural masses crafted of clay and coat hangers. If you miss the opening, Construction Site will stay on view through June 8. Beyond the World, Shayna Fontana at Mirador
Mirador, 1608 Elm St.
Chicago-born artist Shayna Fontana bridges the commercial and conceptual worlds effortlessly with her surrealist photography. Having shot for Gucci, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, she turns her lens on pasta, octopi and fish (among other delicacies) for a collab with art e-commerce brand Prospect NY.
Reminiscent of surrealist meals by Dali, colorful bone china dishes emblazoned with her work will be revealed at Mirador during a private cocktail party, 6–8 p.m. Regular diners can also choose to be surprised on which plates their entrees are served or choose to take home an entire set — the work is for sale at Forty Five Ten.
Karolina Jabłonska “Gasburner,” 2023, is one work in Who's Afraid of Cartoony Figuration?
Mateusz Torbus
Dallas Contemporary, 161 Glass St.
Last year, the Dallas Contemporary opened its annual exhibitions to a free-for-all crowd of scenesters and art enthusiasts, giving the evening a jolt of energy and fun. With two disparate shows on deck for spring and a similar free-entry policy, Wednesday's event promises to have the same vibrant feel as last year.
"I think what has shifted [last year] is we moved from it being a member's only opening to a general public opening," says the museum's executive director, Carolina Alvarez-Mathies. "Because one of the main things at the core of Dallas Contemporary is inviting the public to come in, experience art and grab a cocktail. At the end of the day, it's creating a sense of community."
After a member's hour from 6 to 7 p.m., the public opening will continue until 9 p.m., with music by DJ Sober and specialty cocktails from LALO tequila, Greenhouse gin and Townes vodka. But the work remains, as always, the main event.
Multimedia artist Patrick Martinez has built a name with his pointed works, like the suite acquired by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, which proclaims phrases "America Is for Dreamers" and "Deport Ice" in candy-colored neon. But Martinez's oversized, gestural paintings are equally impactful, meaning Histories should have a little something for everyone.
The Dallas Contemporary will offer works such as Patrick Martinez's “Fleeting Bougainvillea Landscape 1.”
Joshua White
"There's sculpture, painting, there's neon, there are newer works made just for the exhibition," says Alvarez-Mathies of the show, which Rafael Barrientos Martinez curates. "He calls his paintings landscape paintings because when he paints these larger works, they're surfaces that mimic walls for cities, from stucco to vinyl signage. That leads to his neon work that mirrors street signage and the neon you see at nail salons, but what changes with his neon is the context. He mixes words and phrases to refer to things he is listening to, reading, or things he thinks are important to express."
Also on tap is the return of respected curator Alison M. Gingeras, who gathers together Karolina Jablonska, Sally Saul, Tabboo! and Umar Rashid in her show Who's Afraid of Cartoony Figuration?
Mixing the fun of cartoons and comics with some of the most pressing issues of our day is a spoonful of animated sugar that makes the medicine go down.
"Alison proposed this really great group show, and I was immediately drawn to it," says Alvarez-Mathies. "She's an intellectual curator who has this interesting way of showing what's currently happening. It's one of those exhibitions if you see it, it's fun and colorful at the moment, but the more you tackle it, the more you realize there are really important themes happening, and that mirrors Patrick's exhibition." Vojtěch Kovařík and Picnic Curatorial
The Power Station, 3816 Commerce St.
On view from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Power Station is Czech artist Vojtěch Kovařík's dreamlike reinterpretation of classical forms. According to the space's artistic director, Rob Teeters, his figures "speak to history while pointing towards the future."
Bold in color and impactful in form, these canvases and sculptures juxtapose Greek mythology and pop culture references, turning the timeless modern. Also on view is Future Reefs, a series of sculptural sound-based works curated by Picnic Curatorial Projects.
Thursday, April 4
Dallas Invitational at the Fairmont Hotel1717 N. Akard St.
Gallerist/curator James Cope's free and open-to-the-public Dallas Invitational complements the Dallas Art Fair for a second year. This year, he's added one more gallery to a list drawn both locally and internationally, including his own space, And Now. Also at the Invitational are Bel Ami, Bureau, Clearing, James Fuentes, Jenny's, Francis Irv, Francois Ghebaly, Hannah Hoffman, Lomex, Night Gallery, The Approach, Various Small Fires and Vardaxoglou Gallery.
"It was really successful, and people wanted me to do it again," Cope says of the Invitational's sophomore stint. "Actually, most people wanted me to make it bigger, but for me, it's more about the quality of the galleries rather than the quantity. I wanted to keep it more bespoke."
Mounted from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day through April 6, the Invitational is staged in assorted rooms on the Fairmont Hotel's 17th floor, just across the street from the Fashion Industry Gallery. Artists can install around the existing furnishings or take them out of the rooms for a more immersive experience, assuring each room will be unique.
"You've kind of got to work around the aesthetic of the hotel's architecture," Cope says, "so you have to get weird and creative as opposed to a white-wall, conventional kind of art gallery."
Inspired by hotel-hosted art fairs like the Gramercy Art Fair in New York and the Felix Art Fair in Los Angeles, Dallas Invitational is a welcome indie offshoot that can only benefit the energy of Dallas Arts Month. If things continue to build, Cope plans to make it even bigger next year.
"Last year was a beta test," he says. "This year, we're starting to build, and it seems like it's going to go well, so 2025 will be the year to make it grow with multiple floors and more galleries."
Michelle Segre's contribution to I Talk to the Trees is on display this week at Henry C. Beck Park.
Adam Reich
Henry C. Beck Park, Ross and Akard St.
Dallas-based independent curator Sara Hignite of Hignite Projects has selected works by five contemporary artists for her timely show I Talk to the Trees. Adorning the park near the Fashion Industry Gallery’s entrance throughout the fair, the work focuses on the natural world, embracing everything from devastation to drought, with local desert landscapes as its subject matter.
Sculptors Michelle Segre, Karla Garcia, Alexa Horochowski, Sherry Owens and Sarah Rodriguez each address our connection to (or separation from) the natural world — hopefully, making our looming climate crisis an essential topic of conversation among attendees as the work hangs inside the Fair.
Friday, April 5
Issaweb at La Monte’s Belly904 Fort Worth Ave.
A big plus for Dallas-based artists this week is the ability to get out-of-town curators and gallerists in their orbit. And a new pop-up art space, La Monte's Belly, has curated a who's-who of talented Dallasites, including Frances Bagley, Jesse Morgan Barnett, Xxavier Carter, Jeff Gibbons, Tamara Johnson, David Quadrini, Gregory Ruppe, Lucia Simek and Keer Tanchak (to name but a few).
A collaboration between curators Oshay Green and Greg Meza (the duo previously mounted the Jessamine pop-up in the Tin District), Issaweb will take over parts of the old Belmont Hotel from 6 to 8 p.m. with pieces from established and up-and-coming talents.
The EYEboretum art is interactive and includes a surrealist garden.
Courtesy of the Headington Group
The Eye at the Joule, 1601 Main St.
For nearly a decade, The Joule's annual EyeBall party has been the most coveted list and the final cap-off to Art Fair festivities. Last year, Headington Companies switched things up with the more egalitarian EYEboretum, which opened for a single weekend to the public.
"It was a three-day affair with over 3,000 attendees," says Jeny Bania, Headington Companies' vice president of public relations and brand marketing. “We looked at the calendar, and the eclipse was on the 8th, so we thought, why not keep it going and let more people experience it?"
Inspired by fairy tales, the green space in front of the "Eye" sculpture will transform into an Alice in Wonderland landscape of giant mushrooms and butterfly-shaped foam clouds. This year, the EYEboretum’s second edition will add a little augmented reality to its swings, bubbles and surrealist garden. There's also an affordable entry fee — daytime admission is just $10 for adults, with kids 12 and under free. The $25 nighttime golden hour and $100 Saturday garden parties are already sold out.
The EYEboretum will be open daily from Friday, April 5, through Sunday, April 14.
Design District Art Night
151 Manufacturing St.
The annual Design District Art Night is a team effort involving 12.26, Erin Cluley Gallery, Meliksetian|Briggs, Keijsers Koning and PDNB galleries. The chill cocktail party kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and continues to the Monitor Street cul-de-sac, where gallerist Peter Augustus and Galleri Urbane will host a complimentary grilled cheese food truck. Things wrap up at 9 p.m.
Ostensibly a way for out-of-towners to familiarize themselves with our best local spaces, it's also an easy way for locals to get a Cliff's Notes of Dallas' best and brightest in a single evening.
Video Art Nights, Aurora and Downtown Dallas
Pegasus Plaza, 1500 Main St.
The third edition of Aurora's one-night VAN, presenting video artwork culled through an open call for Texas-based artists, is an immersive way to cap off the night. Regional and national talents, including Melanie Clemmons + Zak Loyd, Experiment.l. and Jiatong Yao, are also on the roster for the show, held at Pegasus Plaza downtown.
With the ambitious goal of helping to make Dallas a cultural capital of art, VAN is a fun (and free) experience that runs 6–10 p.m. and presents live music, refreshments and a set by DJ Blake Ward.
