The Dallas Museum of Art Celebrates Bad Bunny

So far, the Dallas Museum of Art's Pop of Art series has looked at themes of expression through the lens of pop culture icons such as David Lynch — specifically, his TV show Twin Peaks —  the Marvel Studios film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the Super Mario video game series. Bad Bunny is soon to join them. The Puerto Rican musician has built a fanbase that reaches people of many different cultures and languages, and the Dallas Museum of Art wants to explore his influence in the monthly Pop of Art exhibition.

The newest event, happening this Friday, will turn its attention to one of modern pop music's loudest and most vocal voices.

"We at the beginning of every season take a look at a long list of different themes and try to keep our finger on the pulse of different themes with what's happened and resonated in pop culture," says Sara Greenberg, the DMA's director of adult programs. "Bad Bunny has risen to the forefront of mainstream music and we wanted to honor that."

The pop rapper has done more than earn throngs of fans who fill places such as AT&T Stadium and top spots on the music charts: He’s also brought some much needed attention to the places he calls home.

"His social activism is something we're really interested in exploring through our programming, but also the way he has transcended the bilingual boundaries that exist in mainstream music by bringing Latin music to the masses and kind of bridging the gap," Greenberg says. "It's something by which we're really intrigued."

The Friday evening event at the DMA includes several exhibitions and activities that will allow guests to explore the way Bad Bunny presents themes of social action and culture in similar fashions, "touching on a couple of different aspects of [Bad Bunny's] music and image as a pop culture iron," Greenberg says.

The event includes a gallery tour highlighting symbolic connections between Bad Bunny's music and some of the works in DMA's collection. Guests can also create and design their own Bad Bunny-style bucket hat and taste signature dishes from Puerto Rican cuisine, such as camarones agua chile and choco flan with shredded coconut.

One of the evening's signature events is dubbed Desde El Corazón after Bad Bunny's 2018 hit and will allow guests to "use art for a good cause" by creating an album that represents an issue important to them.

"They can reflect on how they would build out an album that relates to that cause through a track list," Greenberg says.

This and the other Pop of Art series are chosen and designed for art patrons of all kinds, from regular museum visitors to people who are visiting the DMA for the first time.

"For those who have never been to the museum or are unsure about what they can find at the museum, this is a great first entry point," Greenberg says. "We have lots of different activities that are fun and lighthearted, so it'll be great for those who are unfamiliar with it."

The Pop of Art series will run until June and present the classic comedy film Monty Python and The Holy Grail with its Knights Who Say "Ni!" exhibition on May 12, and the sci-fi action film The Matrix with the DMA's Free Your Mind experience on June 9.

"We have seen a pretty strong presale ticket number," Greenberg says. "It is so far doing better than the previous three we've done this year, so we're expecting a pretty lively crowd. It's got a little something for everyone, whether you're someone who wants to be more observant or do something that's a little more engaging. There's something for everyone."