Four Must-See Dallas Art Openings

As Fort Worth celebrates its annual Fall Gallery Walk — a magical, lengthy day when art spaces filled with new work stay open from noon to dusk — Dallas is again left to fend for itself. The Design District shakes off its summer break with the standard three-hour art window…

Hex Keys To The City

As we direct our gaze to San Antonio’s Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, where the bulk of 2013 Texas Biennial action shakes out, it’s easy to miss a local contribution occurring at CentralTrak (800 Exposition Ave.). Friskt kopplat, hälften brunnet (Quickly connected, half burned) is the newest mission launched by…

March for Beauty

Isis Brantley fought a fight that few in Dallas even know existed. A leader in the underground hair-braiding movement, Brantley was arrested in ’95 for practicing her craft without a cosmetology license. Known throughout the international hair community as Naturally Isis, she refused to accept the charge, arguing that cosmetology…

News From The Hill

One of our generation’s most fascinating artists opens a solo show at Kirk Hopper (3008 Commerce St.) Friday. James Magee has spent more than three decades communicating with a desolate swath of West Texas landscape to build his opus The Hill, which remains in perennial construction. Acting as engineer, designer,…

Our 15 Favorite Photos from Last Weekend’s AnimeFest

Last weekend the Sheraton Hotel Dallas was home to AnimeFest 2013, a four-day celebration of gaming and animation culture. There were panels, parties, and more costumes than you could shake a four-foot laser sword at. We sent photographer Ed Steele out to find his favorite monsters, and well, he might…

Five Charming Photographs of Magicians at Work

The Texas Association of Magicians held their annual conference at the InterContinental Hotel last weekend in an event so grand it even included a visit by Observer staff favorite, Harry Anderson (Night Court). (On an unrelated note: Housekeeping staff of the InterContinental found 3,000 colorful, unclaimed scarves tucked into one…

Cutting The Strings

Life isn’t going as predicted for Scotty Mankin (Kevin Grammer) in the Ochre House’s newest original play Best Seat in Town. The down-and-out car salesman really messed up when he sold lemons to the puppet mafia. As we meet him, Mankin’s on a desperate mission to track down the mafia’s…

“I’m Sorry, Dave. That’s Checkmate.”

When Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess premiered at the Oak Cliff Film Festival, Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) paired it with a lobby chess battle: a tiny war waged and fought by humans. For its theatrical release weekend, the theater will hit the return key with “Texas Theatre Speed Chess…

Swine ‘Em And Dine ‘Em

International Bacon Day is more important than Valentine’s, Groundhog and Arbor days combined. It’s a magical celebration when we unite in the shared love of salted, slow-cooked swine and sing anthems in the name of ribbon meat. Or we just order double bacon at brunch, whatevs. Dallas Bites! Food Tours…

An Entire House Will Be Planted Underground for Nasher XChange

Lara Almarcegui attracted international buzz when she filled the Spanish Pavilion with construction materials at the 2013 Venice Biennale. The 1922 building became the casing for its own eventual decay, with mountains of smashed rubble, bricks and building tiles authentic to the pavilion’s composition piled within. It’s work like that…

(NSFW) The Five Best Burlesque Photos from Friday’s Lollie Bombs Show

Local burlesque babes the Lollie Bombs held their annual breast cancer benefit show at Pocket Sandwich Theatre on Friday night, simultaneously satisfying its audience’s desires for snacks, do-gooding and boobs errywhere. We sent photographer Ed Steele to capture the action in photos and he came back with a whole slideshow’s…