Emotion, individualism, unfettered expression, fruitful rebellion, and spontaneous movement are not often the makings of everyday life. But sometimes the storm and stress of life bring such things into being.
This is French Room Salon and Culture Jack, two distinctly different series of art events, both gifted to Dallas towards the end of 2018. Although varied in format and feel, both series bring people together in close proximity, where they are subject to new art and ideas on a monthly basis.
“Where are you going?” asked Dallas’s favorite classical DJ Amy Bishop, as I was heading straight into Meyerson Symphony Center, which would have been great had I been planning to go see Jaap van Zweden in one of his final concerts.
The arts communities of Dallas—like many art communities across the country—are prone to tribalism, which plays out across disciplines, geographies, ethnicities, career stages, education levels, politics, and incomes.
On Ash Lane sits Ash Studios, a building described by Darryl Ratcliff as “a social sculpture that has had an amazing practical and symbolic meaning in Dallas.”