The Best Things To Do In Dallas, Feb. 9-16

Wednesday, Feb. 9

Black History Month at Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center
Did you know there is a Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center (5657 Mariner Drive) located at the Dallas Executive Airport? It offers an enormous collection of World War II nose art, educational exhibitions and collections of artifacts. It’s a diverse collection and amidst the STEM workshops and other programs, it can be a source of inspiration to the public. During Black History Month, the NAEC is honoring Black pioneers in aviation both via a physical exhibition and on Facebook. Visit in person to learn about the Tuskegee Airmen and others, and keep sights online for historical facts and photos. Admission is $10, available online.

Thursday, Feb. 10

Russell Peters' Act Your Age Tour at Texas Trust CU Theatre
It’s sort of a weird thing to do a write-up on a Russell Peters show. The career comic and star in last year’s Clifford the Big Red Dog is fairly polarizing. Familiar amongst Netflix stand-up special artists, Peters often gets personal, venturing into race  —and sometimes racist stereotypes. It has earned him haters, but also fans in the “calls it like he sees it” lane. It’s interesting to see how his punchlines have changed as he’s grown older. When he hosted the Juno Awards, they later apologized for his jokes, and he’s also a Joe Rogan apologist (or stand-by-ist, whatever term you prefer). Peters comes to Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, with his Act Your Age tour. Whatever your position on his previous comedy, he will inspire a reaction, so be prepared and maybe buy some popcorn to watch the audience. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $39.75, via Axs.

ARTCRUSH at CANVAS Hotel
Valentine’s Day is on a Monday, but ARTCRUSH doesn’t play by the rules. It’s from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday so you can start the celebration early at CANVAS Hotel (1325 Botham Jean Blvd.). The free event, curated by FGIII Fine Art Productions, is all about getting up to that Gallery Rooftop Lounge and feeling the vibes with some art — maybe making eyes at it from across the roof, then sauntering over and asking for a commitment. Featured Dallas-Fort Worth artists include Sarah Janese, Chris Brown (not that one), Kenzi Smith, Rambo, Lolita Jackson and others. RSVP on Facebook.
Art Exhibitions and Community Roundtable at the African American Museum of Dallas
The African American Museum (3536 Grand Ave., in Fair Park) is celebrating Black History Month with three enthralling continuing exhibitions that examine the Prairie View Interscholastic League in Black high school sports in the time of a segregated Texas. These showcase Fort Worth’s own Sepia magazine and spotlight Dallas photographer George R. Fullers' documentation of the fight against police brutality and discrimination in 1980s and 1990s Dallas. All exhibitions run through Feb. 26, 11 a.m. On Thursday, Feb. 10, the museum hosts a roundtable called “From Generational Trauma to Generational Healing.” It’s free, but reservations are required (214-403-5726). For more on the museum and its exhibition, visit the website.

Friday, Feb. 11

Bare Book Club presents Glamorama at Margo Jones Theatre
The nude literary show you used to know as Naked Girls Reading is now the Bare Book Club, and this production is all Glamorama — or, in other words, tales of fame and celebrity presented through a combo of acting, literature and sexiness by Courtney Crave, Kitty Martini, Honey Cocoa Bordeauxx and others.
Doors are at 7 p.m. with the show at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, at Margo Jones Theatre (1121 First Ave., in Fair Park). GA tickets are $20 and VIP tickets (with swag) are $30, available via Prekindle. Find out more about Bare Book Club on the event's website.

Festival of Laughs at Texas Trust CU Theatre
Our favorite bit of trivia about the “Undisputed Queen of Comedy” is that a Killeen, Texas radio station (MyKiss 103.1 FM) once held a poll asking “Is Sommore too hot for Killeen?” There may very well be nothing we can write that would better prepare any Texan for her stand-up. Also, if you didn't already know, the answer is most definitely "Yasss, queen." Queen Sommore is hosting the Festival of Laughs 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, at Texas Trust CU Theatre. She’ll welcome to the stage Arnez J, Don DC Curry, Tony Rock, D. Elli$ and Griff to round out the line-up. Tickets start at $59, available via Axs.

Saturday, Feb. 12

Jooyoung Choi: Songs Of Resilience From The Tapestry of Faith at the Crow Museum of Asian Art
If you haven’t been to the Arts District since the Nasher opened the Harry Bertoia exhibition, this Saturday, Feb. 12, would be an amazing time to go. Why? To see the Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas (2010 Flora St.) opening of JooYoung Choi: Songs of Resilience from the Tapestry of Faith as part of a continuing effort to showcasing Texas-based contemporary Asian women artists. This technicolor, multi-media dreamworld — the artist actually built the fictional land and named it the Cosmic Womb — is beyond anything digestible in one viewing. Comprising paint, sculpture, animation, and video all installed together with a musical overlay, the details of the Houston artist’s masterpiece are seemingly never-ending. Themes explore identity, trauma and the titular resilience, but it’s clear media representation plays a big role. The Crow is free and open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Visit the website for more info.

For the Love of Kettle at Kettle Art Gallery
Deep Ellum’s beloved Kettle Art Gallery (2650 Main St.) owner Frank Campagna described For the Love of Kettle as “essentially a competitive shopping event where the line forms early and a mad rush happens straight up at 7 p.m., when the doors open,” which might be one of the most promising things to be said about an art event and the future of art. Too much? No way. We love the idea of people clamoring over each other to get their 9x12 piece of original art. With more than 120 available at $50 each, there’s a lot to take in, but Campagna’s right: Get in line early on Saturday, Feb. 12. Most pieces sell within the first hour. The benefit isn’t just scoring a piece of art, it’s helping support a community. This one-night fundraiser keeps Kettle Art Gallery going the rest of the year, bringing the strange and beautiful to Deep Ellum. Art wins. Visit Kettle online before you go.

Sunday, Feb. 13

Cara Mía Theatre presents Luchadora! at Latino Cultural Center
Do not wait; get to the Latino Cultural Center (2600 Live Oak St.) to see Cara Mía Theatre’s Luchadora! 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 (there are other showtimes Saturday and Sunday if you must). The story is sweet, empowering and moving as we follow Lupita on her quest to become (you may have guessed) a luchadora. But y’all, it’s 1960s Texas and girls don’t do that. Or do they? It’s amazing what a pink lucha libre mask can make happen. Adult tickets start at $20, available online.

Monday, Feb. 14

Junk King's Dump Your Ex's Stuff event at Well Grounded Coffee Community
Heartbroken or just have some of your ex’s shit that you don’t need to move again? Valentine’s Day is your day, thanks to Junk King Dallas and North Texas. Dump a few pieces of stuff for free and not only will you get some much-needed space, but American Heart Association will get some much-needed donations. For every hoodie or magician’s case (just a generic example, for the sake of illustrating this process, we assure you) that you dump, Junk King is giving the AHA $1. Hit up Well Grounded Coffee Community (9219 Garland Road) between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, and declutter for good.

Heart-Shaped Pizzas at Greenville Avenue Pizza Company
Can’t support this enough: Eat at home on Valentine’s Day. Now, we didn’t say don’t support local businesses; we just said eat that support in the comfort of your own home. And a particularly delicious and adorable way to do that is with a heart-shaped pizza from Greenville Avenue Pizza Company (1923 Greenville Ave. or 1145 Peavy Road in Dallas, and 520 Lockwood in Richardson). GAPCo will form the dough and you can design toppings to your desires … or better yet, your date’s. Or BFF. Or cat (just kidding, don’t feed your cat pizza). Pre-orders are recommended. Visit the pizza slayers online.

Tuesday, Feb. 15

Arts & Letters Live: Brendan Slocumb at Dallas Museum of Art
Brendan Slocumb has many gifts. We don’t think that’s overstating — you don’t become an accomplished violinist, an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center, an award-winning music educator and a praised novelist without great skill and talent. But it’s the combination of all these that leads us to be so excited for his latest accomplishment. Arts & Letters Live welcomes Slocumb to the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 Harwood St.) 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, to discuss his thriller The Violin Conspiracy. The Good Morning America Book Club pick proves not only a page-turner after his inherited violin is stolen before a competition, but also an exposure of racism in classical music. In-person tickets start at $30, with virtual at $12, both available online.