Everyone loves a good mystery. Even more when it’s accompanied by wine and gourmet cuisine.
On January 28, help the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas (CADD) produced “Eat Your Art Out, buy ” a secret destination dinner that brought together a wide variety of art lovers, advice from casual collectors to gallery owners and professional art dealers. Participants purchased tickets for the event well in advance, but weren’t notified of their dining location until two days prior. Then on a Saturday night, everyone met at various homes across the city before converging as a group on the Mckinney Avenue Contemporary for live music by Watson Electric, dessert, and coffee.
CADD is a non-profit membership organization of galleries formed in 2006 for the purpose of promoting the advancement of contemporary art. This event, like many put on by CADD, helps further art education in the community.
“Tonight, we’re pleased to have this dinner benefit a scholarship for a graduating student at Booker T. Washington High School,” said Missy Finger, co-owner and president of PDNM Gallery, who attended the meal cooked by Cheryl Vogel at her stunning mid-century modern home with husband Kevin on the property behind their Valley House Gallery and Sculpture Garden.
At the Vogels’, a mediterranean themed dinner was served at tables of ten in two rooms filled with sculptures, paintings and photographs from their vast collection. by bringing together people from so many different areas of the art world, a lively dialogue commenced with diverse perspectives on the dallas art scene, including performing arts.
The sold-out event proved to be a huge success and another mystery dinner is already being discussed for later this year, but CADD is also known for producing another popular event, the Art Bus.
“We put together these bus tours and go to three CADD member galleries and then we go to a collector’s home and an artist’s studio,” Finger says.
“You get an experience of going to an artist’s studio, which not everyone gets the opportunity to do. It’s all about getting to know the dallas gallery scene.”
The upcoming tour is on February 11 and features visits to Dallas Contemporary, the Shepard Fairey Murals, and a tour of Sour Grapes Studio. The tour ends with cocktails and a guided tour of the art collection at the new Omni Hotel in downtown dallas. For more information on CADD, its upcoming bus tours and other events, visit www.caddallas.net.
— Steven Lindsey
