It’s cold outside so how about heading indoors for some art inspiration? Local museums in Dallas and Fort Worth have a number of brilliant events that are sure to keep you warm and toasty while also inspiring you to learn a little about the art scene in the area.
At the Dallas Museum of Art there is Second Thursday with a Twist or for late night museum junkies try Late Nights. Museum lovers who are in the area in the evening can stop in at the Dallas Museum of Art for a late-night visit on the third Friday of each month. The museum is open until midnight. Late Night offers hundreds of experiences for visitors of all ages with performances, concerts, readings, film screenings, tours and family programs. Tickets are free for DMA members and children ages 11 and under, $10 for the general public and $5 for students. The next Late night is tomorrow January 19 or February 16.
The DMA’s Second Thursdays with a Twist is from 5 to 9 p.m. and is a great way to take a unique and unexpected look at the Museum’s collection, this month with a pop culture twist. The next second Thursday is February 8 called Heartbreak Hotel so put on your blue suede shoes and enjoy a look at velvet paintings and hip shaking. For example, you can check out “A Big Hunk of Love all night in the museum’s Atrium or there is also a chance to enjoy tours like “Velvet Elvis,” “All Shook Up” and “Viva Las Vegas.” Tickets are $5 and free for DMA Members.
The Nasher Sculpture Center hosts First Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and allows visitors free admission to the galleries to see the variety of exhibitions. The January event will also include a series of programs designed for children with an art scavenger hunt as well as artist demonstrations, a creative writing discussion and story time with the Dallas Public Library.
The Nasher’s ongoing speaker series features conversations and lectures on the ever-expanding definition of sculpture. Guests will have the chance to witness first-hand accounts of the inspiration behind some of the world’s most innovative artwork, architecture and design. Free to the public with admission to the gallery and free for members and students, the next speaker series event will be January 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. – First Sculpture: Handaxe to Figure Stone Symposium. This event will begin with an in-depth discussion about the origins of creativity in the human mind and will present prehistoric handaxes and figure stones as evidence of the earliest forms of artistic intention among ancient ancestors. The panelists are Tony Berlant, Artist, Exhibition Co-Curator; Richard Deacon, Artist; Naama Goren-Inbar, Professor, Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem; John Gowlett, Professor, Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool; Thomas Wynn, Distinguished Professor, Department of Archaeology at The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Exhibition Co-Curator and Lee Cullum, Panel Moderator.
The Modern in Fort Worth offers First Fridays and the next one is February 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. featuring live music by the Tom Reynolds Trio. First Friday is a combination of live music and drink specials in the museum's Grand Lobby along with a chance to dine at Café Modern either a full menu in the dining room or lighter fare in the Grand Lobby. A docent-led, 20-minute tour of the galleries is also available at 6:30 pm.
For children, check out the sleepovers at the Perot Museum for ages six to 14 with one 21-plus age chaperone for every four guests. The Snore and Explore at the Perot Museum allows children to go behind the scenes with after-hours access and enjoy exhibits, a live science show, a 3D movie and even a late-night snack. The next available sleepover will be February 17 called Grossology followed by March 16’s Video Game Science.