Ms. Diachisin selected Lesli Robertson, a Dallas-based artist known for her fiber installation pieces that have a strong history and relation to numerous cultures, to design and help execute the creative side of the project. Together, Ms. Diachisin, Ms. Robertson and the DMA staff will work with over 20 community groups in North Texas and with visitors to the Museum to make small works of art. These will be incorporated into a larger textile-based art installation that will go on view in the Center at the start of the new year. Ms. Robertson will use the process of weaving to “connect” each participating individual and community’s work to the completed project.

“The Dallas Museum of Art and its Center for Creative Connections are delighted to bring the work of Lesli Robertson, an exciting and well-recognized textile artist, to the Museum and to our community,” said Ms. Diachisin, “With this new Community Partner Response project, we are giving participants the opportunity to see how they are a part of a larger community and how their contribution to it is vital.”

For the project, participants will make 1.5” x 1.5” personal collages out of everyday materials and preserve them in a concrete base. Each person is asked to use materials in their work that can reflect a part of themselves; electronic components, natural fibers and metal are a few of the choices. At the completion of their collages, they are asked to describe in writing how these materials represent them, along with a sketch of their collage; this documentation will be part of the final installation.

For the final installation, Ms. Robertson will weave strips of cloth into which the collages will be woven. Each element in the process of this project, from the community involvement, to the interaction of the collages within the cloth, to the amount of cloth that is woven will lead to the final outcome of the installation. A video will project the documentation gathered from the community collages onto the surface of a wall-sized loom. As the community weaves the cloth from various recycled materials on the loom, they will essentially be building the video screen.

Since the project’s launch over the summer, Ms. Diachisin and Ms. Robertson have worked with over 10 community organizations – ranging from ARC of Dallas, Tulisoma Learning Partnership Festival and an Ice House camp facilitated by the Museum — and created over 270 collages. Contributions by visitors to the DMA during its Thursday Night Live Make It Take It classes and monthly Late Nights are also included.

Over the next two months, 10 more groups are scheduled to participate at community events, including an afternoon at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Dallas Arts District; faculty from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; and an activity at Avance, a Dallas-based organization that helps at-risk Hispanic families with parenting and education programs.

For details and dates on how members of the community can take part in this project, visit DallasMuseumofArt.org or call 214-922-1200.

About Susan Diachisin, The Kelli and Allen Questrom Director of the Center for Creative Connections

Susan Diachisin, The Kelli and Allen Questrom Director of the Center for Creative Connections (C3), moved from Massachusetts to join the Dallas Museum of Art in January 2008 to direct the C3 and develop its exhibitions and programs. For over twenty five years she has worked in all facets of nonprofit arts organizations in a multitude of positions and with people of all ages. The diversity of her past projects includes programming on the national, regional, and local levels. Since receiving her MEd. with a concentration in Arts in Education (Harvard Graduate School of Education), her programming achievements have focused on education in contemporary art organizations and museums.

Prior to joining the Dallas Museum of Art, she worked for seven years as Head of Gallery Learning at DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where the focus of her position was to direct exhibition interpretation, the museum guide program, and public educational programming. She also served as Education Director at the Fuller Museum of Art, the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University and the New Art Center, where she initiated innovative programming that was nationally and locally recognized. In addition to her museum responsibilities, she has taught studio art, exhibited her own artwork, and been a loyal volunteer at many arts organizations.

About Lesli Robertson

Lesli Robertson is an active member of the Dallas arts community as a member of 500X (Texas’s oldest artist-run collaborative gallery), a curator and avid researcher, and a lecturer at the University of North Texas. She holds an MFA in Fibers from the University of North Texas and a BFA in Liberal Arts from Auburn University, and has completed additional artistic training at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Robertson’s current work stems from her ongoing research of African culture, which focuses on bark cloth from Uganda. Robertson is a recent recipient of The Arch and Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund from the Dallas Museum of Art, which supported her travel to Uganda for research. That research, culminated in a three-phase interdisciplinary project, Renewing Material and the Handmade: The Story of Ugandan Bark Cloth, exhibited at the University of North Texas Art Gallery in Denton, Texas. In addition to exhibiting artwork in a number of solo and group exhibitions, Robertson has published several articles in leading textile journals.

About the Dallas Museum of Art

Located in the vibrant Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and groundbreaking educational programs. At the heart of the Museum and its programs are its encyclopedic collections, which encompass more than 23,000 works and span 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures. Established in 1903, the Museum today welcomes more than 700,000 visitors annually and acts as a catalyst for community creativity, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse spectrum of programming, from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary readings and dramatic and dance presentations.

The Dallas Museum of Art is supported in part by the generosity of Museum members and donors and by the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas/Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The Catholic Foundation will announce the winner of the 4th Annual Catholic Foundation Plaza Artists Competition and unveil new larger-than-life artwork on the outdoor Art Wall during a public dedication ceremony in the Dallas Arts District on Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. As part of the week-long grand opening celebration of The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, the unveiling will immediately follow the blessing of the Winspear Opera House and Wyly Theatre.

“We are delighted to honor the talent of one of our local artists in conjunction with the celebration of this exciting time for the Dallas arts community and Dallas citizens alike,” said Edwin M. Schaffler, President and CEO of The Catholic Foundation. “The grand opening festivities of the new Dallas Center for the Performing Arts are truly a celebration of the growth and continued success of everything that the Dallas Arts District has to offer. We encourage visitors to enjoy the free public space of the Art Plaza nestled in the middle of this booming district.”

Earlier this year, the Catholic Foundation invited professional artists living in the North Texas area to submit proposal designs for consideration. A panel of highly respected members of the local arts community chose the winning piece. The grand winner will receive a $2,500 stipend and their artwork displayed on a 28’ by 9’8” wall for approximately one year at the Catholic Foundation Plaza located on the grounds of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Dallas Arts District.

Former winners include Marty Ray for her work “Celebrate Life, Celebrate Art” in 2006, Ann Cushing Gantz for her work “Trumpeting Angels” in 2007, and Pamela Nelson for her work “Magic Carpet” in 2008.

The Catholic Foundation Plaza, dedicated in October 2006, was a gift from The Catholic Foundation to the Dallas community to commemorate the Foundation’s 50th anniversary. In addition to the art wall, the 3,900-square-foot public space is an oasis for Dallas citizens and visitors to enjoy.

Chartered in 1955 by a group of dedicated Catholic laymen, The Catholic Foundation is a donor-focused community foundation that guides benefactors in compassionate charitable giving endeavors, utilizing extensive expertise to carry out the various philanthropic goals of its donors. The Foundation’s planned giving programs connects donors directly with organizations they wish to support within the Diocese of Dallas and elsewhere, whether that is a home parish, Catholic school or a community-based charity. Thanks to the generosity of donors both past and present, The Foundation has provided approximately $22 million to local organizations through hundreds of grants over the past 53 years, and donor-advised funds maintained at the Foundation have accounted for even more grants amounting to millions of dollars.

For additional information about The Catholic Foundation, call 972.661.9792.

The Fort Worth Art Commission invites Fort Worth residents to a presentation and public hearing on the Draft FY 2010 Annual Work Plan (Public Art Fund) for the Fort Worth Public Art (FWPA) program.

The work plan is developed annually by the FWAC in conjunction with Arts Council staff and the city manager and staff, with input from City Council members and the community. The Art Commission strives to ensure that public art is visible for the benefit of residents and visitors, fulfilling the goals of the Fort Worth Public Art program.

The work plan lists ongoing and proposed new public art projects to be initiated between Oct. 1, 2009 and Sept. 30, 2010. The draft plan can be downloaded from the Fort Worth Public Art website: www.fwpublicart.org

WHEN

Monday, August 3, 2009, 5:30 PM

WHERE

Ella Mae Shamblee Library
Meeting room upstairs
1062 Evans, Fort Worth, TX 76104

Texas Public Art Opportunities

Austin, TX
Deadline: August 7, 2009

The City of Austin Art in Public Places (AIPP) program of the Cultural Arts Division, Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office seeks to commission an artist/design professional to design and construct a work of art that will contribute to the Danny G. McBeth Recreation Center located in Zilker Park. The City of Austin requests conceptual proposals (RFP) from visual artists/design professionals who live or work in Austin or the surrounding area within a 100 mile radius. The total public art budget is $32,000. To be considered for the project, applicants must join the AIPP Artist Registry and submit for the Danny G. McBeth Recreation Center project through the Application System for Art in Public Places (ASAPP!)

Corpus Christi, TX
DEADLINE: August 13, 2009

The City of Corpus Christi Arts & Cultural Commission has issued an open call to artists. One or more artists will be selected to design, create, and install two works of art on the interior of the Corpus Christi Police Department, located in the downtown area of Corpus Christi. For the complete Request for Qualifications click here. Visit cctexas.com for more information.

Austin, TX
Deadline: September 13, 2009

The City of Austin Art in Public Places (AIPP) program of the Cultural Arts Division, Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office seeks to commission an artist/design professional to design and construct a work of art that will contribute to the new Zachary Scott Theatre (ZACH) 500-seat theater complex adjacent to Lady Bird Lake. The City of Austin requests qualifications from professional visual artists who live and work in the United States. Up to three finalists will be selected from the submissions to be interviewed by the jury. One artist/design professional and one alternate will be selected for the project with a $150,000 budget. Read more at cityofaustin.org

Water Fountain by Cam Shoepp, 2009

Fort Worth Fire Station 38 will hold an open house to show off the new station including Water Fountain, a public artwork installation commissioned by the Fort Worth Public Arts (FWPA) program. Station 38 is located at 13280 Park Vista Blvd. The open house is from 3 to 9 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2009.

About the Artist (From FWPA web site)

Artist Cam Schoepp’s installation at Fire Station 38 is a contemplative oasis comprised of surface-cut limestone slabs and bronze bowls as seating elements and drinking fountains. Through form and text the artist subtly invokes the theme of man’s relationship to one of the most important natural resources – water.

Text sandblasted into the stone and etched into the bronze bowls of the fountains, gently reminds us of the importance of water – not only in fighting fire, but also the impact of water use in communities and the manner in which water creates history by shaping and forming the earth. The artist intends for the text to become a sort of “time capsule of information,” dating the year of the installation’s creation with its consumption and use.

The entrance into the artwork connects to the community and invites visitors to the station in order to consider their relationship with water and the environment. Native, drought tolerant plantings enhance the installation and complement the department’s architecture. “A firehouse seems like a wonderful place to create a gathering area to think about the issues of water consumption,” says Schoepp.

Public Art Opportunity

Austin, Texas | DEADLINE: July 17, 2009

The City of Austin’s Art in Public Places (AIPP) program seeks to commission 3 artists/design professionals who live or work within a 100-mile radius of Austin to create sidewalk enhancement works of art to be integrated into the 2nd Street District at the northwest corner intersections of San Antonio, Guadalupe and Lavaca Streets. The budget for each of the three public art projects is $20,000 ($60,000 total), inclusive of all aspects of design, construction, installation and related fees.
For the complete Request for Qualifications or visit austin.tx.us