Every other year in March, Houston becomes a photography Mecca. As FotoFest ushers in its 15th International Biennial of Photography and Photo-related Art, Nancy Zastudil previews this year’s Festival with a focus on contemporary Arab photography.
The Dallas Museum of Art boasts enviably strong contemporary art holdings. Devon Britt-Darby talks with assistant curator Gabriel Ritter about Never Enough, his upcoming show of recent DMA acquisitions. Meanwhile, Scott Andrews interviews Mungo Thomson about Cricket for Solo and Ensemble at Artpace San Antonio, and Harbeer Sandhu connects with Otabenga Jones & Associates about their Lawndale Art Center project that’s part mural, part Black Panthers-inspired community empowerment program.
We delve deep into drama this month with Lauren Smart’s brief but lively history of theater in Dallas and her look at the momentum behind Fort Worth’s Jubilee Theatre. I visited with Justin Locklear in our next installment of Acting in Texas. Holly Beretto takes us inside Tobin Theatre Arts Collection, a hidden gem at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio and their two exhibits—Robert Indiana: The Mother Of Us All and Constructing the Stage: Artists from the Theatre Collection. They complement the McNay’s presentation of the traveling Robert Indiana retrospective, which Andrews reviews in these pages.
We continue our partnership with Sixto Wagan at University of Houston’s Center for Arts leadership with his interview with Stephanie Wong, executive director of Dance Source Houston, the city’s leading dance service organization. Joseph Wozny discovers deep listening as he finds out what’s behind Nameless Sound’s mission and vision.
Our web content continues to grow this month with stories about the Houston Jewish Film Festival, NobleMotion Dance going unplugged, Classical Theatre, Black Lab Theatre, Jason Urban at Wally Workman Gallery, Arts + Labor at Sundance, National Theatre of Scotland’s takeover of Bass Hall and the Menhuin Competition at UT’s Butler School of music. And Britt-Darby has taken up blogging again. Expect a mix of stray tidbits, blind items and unsolicited advice for the Texas art world, along with photos, video and links.
Here’s to an artful spring in Texas,
Nancy
