Downtown Dallas will be both a gallery and a canvas for “Video Art Nights” across five Friday nights in April during Dallas Arts Month.
AURORA, the Dallas-based public arts organization, is partnering with Downtown Dallas, Inc. on the weekly events, which will be free to the public.
The event locations will include West End Square, Pegasus Plaza (supported by the Joule Hotel), and the Dallas Arts District.“Video Art Nights” will bring curated video art programs to various public parks across downtown Dallas, merging art, technology, and community in public spaces, with a goal of making art more accessible to a broader public.
Bringing art to ‘where the audiences are’
[Image: JooYoung Choi]
“Showing video art in museums and galleries is great, but to get more people to experience and be moved by video art, we need to bring it out to where the audiences are,” said Bart Weiss, director of the Dallas Video Festival, in a statement. “I’ve long believed in placing art, and particularly video art, in places where people were not expecting to find it. I love the idea that audiences could experience something new and help change their idea of what could be possible and what art could be.”
Events at West End Square, Pegasus Plaza, and the Dallas Arts District
[Image: Michael Morris]
The inaugural event on Friday, April 1, will be curated by UNT New Media Cooperative at West End Square.
For event details,
go here.
The following three—to be held Friday, April 8 at West End Square; Friday, April 15 at Pegasus Plaza; and Friday, April 22 at Pegasus Plaza—will be prepared by Weiss, who along with his 35-year VideoFest experience is also a noted Dallas curator, educator, and multi-talent in the fields of film and video art.
Andrew F. Scott, a multimedia artist and professor at UT Dallas, will prepare the program for the closing night on Friday, April 29, at the Dallas Arts District.
Projections at parks and outdoor surfaces at each of the five events will run from 8 p.m. until 12 midnight. From 5 to 10 p.m., in parallel with the curated program, live music and an outdoor artisanal market will be presented, hosted by Downtown Dallas, Inc. and organized by Boho Luxe Market.
Eclectic list of regional and national artists
Lost Time by Christian Vasquez [Image courtesy of the artist]
The month-long event will feature an eclectic list of regional and national digital media artists who will be working closely with the curators to bring the artistic experience to Dallas.
Scott, the UT Dallas professor, believes the weekly events could be transformative.
“‘Video Art Nights’ provide yet another opportunity for North Texas universities to share their cultural vitality with the communities in venues and places that expand everyone’s understanding and appreciation of the art’s ability to transform our lives,” Scott said in the statement.
Increasing engagement in ‘both art and technology’
Cicada Duplex by SV Randall [Image courtesy of the artist]
“‘Video Art Nights’ is one of AURORA’s many ways of increasing access and engagement to both art and technology,” said Joshua King, co-founder and executive director of AURORA. “Our region’s growing legacy as the epicenter of art and technology, its meaningful relationships (such as our collaboration with Downtown Dallas, Inc.), and the generous supporters behind this year’s programming make it possible for AURORA to present free, experimental, and valuable public art.”
AURORA’s “Video Art Nights” will be supported by Downtown Dallas Inc., PNC Bank, Sapphire Foundation, Visit Dallas, Lightware Labs, and Pegasus City Brewery. You can find more info here.
Here are more images you’ll be able to see at the “Video Art Nights”:
Walk Away by Roxanne Minnish [Image courtesy of the artist]
A Portal Somewhere Good (video still) by Amber Bishop. [Image courtesy of
the artist]
[Image: Liz Trosper]
Gated Commune still from Camel Collective [Image courtesy of the artist]
DorothyLLook photo by Cindy Thomas [Image courtesy of the artist]
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
The hybrid event in August will take place in person at SMU and virtually. The seventh annual Dallas Startup Week powered by Capital One is Dallas-Fort Worth's largest event focused on driving entrepreneurial success, economic impact, and innovation in the region.
-
You'll find deadlines coming up for a new accelerator program; and many more opportunities.
-
Jorge Varela has spent decades building startups in Silicon Valley, San Antonio, and even in Central America—his place of origin. Now his efforts will center on North Texas' innovation economy. “The shift from Silicon Valley and the East Coast to Texas and DFW is real,” Varela says.
-
Five local winners received up to $200,000 in funding to activate their solutions throughout North Texas.
