Afternoon Delight is a daily diversion for when you’re just back from lunch, but not quite ready to get down to work. Check back weekdays at 1 p.m. for another one.
The Office calls is quits with tonight’s series finale. In this video, the regulars get together to reflect on nine seasons at Dunder Mifflin. Fans of the show: Grab a hankie.
Today, we round out our latest group of Artist Studio Tours with a visit to Desmond Blair’s studio at UT Dallas. You can check out Desmond’s work, and that of more than 40 other artists, in person at Art Love Magic’s Underground 5, returning for its fifth year to South Side on Lamar on May 18. Underground 5 inspired Art&Seek to revive its Artist Studio Tour series .
A special thanks goes out to Tony Walls who allowed us to use footage from his inspiring video that followed Desmond as he created a painting. And check out studio tours with two other Underground 5 artists, Marilyn Vicente and Riley Holloway.
Medium: oil painting, pencil, digital art.
Number of years in this space: 2 years
What do you enjoy about working here? Typically it’s quiet here. I come in here on weekends or I come over here after I get off of work and I can turn my music on and get away from the hustle and bustle of the world. I can really come over here, clear my head and create at the same time; really just relax and zone into what I am doing.
If you could change something about the space, what would it be? I wish I had access to a bed here. Because I work in this studio, I envision someday having a house where there is a big open studio. I can go up stairs, crash for a little bit, and then come back down and just get to work. Because some times my inspiration doesn’t come at 5 o’clock when I get off of work, sometimes it comes at 1 AM. I think that is how creativity works, and even if it is just to get that initial thought out of your head, ideally I would like to fuse both spaces.
REVIEWING ‘PRISCILLA’: In Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, a trio of friends sets off on a road trip that gets wilder by the mile. Dallas Summer Musicals has brought the disco musical – based on a 1994 movie – to town; it’s currently in residence at the Musical Hall at Fair Park. So is it worth the trip? “Priscilla meets the ‘fun! fun! fun!’ quotient,” Mark Lowry writes on dfw.com. “But over-the-top costumes and drag numbers can’t erase the empty feeling once the lights come up.” Lawson Taitte was impressed by the acting but annoyed with everything else. “When the songs wedge themselves into dramatic scenes, the stretch to make the lyrics fit inspires giggles in the audience,” he writes on dallasnews.com. “And you’d think that a big, splashy show like this one would at least have fun dance numbers, but the choreography never rises above basic.” Judge for yourself through May 26.
THE LIBRARY CONUNDRUM: The library’s attempt to keep up with 21st Century demands has long been a topic of conversation. But a Wall Street Journal story drills down a level to ask a more specific question: What’s the role of the big city, massive central library? Cities from St. Louis to Boston are restructuring these grand, old structures to try to bring them into the digital age. And similar plans are being considered for New York’s central library. But these renovations are tricky. “Changing New York’s central library to make it more relevant for today’s users makes sense only if ‘relevance’ weren’t such a moving target,” Julie Iovine writes in the story. It’s a good read for those who care about the future of these institutions.
QUOTABLE: “In Oak Cliff, we thought of ourselves as being across the border from Dallas. We were in these rough-and-tumble buildings and there was a real camaraderie. We were the wild boys.”
- Austin artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade, once part of the famed Oak Cliff Five. He talks about an upcoming reunion show at Gray Matters Gallery with dallasnews.com.
Congratulations to Bryan Varner of Midlothian, the winner of the Flickr Photo of the Week contest! Bryan’s a multi-time winner of our little contest; his last victory came a little over a year ago. He follows last week’s winner, Guy Reynolds.
If you would like to participate in the Flickr Photo of the Week contest, all you need to do is upload your photo to our Flickr group page. It’s fine to submit a photo you took earlier than the current week, but we are hoping that the contest will inspire you to go out and shoot something fantastic this week to share with Art&Seek users. If the picture you take involves a facet of the arts, even better. The contest week will run from Monday to Sunday, and the Art&Seek staff will pick a winner on Monday afternoon. We’ll notify the winner through FlickrMail (so be sure to check those inboxes) and ask you to fill out a short survey to tell us a little more about yourself and the photo you took. We’ll post the winners’ photo on Wednesday.
Now, here’s more from Bryan:
Title of photo: Joy Ride
Equipment used: Canon50 d
Tell us more about your photo:This photo was taken near the Davis Mountains. I was returning home from working in Marfa.
Afternoon Delight is a daily diversion for when you’re just back from lunch, but not quite ready to get down to work. Check back weekdays at 1 p.m. for another one.
This cool, stop-motion travel video will have you wanting to visit South America. Also, this is the most choreographed vacation ever.
Art Love Magic’s Underground 5 is returning for its fifth year to South Side on Lamar on May 18. There will be bands, merrymaking and cool surprises. But at its heart, the event highlights the work of more than 40 area artists. Underground 5 inspired Art&Seek to revive its Artist Studio Tour series .
Today, we highlight Riley Holloway, one of the artists whose work will be on display Saturday. Earlier this week, we chatted with Marilyn Vicente. Check back tomorrow for another video featuring an Underground artists.
Riley Holloway is an Arlington biased artist who is currently the Artist in Residence at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas. Growing up, he developed an early interest in art while coloring and drawing pictures with his mother, Jackie Holloway who is also an artist. In 2011, Riley decided to make a life altering decision by leaving the Art Institute of Dallas, quitting his job, and with the help and support of his parents, spending a month in Florence at the Florence Academy of Art. The studio at the hotel is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 3:00 pm –7:00pm. His first show will take place on June 29th in The Gallery at The Fairmont at the conclusion of the residency.
Medium: oil painting and pen
Number of years in this space: 3 month residency
What do you enjoy about working here? Living so close to the studio. Large area to work, able to view the work side by side to see each painting as a part of the over all body of work.
If you could change something about the space, what would it be? No complaints.
Maybe you’ve seen Cesar Millan help people connect with their canine companions on Dog Whisperer and Leader of the Pack. With this Big Deal, Art&Seek and the AT&T Performing Arts Center will connect one winner with a pair of tickets to see the dog behaviorist when he speaks May 30 at the Winspear Opera House. Millan will demonstrate some of his transformational techniques and share prescient insights about your best friend, and maybe about yourself as well.
You might also want to sign up for our other Big Deal this week – tickets to KXT’s Summer Cut! Ah, good times, good times. Remember, all Big Deal winners must first be Art&Seek subscribers. If you are not a subscriber yet, you can take care of that here.
Sign up below for chance to see the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan.
UPDATE: We have our winners. Thanks for playing. Don’t forget to come back next week.
The inaugural event of the summer is just around the corner. KXT’s Happy Funtime Fest Summer Cut is happening June 1 at Gexa Energy Pavilion. Think of you and a friend strolling the Art&Seek’s Artist Village, sampling food trucks and grooving to the sounds of some of the best bands around – the Avett Brothers, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Matt & Kim, Hayes Carll and Milo Greene, just to name a few (see the complete lineup here). Art&Seek is hooking up one lucky e-newsletter subscriber with a pair of tickets!
After signing up for this Big Deal why not sign up for our other offering this week – tickets to see the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan Live! at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
Sign up below for a chance to have tons o’ fun at KXT’s Summer Cut.
UPDATE: We have our winners. Thanks for playing. Don’t forget to come back next week.
THEATRE ARLINGTON’S NEW SEASON: Theatre Arlington has found religion in its 41st season. It kicks off Sept. 13 with the musical Altar Boyz and also includes John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt and the comedy Nunsense. Other titles you might recognize include Of Mice and Men, Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. and A Tuna Christmas. The full lineup is on the theater’s website.
ARLINGTON MUSIC HALL UPDATE: The Opry shows that have been an Arlington Music Hall staple for more than 30 years are no more. They’re basically a victim of changing musical tastes – too expensive to stage to justify the shrinking audience. Instead, the theater will focus on touring country acts. Merle Haggard, Joe Diffie and John Anderson are all on the schedule. More about the philosophical change is on dfw.com.
QUOTABLE: “Because it’s musical theater, there’s more of a fantastical element. What made the film so fantastic is that it was so real and gritty, we got to see the insights into these outcasts and the life that they led and the hardships they went through. Here, the grit is turned down and we get a glimpse of the fantastic elements of their imagination; we get to go inside their heads at times. That’s fun.”
- Wade McCollum, one of the stars of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, currently playing the Music Hall at Fair Park. McCollum talks more about the show – and his role in Dallas Theater Center’s Cabaret from a few years back – with theaterjones.com.
Art&Seek Jr. is one mom‘s quest to find activities to end the seemingly endless chorus of the “I’m Bored Blues” while having fun herself. Impossible you say? Check back on Tuesdays for kid-friendly events that are fun for adults, too.
Spring in Texas can mean a lot of things: wildflowers, graduations, baby birds … the dreaded spring cleaning ritual. But for me, nothing says spring like an outdoor festival. They’re great reminders to get outside and enjoy the glorious springtime weather before the beastly blast of summer heat sets in. And they also provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy some quality bonding time with the tot-lettes.
Spring is winding down, but there are a bumper crop of festivals this weekend, celebrating everything from wildflowers to man’s best friend. Here are a just few from the Art&Seek Jr. basket for you and the tinies to pick from.
