La Reunion TX

Local Honey door proceeds to benefit La Reunion TX! Thanks Kelly!!

2008-12-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

When: Friday, Dec 19, 2008 at 7pm
Where: Lakewood Theatre in East Dallas, 1825 Abrams
Benefitting: La Reunion TX & Wilkinson Center Food Pantry

What:Kelly Brown's annual holiday concert features local musicians Mack Price, Reggie Rueffer, Doug Neil, Freddie Jones, Lawrence "Peabody" Ferrell, Kim Brown, Davis Bickston, Rodney Engelbosch, Dave Prez, David Castell, Dave Monsch, David Pierce, Karl Poettschke, Linda Proch, and George D'Ascenzo. $20 admission benefits La Reunion TX. Canned food will also be collected for the Wilkinson Food Pantry.

www.LocalHoney.org

We heart Kelly! Thanks lady!

2008-12-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

Q: What do you get when an architect, sculptor, writer and historian head to the museum?

A: An interesting panel discussion, that’s what. La Reunion TX and the Dallas Museum of Art present a FREE event on Thursday, December 11 at 7pm in the Center for Creative Connections Theatre as a part of the collaborative program Make Space for Artists : Design a Studio. Our topic? The artist studio – historic and contemporary.

Well published graphic novelist David Hopkins knows a thing or two about working remotely and in collaboration with other artists to produce his artifact – the graphic novel. Designer Bang Dang was the winning architect for La Reunion’s architecture competition, Make Space for Art. He won, in part, for his “white box” studio design and lucky for us, he’s local. Established artist Frances Bagley is represented locally with Marty Walker Gallery and provides the panel with the perspective of a truly mixed media sculptor. Last, art historian Eric Stryker is a professor at SMU also happens to be an expert on Francis Bacon’s studio. (Photo above.)

We’re not sure exactly where the conversation will go, but we’re sure it will be interesting. KERA’s Jerome Weeks will moderate. See you then!

Originally published on Art&Seek here.

Second Annual ART CHICAS UNIDAS recap

2008-12-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Our second annual Art Chicas Unidas program in November was a great success!!! This year, the jury selected mentor artists gathered found objects from our 35 acre wooded site for use in the day long workshop. Inspired by these materials, forty teenage girls created and exhibited unique and wonderful works of art while learning what it means to be an artist. Thank you Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Deaf Action Center Texas, Dallas Art Dealers Association, Central Market and our Mentor Madres for supporting this special program.

Special thanks to our artists Erica Felicella, Susan Graham, Diana Tate and Ivonne Acero. Shout out to Dahlia Woods for curating the evening exhibit and Tania Rivas for creating a recording studio onsite for the event.

Call for Artists + Site Tour Dates!

2008-12-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for February 7th, 2009 for our Second Annual Tree Carving. Tour our site in West Oak Cliff with Master Naturalists from Texas Discovery Gardens and Preservation Tree and view the results of artists transforming non-native, dead or dying trees into ecologically beneficial site specific works of art. Shown here is Brad Ford Smith's tree.

Call for artists attached. Tours of the site for interested artists on Dec 13 and Jan 3. Email sarah@LaReunionTX.org for more info or to get on the tour. (You don't have to be an artist to come on the tour!)

Call for Artists Attached.
Tree%20Carving%2009%20call%20for%20artists.doc

Historic Uses of Trees Attached.
Tree%20species%20-%20historic%20uses-09.doc

It's Twitter time.

2008-12-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

For those who wish to follow - LRTX is now on Twitter.

December events - SAVE THE DATES!

2008-12-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

7 Dec - 11-6pm - DECK THE HALLS at South Side on Lamar. We have been offered free booth space to share what La Reunion TX is all about. Come visit our booth and support local crafters, designers and artists when shopping for the Holidays!

11 Dec - 7pm - FREE PANEL DISCUSSION at the Dallas Museum of Art, C3 Theatre - Join us as we explore studios historical and contemporary with a distinguished panel of guest including David Hopkins, Bang Dang, Frances Bagley and moderated by KERA's Jerome Weeks.

19 Dec - 7pm - LOCAL HONEY HOLIDAY MIX at the Lakewood Theatre - We are beneficiary of this super cool holiday music and variety show put on annually by the lovely Kelly Brown!

Make Space for Artists : Design a Studio - the video

2008-11-29T09:07:00.001-08:00

Voice by Bruce DuBose. Original music by Neeki Bey. Video by Corgan MediaLab. Thank you to the Dallas Museum of Art for an awesome collaboration. Panel discussion Dec 11 in the C3 Theatre. Artists studio historical and contemporary. More info coming.

Bar Camp for Non-Profits

2008-11-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

BarCampNPdallas is a gathering of folks in the non-profit (NP) world who are interested in learning and sharing, particularly on topics like using technology, social media, fundraising, public relations and building communities.

This BarCamp is focused on organizations and people who are dedicated to non-profits and will be held in an abbreviated evening session, on Tuesday November 25th, 2008 in the Design District. RSVP please! It's free!

The lovely and talented Cone Johnson has organized this event and will be leading.

Make Space for Artists : Design a Studio - RECAP of opening

2008-11-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

Make Space for Artists opened Nov 6 to a crowd of about 50 people at the Dallas Museum of Art. Betsy Lewis wrote about it on Art&Seek here. Thanks everyone for being there! The new La Reunion TX site goes live in the next couple of weeks and we will have a large area on our site devoted to this exciting collaboration. Stay tuned and get thee to the DMA to participate!

Get Hatched. Tonight. Thur, Nov 13!

2008-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

One night only collaboration. Get $10 tickets in advance ($15 at the door) and once in - yummy food, booze, music and the opportunity to support local designers working in all media - from fashion to furniture to photography. LRTX Gallery - 2129 Farrington, Dallas 75207. Proceeds from the door go to La Reunion TX + Texas Next Top Designer. See ya there!

Make Space for Artists : Design a Studio

2008-10-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Join La Reunion TX Thursday, November 6 at 7PM as we launch a spin-off of Make Space for Art called (oddly enough) Make Space for Artists : Design a Studio at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Here's a couple of recent blog mentions about the upcoming program... One on Dallas Dirt written by Catherine Horsey. And one on the KERA Art&Seek blog written by me.

The whole thing wraps February 12 so if you can't make it Nov 6, no biggie. Swing by and play with Google Sketch Up anyway. Free workshops and lectures will coincide! Community partner Corgan Media Lab is producing an AMAZING video to go with the whole program. We'll get it online soon.

Volunteers rock!

2008-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am getting settled in this afternoon from an absolutely terrific day. The weather was picture perfect and the mood was friendly. I want to give a hearty thanks to all the volunteers who showed up to help out. We made some good progress on the site clean up and the place looks great! And, I think, we had fun doing it as well. I honestly had trouble walking away but there will be other opportunities soon.

The folks at Preservation Tree were wonderful and my thanks goes out to Harold Spiegel and his crew for their hard work and dedication to our cause. It sure is nice to have those fallen trees out of the way and I appreciate their advice on responsible land management.

I want to thank Sarah Jane Semrad for her guidance and support without which I would have been clueless.

Again, I am most appreciative of the volunteers who gave up their Saturday morning to help me out. Great work everyone and I will be notifying you when future clean up days are in the offing. I hope you will join me again!

Scott

Art & Seek Online Artist Studio Tour

2008-10-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Please check this out! And if you're an artist (in any media), please send in pics and a description of your space. We're all voyeurs at heart after all. Art & Seek is producing this in conjunction with LRTX + DMA's "Make Space for Artists - Design-a-Studio" program that launches Nov 6 in the C3 Gallery.... Mark those calendars now.... Full press release below.

DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART PARTNERS WITH LA REUNION TX ON A DESIGN COMPETITION AND PROGRAM

Dallas, TX – October 15, 2008 -- On November 6, 2008 the Dallas Museum of Art and its community partner La Reunion TX will launch Make Space for Artists: Design-A-Studio in the Tech Lab of the Museum’s newly opened Center for Creative Connections. This design contest and program aims to transform the Tech Lab into an inspiring digital exhibition–community response project space. For it, museum visitors are invited to think about studio spaces where artists of any kind—painter, dancer, writer, sculptor, musician—do their creative work. How might a studio be different if the artist is a writer or photographer or sculptor? Is natural light desired or required? Where will the artist keep his or her tools and materials? What materials will be used in the design of the space and why?

Visitors will have the opportunity to consider these questions and others as they design a dream studio that will fit within a 16 foot cubic space. Contest entries will be submitted as drawings and visitors may choose between traditional media—site drawings, pencils, and pens—and digital media, such as laptop computers equipped with Google Sketch Up software and tutorials. Additionally, the Tech Lab will be filled with a variety of materials to aid visitors in the creative process: images of artists’ studios (representing artists in the Museum’s collections and local artists), thoughts on artists’ work spaces and architecture, design materials, and books. A digital presentation created by Dallas’s Corgan MediaLab will be projected in the space to feature the winning designs from La Reunion TX’s Make Space for Art. Held in early 2008, Make Space for Art was an international juried competition that focused on the complete future facility to be built on La Reunion’s 35-acre site in Oak Cliff.

Make Space for Artists: Design-A-Studio is an invitation for community input on the shaping of artist studios at the La Reunion site. All design entries submitted to the Make Space for Artists contest will be displayed in a variety of ways, including Flickr—an online community for sharing photography and video. The contest will run in the Tech Lab of the Center for Creative Connections from November 6, 2008 to February 12, 2009. At the close, the submissions will be juried and several winners selected. Cash prizes will be awarded and contest winners will be honored at a public event February 19, 2009 at the Dallas Museum of Art. A suite of public programs including Google Sketch-Up workshops and panel discussions with topics ranging from famous artists’ studios to architecture will coincide with the design contest.

About the Dallas Museum of Art
The 23,000 works of art in the Museum’s encyclopedic collections span 5,000 years of history and represent all media with renowned strengths in the arts of the ancient Americas, Africa, Indonesia and South Asia; European and American painting, sculpture and decorative arts; and American and international contemporary art.

The Dallas Museum of Art is the anchor of the Dallas Arts District and serves as the cultural magnet for the city with diverse programming ranging from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary readings, dramatic and dance presentations, and a full spectrum of programs designed to engage people of all ages with the power and excitement of art.

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.

In 2008 the Dallas Museum of Art opened the Center for Creative Connections, a unique learning space that provides interactive experiences with works of art and artists for people of all ages. Located in the heart of the Museum, this dynamic space includes a gallery, a theater, an art studio, a tech lab, and an early learning area. Works of art from the Museum’s diverse collections are brought together in an environment designed to stimulate curiosity, inquiry and reflection. The Tech Lab in the Center for Creative Connections is a space where art and technology merge, providing opportunities to experiment and create using the rich content of the Museum’s collections and current technologies. It functions as a workshop and studio space for classes, a multimedia gallery venue, and a social hub for engaging with digital resources and interactives.

About La Reunion TX
La Reunion TX is creating an arts residency in Dallas that will host artists in both new and traditional media for periods ranging from one week to one year. In exchange for short-term living quarters and studio space, artists will be expected to give back to the community through programs, exhibits, performances and installations. Artists working in all media will be encouraged to apply. The residency will be built on a 35 acre site in Oak Cliff and will be as green and off-grid as possible, modeling sustainable living. In addition, the business plan has an eye toward long-term sustainability not only with the facility but also with the bottom line. La Reunion TX seeks to transform the community through art and create lasting social change in Dallas.

Currently, La Reunion TX offers several programs utilizing both the land and the organization’s gallery space in the Design District of Dallas. Art Chicas Unidas is a collaborative program with Dallas Art Dealers Association and Girl Scouts of NorthEast Texas that teams high school aged girls with female mentor artists. Tree Carving is a program to turn dead and dying trees on the 35 acres into decomposing sculptural works. Scriptwriting for Graphic Novels explores the relationship between writers and illustrators with Dallas’ thriving comic book community.

The Make Space for Art call for entries attracted 68 designers from 19 countries submitting ideas for our future facility. The jurors for Make Space for Art were Mark Gunderson, AIA of Ft. Worth; Dr. Richard Brettell of UT Dallas; Louise Harpman of UT Austin; Max Levy, FAIA of Dallas; and Rick Lowe of Project Row Houses in Houston. Winners of Make Space for Art include: first - Bang Dang of Dallas, Texas; second - Michael Panacci of Brooklyn, Ontario, Canada; third - Lucia Perez and Ines Fernandez of New York, New York; sustainable - Sofia Fernandes and Tiago Carvalho of Portugal. MSA was sponsored by Perkins-Will, Barry Whistler Gallery, Preservation Tree Services, and City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. Hardcover catalogs featuring all the plans from Make Space for Art are available for purchase.

About Corgan MediaLab
Corgan MediaLab provides animation, motion graphics, visual effects and architectural visualization services for a diverse range of clients. Since 1997, this studio of creative artists has expanded their portfolio from architectural visualization to include broadcast, film and game cinematics.

Call for Volunteers - clean up day

2008-10-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings All! I am very excited to be heading up my first clean up day at the site this Saturday the 25th. As site manager, I hope to lay the groundwork (pun intended) for the construction phase of the project. This is a large piece of land and there is much to accomplish. But, with the help of volunteers giving their precious time and energy, I will do my part to shape the landscape into a welcoming backdrop for the beautiful architectural design yet to come. I am truly excited to be a part of this dream for Dallas’ art community!

Please join me from 9 to noon. Contact me at scott@lareunionTX.org if you can help. I hope to see many shiny, happy faces this weekend!

- Scott Nance

CALL FOR ARTISTS - HATCH

2008-10-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Texas’ Next Top Designer is joining forces with La Reunion TX for a night of design and art showcasing Dallas’ most promising talent. Texas designers are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to present and sell their work to industry professionals and the Dallas public as part of this very special event.

All designers are welcome! From furniture to apparel and everything in between, we will be bringing together a group of talented designers to collaborate for one night, creating the most innovative and exciting retail event imaginable!

The exhibition will be held at the La Reunion TX's gallery in Dallas, located at 2129 Farrington, on November 13th, 2008. Interested designers must complete the attached application and required digital portfolio by October 31st, 2008. A $25 processing fee, is required for consideration and all application fees will be used in support of the exhibiting designers at the event. All designers will be notified by November 6th, 2008 regarding their participation status.

Request an Application form:
For more information and an application form, please contact Texas’ Next Top Designer at info@texasnexttopdesigner.org

Art Chicas Unidas

2008-10-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

Art Chicas Unidas is on its way. I can't wait to see what the artists create on Nov. 8 at LRTX Gallery. I hope to see everyone at the reception to celebrate the creations and the collaborations. Besides Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas and Dallas Art Dealers Association, Deaf Action Center Texas has joined in to make Art Chicas Unidas happen.

Deaf Action Center Texas will recruit hard of hearing and deaf junior and high school girls for the event and provide interpreters for the artist workshop as well as the discussion by the DADA art professionals. I am very energized about this collaboration as I found out that the deaf and hard of hearing are discouraged from majoring in the arts in college in a very disheartening way...they can't receive the federal grant that would normally go to them for college( if they pursue something else)!

We need to change this! We're hoping by bringing the girls to this event where they can hear from DADA members regarding all the careers that are possible in the arts, and to meet artists, they will be persuaded to pursue their creative lives anyway.

Upcoming Events!

2008-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2008 - Cleanup day at La Reunion TX site. 9am - 12pm. Wear sturdy shoes, long pants and a smile on your face. The site is so lovely in the Fall! Sign up with Scott Nance if you are interested. scott.nance.monkey@gmail.com

November 6, 2008 - Launch of Make Space for Artists : Design-a-Studio at the Dallas Museum of Art. 7pm. Location in the DMA is TBA. Real life artists, students, lovers of art and designers at heart will be encouraged to go to the DMA Tech Lab and design a studio using Google Sketch Up. Program closes with a winner's ceremony and prize money presentation in February 2009.

November 8, 2008 - Art Chicas Unidas 2008. Evening reception 4:30 -- 6:00pm. This is our beloved Fall program piloted and funded last year by Dallas Women's Foundation. We team small groups of girls with a mentor artist for a day-long workshop at the LRTX Gallery. That evening there's a reception to display the fruits of their labor. Proceeds from sales get re-invested back in to the program for next year. Presenting partners include: Dallas Art Dealers Association, Deaf Action Center of Texas and Girl Scout of North East Texas. Sponsors so far include Central Market. Please let Lisa Taylor know if you are interested in helping out or sponsoring a girl to go through the program for $50. info@dallasartdealers.org

November 13, 2008 - HATCH. Presented by La Reunion TX and Texas Next Top Designer. A one night only "pop-up store" at the LRTX Gallery, located at 2129 Farrington in Dallas, featuring designers in all media. Think furniture, clothes, paintings, trinkets, etc all hand crafted and home grown. Music, food, drinks! A good time is guaranteed for all! $10 admission. Proceeds go to La Reunion TX and Texas Next Top Designer. For more info, email Jamie Baker - baker18@swbell.net

La Reunion TX advisor David Hopkins is awesome

2008-10-04T16:55:00.001-07:00

Remember that Free Comic Book day in Craddock Park and Zeus Comics we participated in last May? And how advisor David Hopkins moderated a panel discussion? Well, check this out! He's being praised for doing a great job. Thanks David!

Mentor Madres - Sponsor a girl today!

2008-10-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Our second annual Art Chicas Unidas program is just around the corner - November 8. This is our collaborative Fall program with Girl Scouts of NorthEast Texas and Dallas Art Dealers Association. ACU is an art and education program with high school aged girls and professional women artists. Our pilot program last year was funded by Dallas Women's Foundation. This year, we're engaging professional women in all walks of life to "sponsor a girl" and become a Mentor Madre. For only $50 you can take care of the supplies and expenses of one girl going through our day-long program in our Design District Gallery, located at 2129 Farrington Street.

WHAT IS IT - ART CHICAS UNIDAS
Small teams of high school aged girls will work with professional women artists selected by jury and create one of a kind art works based on materials from our 35 acres site in Oak Cliff. The finished art works will be on display that same evening and all proceeds from sales go back into the Art Chicas Unidas program. What makes this program unique? This year we are working with Deaf Action Center, socio-economically challenged schools as well as girls that are getting the full art experience like at Booker T. We engage all walks of life and backgrounds and introduce new skills and interests, from photography to guitar to encaustic.

We will honor our Mentor Madres this year with your names across our invitational postcard to the reception. Even if you can't make the reception November 8, please support this program today. Download the form and mail or email back. Deadline Oct 18 to be on the card! Don't delay!

art%20chicas%20mentor%20madre%2008.pdf

WHAT IS IT - LA REUNION TX
La ReUnion

A recap : Open House - September 27, 2008

2008-10-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Scott Nance - our point person for all things on the site in Oak Cliff will be contributing as guest blogger on the La Reunion TX weblog. Look for info on clean-up days, the site in general. Welcome Scott!

On Saturday, September 27, La Reunion TX launched their inaugural fundraising campaign at their World Headquarters located at 2129 Farrington by hosting an Open House. Wow! What a beautiful event. A large and lively crowd filled the room to view enlargements of a few of the 68 architectural renderings collected during the international search for the building design for the residences and campus. Guests enjoyed music from keyboardist Neeki Bey, a delectable spread provided by Oak Cliff's newest restaurant sensation, Bolsa, and drinks provided by Dry Soda Co.

La Reunion was able to begin funding thanks to numerous donors who generously gave $2430. A particularly stunning way to help out is by purchasing the newly published book Make Space for Art containing all 68 architectural bids. This book is a feast for the eyes and was premiered at the Open House as part of the fundraising effort.

Please continue to help us raise the money needed to reach our next goal and kindly spread the word to you friends about this magnificent project!

Modern Dallas dot Net

2008-10-01T15:50:00.001-07:00

We're one of the beneficiaries for their One Year Celebration this upcoming Friday, October 3. Visit ModernDallas.net for all the details.

Art Chicas Update....

2008-09-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

This year the program is going to be spectacular. We have a home in the Design District to host the event, we have an inspiring natural setting from which to spark our ideas - whether they me music, collage, or poetry. Save the date. November 8, 2008. Open to girls 8-12 grade.

Call for artists here - FINAL%20call%20for%20artists%202008.doc

Adult mentor application here - FINAL%20Artist%20Application.doc

Student application here - FINAL%20Student%20Application%202008.doc

Video by Rob McCollom and Open House invite

2008-09-25T06:23:00.001-07:00

Enjoy the video. Then come learn more at our Open House on Saturday, September 27 from 5-7PM. The event is "come and go" - no program, just swing by, say hi and have a bite to eat from Bolsa -- Oak Cliff's newest hot spot. Musician Neek Bey will be performing throughout the evening and large scale boards will be on display from our Make Space for Art international architecture program. (Thank you Corgan Media Lab for the printing!) We're launching our Inaugural Fundraising Campaign that night and would love for you to participate!

LRTX Gallery
2129 Farrington Street
Dallas, Texas 75207

Also -- be among the first to hear about an exciting collaboration between La Reunion TX and the Dallas Museum of Art launching in November! Come by and say Hello! Be the first to hear about all the exciting collaborations cooking in the LRTX kitchen*!

(*Not an actual kitchen. A metaphorical kitchen. Seriously.)

Second Annual Art Chicas Unidas - Call for Artists!

2008-09-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Who: La Reunion TX teams up again with Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas and Dallas Art Dealers Association to produce Art Chicas Unidas, a program to engage artists in the Dallas area to become involved in the artistic development of high school girls. Women artists, minority artists and artists working in all media are encouraged to apply.

What: Artists will lead teams of 5 girls in a day long project (9am – 3pm) with the goal that the girls co-host an exhibit showing an artifact they have created. The plan this year to create works directly inspired from or using materials from our 35 acre site. Think dirt, limbs, found materials, poetry inspired from the site etc. Get creative!

An evening reception will be open to their families and public at the end of the day long workshop at La Reunion TX’s gallery located at 2129 Farrington Street in Dallas. During lunch, members of DADA will lead a demonstration of the real-life essentials of how to create an artist portfolio including an artist statement, a bio, and an exhibition resume along with examples of their work. The La Reunion TX artist selection committee is made up of Dallas area arts professionals who will choose artists for this program.

When: Artists interested must complete the application (word file below), required digital portfolio with a $20 processing/background check fee and return to La Reunion TX by Sept. 30.

Mail proposals to:
La Reunion TX
2129 Farrington Street
Dallas, Texas 75207

Important dates:
Sept. 30: application deadline
Oct 10 (?): interviews for selected artists and their proposal
Oct 15: artists notified of acceptance (or not)
Oct. 20: materials list due
Nov. 8: workshop date

Stipend: Chosen artists will each be paid a $225 stipend for their time and planning of the day-long workshop. A materials budget of $75 is available for each chosen program.

For more information, please contact La Reunion TX Executive Director Sarah Jane Semrad at sarah@LaReunionTX.org or DADA Executive Director Lisa Taylor at info@dallasartdealers.org.

Fall%202008%20Art%20Chicas%20Application.doc

Show Pony Show

2008-08-15T06:54:00.001-07:00

The cool kids at the Show Pony Show have selected us to be the beneficiary of their raffle! Head over to the Continental Lofts (3311 Elm, Deep Ellum) on Sunday from 11-7. Explore the works of local artists and craft gurus. Visit our booth and bring your old electronics for DonateIT. Everyone is talking about it!

And here's the Channel 8 piece that aired.

2008-08-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

Enjoy! And thank you to all who responded to the piece.

Yes, watch the news! On occasion, there is good news to share!

2008-07-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

LRTX world headquarters received a call Monday from News 8 Daybreak anchor Cynthia Izaguirre. She had heard about the La Reunion project from an old mutual friend of ours and wanted to do a story! We talked about different aspects of what we're doing programatically and she settled on filming the site and featuring Tree Carving. I got on the line with a handful of the artists who participated at the February event and lo and behold they could make the filming and be interviewed!

We filmed for 3 hours on Tuesday morning. It was hot, humid, sticky but joyous for this kind of exposure. Cynthia is a delight to work with and very funny. We had a marvelous time and we are looking forward to the story airing tomorrow (Friday) at 10pm.

where life and art unite

2008-07-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Quoted from this essay by Andrew Taylor:

"Over the two arts conventions I've just marshaled through, one particular comment has been bouncing around in my head more than others. It was said during one of the many AmericaSpeaks caucus sessions in Denver, that gathered groups of 8 to 10 cross-disciplinary participants to talk about larger, common issues of performing arts policy.

The group was bemoaning the disconnect between the professional arts and civic life, evidenced by their tenuous support in city councils, state budgets, and federal policy. And then one participant said this:

''We need to stop making the arts so special.''

The participant didn't mean it in a snarky way. He had just realized the strange and often self-produced gulf between creative expression and everyday life. Art shouldn't be an experience we reserve for sacred and exceptional moments, he said. It should be an expected and completely normal part of everything we do.

There has been a perceived strategic advantage, at least in the past decades, in promoting the arts as separately important to community and society -- a unique and specialized form of expression that demanded special protection and focused support. But the group was coming to realize the downside to that strategy, which is to disengage creative expression (particularly professional creative expression) from the everyday, the expected, the assumed, the obvious.

Art and artistic expression shouldn't be the jewelry of society, it should be part of the blood, part of the muscle, and part of the bone. When our strategies set us apart from the world so that we can be separately admired, supported, and valued, we shouldn't be surprised when we are perceived as separate.

As John Dewey wrote more than 70 years ago:

As long as art is the beauty parlor of civilization, neither art nor civilization is secure."

News from a Tree Carving artist - in Zimbabwe

2008-07-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Tyler Sharp is one talented photographer and really, a jack of all trades. He participated in the Tree Carving we did back in February and spearheaded the artistic direction of our display at NorthPark for the AIA Retrospect show back in April. Now we can live vicariously through his lens and stories as he travels the world this summer.... Here's news from his latest email. (I got his permission to repost):

"Hello to all, I am writing from Zimbabwe while I can, as yesterday they cut the main phone, cell and internet lines country wide, probably to suppress news coverage. I got here two days ago, right during these elections, and they gave me quite a difficult time at customs. They thought that I was a journalist with all of my cameras, and wouldn't let me go through unless I had a letter inviting me to the country, which I obviously did not have. My options were to leave it at customs, in a "locked" safe, or pay a $1500 deposit fee to take it with me. Here is the catch though, when I came to pick up my deposit afterwards, they were to pay me in Zim dollars (which ends up being trillions of dollars). No joke, I have a 5 billion dollar bill in my hand right now, and gazillion is an actual form of currency here. Pretty crazy that I am a gazillionaire here, literally. Impressed ladies? I would be...Anyways, 5 billion dollars is about one dollar here, so I am a $1000 millionaire. Long story short, some of my friends talked the customs guys down to $200, and I got my video camera back. But they have come by the lodge a few times to check on the camera to make sure it is still here and I am not doing guerilla journalism. Little do they know that I have like 4 cameras!!! Hahahah!

One of the more intense moments was when I was sitting in the house of 25 Zanu PF (Mugagbe supporters). They were all wearing Mugabe shirts and bandanas, and had banners all over the walls. I was there as a guest and listening to these traditional spiritual Mbira players, who are helping spread a message of cultural redemption. Pretty cool, but still tense. I was imagining in my head what would happen if I had brought a camera in there, and whipped it out and started taking pictures of all of them. Things would have gotten violent quickly, and I would not be writing this email. But needless to say, I took no camera, and took no pictures. I have seen the world wonder that is Victoria Falls, wow. Truly powerful and awe inspiring. I woke up at 5.30 the other morning and went to the top of the Zambezi River to film and photograph the sunrise at the top of the falls. (Pictures on Flickr, and video to come when the internet is not sabotaged for political reasons). Yesterday I jumped headfirst off a bridge, and plunged 111 meters into a gorge where the Zambezi comes out ( it is about 350 feet, long way down). It was amazing, and am going back to do it again, but backwards this time. I have a friend whose uncle owns this lodge ,and all of his friends run all of the tourist stuff here, so I have been rafting, bungeeing, walking with lions, and feeding rhinos for free. He has taken me to all of the local spots, which are not many, and have met people from all over the world. I feel so plain with no interesting accent, but try to make up for it with photographs and stories, kung fu also. Most people here have never seen Kung Fu. We go on a fishing trip tomorrow on the Zambezi River, and then into camp in Botswana for 3 weeks, where there are thousands of elephants. There literally was an elephant crossing sign on the main road, but I couldn't take a picture because there were police around, and they would take my camera.

As for New Zealand and Australia, I will sum it up briefly. Here are some key points: Got stuck in a snowstorm on the top of the mountains from Lord of the Rings, and thought I was going to freeze to death. Had to dig a hole and cover myself in dirt to stay warm and dry, which I did not. Swam with salt water crocodiles, ran away when we saw them coming in the clear water. Stayed on a private aboriginal beach in the Northern territories, and killed a shark and a crab with a spear ( I ate them for dinner). Did a front flip into a buffalo mud hole, and ate insects. Got screamed at in the middle of the night by a possessed aboriginal spirit while I was sleeping, no joke, scariest thing I have ever seen. He was a human, but was possessed and wandering around at 3 am by himself, and screamed in my tent. Moving on, saw a cane toad smoke a cigarette, and then eat it (lesson to all you littering smokers, eat it). Got bit by 6000 ants, they nest in trees, and fall out when you drive by them, and attack. I hate them. Wandered Brisbane by myself for 5 days, got out drank by two Irish girls. Got a swedish massage from a drunk Swedish guy named Gus (it was actually just elbows in my back), who loved Taco Bell and KFC. Funny man, bad masseuse. Watched 25 movies in my hotel room and on the plane, including Burt Reynolds and Dolly Pardon in Chicken Ranch twice. Why? Managed not to sleep at all on a 14 hour plane flight after I had two hours of sleep before. Stayed one night in Johannesburg, managed not to get robbed or shot. Now I am in Zimbabwe, but I love it. I am coming back. There are not more elephants anywhere else in the world than where I am right now. And I hopped (HOP!) back and forth across the border from Zambia and Zimbabwe numerous times yesterday. 4 countries come together Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, pretty amazing.

Anyways, here is a link to where I have posted photos. Some may already know this, some may not, but either way, here it is. I wanted to do more with web, blog and video, but things hardly ever work out the way you want. I will try to post video soon, but that depends on how modern this country wants to be. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tylersharp

Please feel free to write me back, as I have hardly heard from anyone, and let me know how your lives are going. I will respond when I can, but would love to hear what is going on in the other side of the world.

Sorry for the lack of intimacy in this letter, but I haven't had many chances to write.

Hope all is well, cheers from Zimbabwe!

Tyler Sharp (more affectionately known as "Kiwa" here, which means white man. Charming)."

take care of yourself Tyler! We'll see you when you get home.

Touching Base

2008-06-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

It's been quiet over here for a number of really good reasons. Many exciting announcements are in the works and if you're not already signed up on our mailing list, please do so at www.LaReunionTX.org. Thank you and we'll be back very soon.

Tree Carving Update

2008-05-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

Brad Ford Smith's tree in winter above. His tree in summer below. Enjoy!

Clean-Up Day tomorrow (Sat, May 10)

2008-05-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Please email Sarah Jane if you'd like to head out to the land and help clean-up! We'll be clearing some brush, clipping loose limbs, stabilizing the bridge, and picking up trash. With 10-15 folks, we can knock it out in no time. 9:30-12:30. We'll have water, gloves and trash bags on hand. Wear sturdy shoes and long pants. Email Sarah Jane at sarah@LaReunionTX.org for directions and confirmation. Thanks ya'll!

Thanks ya'll

2008-05-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who made it out this weekend! Jim Sargent made such a compelling argument for energy efficiency. There's pretty much no excuse to have a home or office or building that's a gas guzzler. It's ineffective and downright scandalous with petroleum prices soaring and the R-word being thrown around. Bamboo floors are fantastic but at the end of the day, if your building is burning an alarming amount of coal to keep the a/c on, well, that's a problem. A commitment to conserving energy is a priority to La Reunion.

Moving on, CAPE was awesome. La Reunion advisor David Hopkins facilitated an amazing panel discussion and LRTX had a booth with a coloring book comprised of local artists contributing a page for kiddos to color. Loads of people were at Craddock Park for the Free Comic Book Day events. We met tons of interesting people and had a marvelous time.

Behind the scenes? Lots of wonderful stuff is brewing! After an active Spring, we are getting ducks in a row for sharing the ideas we received through Make Space for Art with the community. Thank you for your continued support.

Jim Sargent's Energy Efficient Remodeling Class

2008-04-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Jim Sargent is the preeminent "green" builder in the country. His work has been honored with the U.S. Department of Energy Gold Award, and his colleagues in the National Homebuilders Association named him builder of the year. Lucky for us he lives right here in North Texas (Waxahachie, to be precise). Even luckier, he has graced La Reunion's advisory board with his wisdom. Luckiest of all, he will now share that wisdom with the public to benefit our upstart artist residency.

Here's the skinny: Sargent is expert in zero-energy construction, which results in utility bills of $1 a day or less. At his May 3 Green Building and Energy-Efficient Remodeling class at 9:30am, he'll spend a couple of hours teaching homeowners (or people who want to build low-impact, high-performance homes) how to maximize the energy efficiency of their structures. Then, he'll spend a full hour answering your questions.

HERE'S HOW TO PRE-REGISTER
The cost of the class is $65 if you pre-register via PayPal, and you can easily recoup that expense in energy savings at home. Plus, 100% of the proceeds benefit La Reunion, as Medical City is granting us free use of their "City Hall" conference center in Care Tower E (off Merit Drive) and Sargent is volunteering his time. Please spread the word, as space is limited. Sign up now and save $5, as walk-up registrations (space permitting) are $70.

You can always email or call Sarah Jane at sarah@LaReunionTX.org if you have trouble. 469/951-7323.

Oak Cliff Earth Day - bring your old 'puter equipment

2008-04-08T04:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 20. 11 - 5. Lake Cliff Park at Zang + Colorado. Come one come all and bring your old cell phones, pagers, computers, and cartridges. Our buddies at DonateIT will be on hand to accept these items. By recycling them, you contribute to a cleaner planet and help us earn a little money. You see, there are precious metals and all sorts of bits that can be salvaged from these items. So come visit our booth with your loot!

Upcoming Events!

2008-04-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars now! La Reunion TX celebrates 2 years with several opportunities to connect and learn more.

--> AIA Retrospect at NorthPark

When: Thursday, April 3, 2008, 6:30pm

Where: NorthPark Center

Cost: $15 at the door.

LRTX will have a display in Retrospect -- the annual AIA Dallas event at NorthPark Mall. Artists Tyler Sharp, Molly Sharp and Kevin Obregon have collaborated with architects from PerkinsWill led by Sean Garman to construct a super cool display to show off the winning entries from Make Space for Art. Thank you to Artizen for the prints and Green Living for the stains on our amazing display. Display up through April 20.

--> Oak Cliff Earth Day

When: Sunday, April 20, 2008 from 11am-5pm

Where: Lake Cliff Park at Zang and Colorado

Cost: Free

LRTX will have a booth at the second annual Oak Cliff Earth Day! We love this annual family friendly event. Stop by and say hello.

--> 'Make Space for Art' Discussion

When: Tuesday, April 29 from 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Cunningham Architects 918 Dragon Sreet in the Design District

Cost: Free

Dallas Architecture Forum presents a panel discussion

Catherine Cuellar, LRTX President
Sarah Jane Semrad, LRTX Executive Director
Bang Dang, First Place Winner of competition
Mark Gunderson, moderator and competition jury advisor

An international architectural design competition was held earlier this year to solicit ideas for housing an arts residency program on a 35 acre site in Oak Cliff -- near the original La Reunion site. 68 entries from 19 countries
were received and First Place went to Bang Dang of Dallas.

The Panel will discuss the history of La Reunion -- both the 1855 original and the current arts-related incarnation -- as well as the details of the competition whose jury included Rick Lowe of Project Row Houses inHouston, Dr. Rick Brettell, Louise Harpman, Associate Dean at UT Austin School of Architecture, Max Levy, FAIA and Mark Gunderson, AIA.

--> Green Remodeling/Building for Home Owners

When: Saturday, May 3, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Where: Medical City Dallas "City Hall" Conference Center in CareTower E, 7777 Forest Lane, Dallas (parking is in Care Tower E, located off Merit Drive)

Cost: $65 - $70

Whether you want to remodel your present home or build a new home, renowned green builder Jim Sargent's class is the best place to start. This seminar will consist of 2 hours of green building explanation and 1 full hour for your questions. Specifically designed for home owners wishing to remodel for energy-efficiency or for those planning to build a green home in the future, this seminar gives home owners the knowledge they need to go green. Learn what to do to make your home more energy-efficient and when and why to do it. Registration is $65 online or by check in advance to La Reunion TX, 4848 Lemmon Ave., PMB 100-117, Dallas, TX 75219. Registration at the event is $70.

--> Free Comic Book Day

When: Saturday, May 3, 10:00am -- 6:00pm

Where: Zeus Comics - 4411 Lemmon Avenue, Dallas 75219 & Craddock Park next door to the store

Cost: Free

LRTX is a presenting partner with Zeus Comics for their 4th annual CAPE (Comics And Pop Culture Expo) in coordination with Free Comic Book Day. Free Comic Book Day is a national event where participating retailers promote the industry and encourage new readership. CAPE is the largest Free Comic Book Day event in the country with over 80 professional comic book creators in attendance. LRTX will be facilitating the event's panel discussion on writing comics.

Winners For Make Space for Art Announced!

2008-03-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

First: Bang Dang of Dallas, Texas.

Second: Michael Pannacci of Brooklyn, Ontario, Canada.

Third: Ines Fernandez and Lucia Perez of New York, New York.

Sustainable: Sofia Fernandes and Tiago Carvalho of Portugal.

Honorable Mentions:

Simon Stahl and Emma Melin of Jonkping, Sweden.

Delphine Borg of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Brandon Woodward of Seattle, Washington.

Chris Sano of Dallas, Texas.

Michael Hargens, Sophia Razzaque, and Teoman Ayas of London, UK.

Karl Bengzon of Chester, New Jersey.

** Disclaimer - we'd love to get the plans up, but the files are enormous and blogger can't support them. We are working to get them on our actual site. Please be patient with us. Thanks ya'll!***

Bios attached. Congrats everyone! More commentary later.

winners.pdf

runnersup.pdf

Winner's Announcement Party : 3.1.08

2008-02-29T13:05:00.001-08:00

The esteemed jury met last weekend. We announce the winner tomorrow and will post them all here by Monday. Above? Mark Gunderson and Rick Lowe. More pics of the jury deliberating here.

See ya tomorrow at the party! PanAmerican ArtProjects. 1615 Dragon in Dallas. 6-8PM.

Looking at La Reunion from outside Dallas

2008-02-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I had the honor to hear Robert Hammond speak about the amazing High Line project in NYC. He was in town as a guest speaker for the Dallas Architecture Forum's 07-08 season at the Magnolia Theatre. Listening to his experience in dealing with an artifact from another era and trying to do something interesting with it for the benefit of a city sounded awfully familiar. The vision revealed to him and a co-founder was to create a super long park on the western side of Manhattan. Why not, right? It was awfully inspiring and exactly what I needed to hear at that moment in time as LRTX was heading into it's own ideas competition that wrapped juried deliberations just this past weekend... WHEW. Anyhoo. After his talk, I had to introduce myself and share a little about the vision for Dallas we at La Reunion have with our own little plot of land and a trestle... Check out Robert's post on LRTX on the High Line blog.

Live Blogging from the Jury Room

2008-02-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well. The jury deliberates. Rick Lowe, Rick Brettell, Louise Harpman, Max Levy, and Mark Gunderson made the first go through of entries. We then had a site visit and broke for lunch. After a nice meal the fabulous Cliff Cafe in Oak Cliff, we are now back in the room and the deliberations continue.... A very exciting day in the life or our young organization. Public announcement on March 1 at PanAmerican ArtProjects. Ok, back to showing slides....

Winner's Announcement Party + other goodness

2008-02-12T11:54:00.001-08:00

Well, the stellar jury for Make Space for Art is meeting in about a week or so and there's tons to do in the meantime. A handful of us are working over time to prepare the files for a slide show for the jury to view. Shout outs to Allison V Smith, Jessica Stewart, Chance Miller, and David Traylor for camping out at La Reunion world headquarters (Murray Street Coffee) and helping me sort gobs of cd's. Having a sneak peak at plans is just one of the awesome perks of managing La Reunion.

Speaking of the Winner's Announcement Party... We are having a fantastic get-together on March 1 at PanAmerican ArtProjects from 6pm-8pm. We'll announce the winner, show a slide show of all the entires and have a fabulous time listening to the Tim Burtonesque sounds of Escalator Maintenance Society. I ran by the gallery this very afternoon and artist William Cannings was there installing his show which will be on display during our party. Fabulous.

Last, check out this article on the KERA blog about one of the Make Space for Art jurors, Rick Lowe of Project Row Houses in Houston. It's thrilling to have the honor of meeting him in a couple of weeks and getting his input on our project. Stay tuned.

Tree Carving!

2008-02-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Our first annual Tree Carving was this past Saturday. About 75 people attended over the course of the day and toured the site and learned a little about native flora from Melissa Martin and Randy Johnson with Texas Discovery Gardens. Attendees watched artists transform non-native (weed), dead and dying trees into site specific works of art. Thank you to local artists Brad Ford Smith, Kevin Obregon, Allan Arp, Tyler and Molly Sharp, Cindy Thomas, and David Carapeytan (and CREW!) for being such sensitive and adventurous artists. Pictures abound. Local photographer Erica Felicella shot some amazing portraits that can be seen here. Attendee Steve Rainwater also took some pictures. Mine are here. More are coming!

A special thank you to volunteer Lisa Z for bringing hot and cold drinks for the artists. Thanks to CityGallery for a donation to defer costs. Thanks to Preservation Tree for being there in full force and educating us all on trees. Thanks to everyone who attended and spent a lovely day outdoors. We look forward to next year!

If you'd like a tour of the site, please contact Executive Director Sarah Jane Semrad at sarah@LaReunionTX.org.

First Annual Tree Carving : 2.2.08 : 10am -4pm

2008-01-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

Please RSVP to sarah@LaReunionTX.org or call 469-951-7323 for our first annual Tree Carving and to get directions to the site. Watch artists create site specific installations in and around non-native dead or dying trees that have been tagged by Preservation Tree and approved by the City of Dallas. Tours of on-site native flora be Texas Discovery Gardens at 11AM and 1PM. Imagine someday taking a walk in the woods in Dallas and exploring an outdoor gallery of decomposing Tree Art through a system of trails on the 35 acres. The Tree Carving program treads lightly and only takes out trees that are unhealthy, dead or dying or non-native as a way to restore a balanced ecosystem. Wear sturdy shoes and plan to be out doors.

Participating artists include Kevin Obregon, Brad Ford Smith, Allan Arp, David Carapetyan (and Crew), Cindy Thomas, Tyler Sharp, and Molly Sharp. Photo above taken Jan 26 at a planning meeting on the site. RSVP to attend.

clean up day is tomorrow!

2008-01-18T06:18:00.000-08:00

oooooo, it's going to be refreshing and cool when the group goes to the lovely LRTX land and we prepare it for our Tree Carving on Feb 2. It's not too late! If you'd like to be a part of it, please email me sarah@LaReunionTX.org and I'll send you the map + more info. We'll be laying trails to the trees tagged for Tree Carving, sweeping, picking up trash, piling organic debris and getting the site ready for visitors. Bring yourself, a sack lunch, and a happy smile! Please join us!

Call for Artists extended + Open House at the Land!

2008-01-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

LRTX Open House and Tree Carving slated for February 2, 2008 from 10AM-4PM. Come tour the LRTX land with Master Naturalists from Texas Discovery Gardens. Watch artists carve undesirable "weed" trees designated for removal by Preservation Tree and the City of Dallas. Email to sarah@LaReunionTX.org for rsvp and directions!

Call for Artists!
You're an artist. You have the site-specific challenge to create SOMETHING from a tree on the LRTX land that needs to be removed in order to create an environment that is welcoming for native bugs, birds, and plant life. You must remove enough bark from the tree to kill it without cutting it down. What might you create?
Banding: Removing bark all the way around the trunk of a tree (at least one hand's width) allows the tree to naturally decompose, attracting desirable critters who help revitalize the ecosystem.
The Art Part: Each tree is surrounded by grasses, dirt, neighboring shrubs. What can you, an artist, create in and around that space that invokes curiosity? What tools will you use? What spatial considerations will you have? What will you do?
The Caveat: There is no electricity onsite (for now), so all your tools must be self- or hand-powered. Chisels, Knives, Chainsaws -- all good (exercising great caution, of course). Decorative additions from the native area such as rocks, wires, twigs, etc., are encouraged, but not mandatory. Paint may be applied, as well, though we encourage environmental consciousness.

Examples of trees are on the LRTX website. Please come up with an idea — any idea. Once accepted, you'll choose (or be assigned) a tree. Deadline has been extended to January 11, 2008. Apply here! Collaborations encouraged! Email sarah@LaReunionTX.org if you have questions.

The Stats Are In!

2007-12-21T13:56:00.001-08:00

After processing 142 entries for Make Space for Art - here is the breakdown:

37 from Texas
67 from across North America including Alaska and Canada
29 from Europe
5 from Asia
2 from Australia
1 from Africa
1 from South America
0 from Antarctica.

Interesting facts: architects mostly write the same. A collage might be in the works of the words "La Reunion TX" written over and over by architects. Folks from Asia and Europe consistently use slightly longer paper than others. Our one lone cash registration fee came from Japan. Go figure. Entries are due January 31.

La Reunion TX – Call for Artists – Tree Carving!

2007-12-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

The Challenge: We challenge you as an artist to do a site-specific installation as part of the ecological thinning of dead, dying, and non-native trees located on the lush, dynamic landscape of La Reunion Texas.

You're an artist: Your only requirements besides letting your creative juices flow, are to "band" the tree and leave it as safe as possible for viewers. You can view the selected trees for this event by visiting the La Reunion web site.

The Art Part: Each tree has its own environment with limbs, grass, dirt, neighboring shrubs. What can you, the artist create in that space to invoke curiosity? How will you translate the natural elements into an art form, and how will the natural elements translate your art?

The Caveat: There is no electricity available at La Reunion TX so you must use hand tools or self powered tools ie: Axes, Chisels, Chainsaws or Gas powered generators. The addition of decorative elements from the surrounding area such as rocks, twigs, and branches are encouraged. You may also bring your own raw materials but we are strongly encouraging a green/environmental consciousness.

What will you do? Send La Reunion TX a sketch and a short description of your project. Please note that unless a SASE is included, all material will become the property of La Reunion TX. Mail to: 4848 Lemmon Avenue #100-117, Dallas 75219. Or email to Sarah@LaReunionTX.org

The Facts: Submissions due by January 5, 2008. Entries will be judged by the La Reunion TX artist selection committee. Artists will be notified of acceptance by January 10, 2008. The Tree Carving / Open House event will be Feb. 2, 2008 at the La Reunion TX land. Please enclose application fee of $10.00. If selected, you will be a part of a truly unique art experience in a long-term decomposing exhibit that will be visited for years to come. Your tree will be documented and displayed prominently in our newsletter, website, and on LRTX materials. Please consider this opportunity as a chance to do a great service to un-healthy land and challenge yourself as an artist!

Artists : Check this out.

2007-12-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

CONTACT: ZELDA ALPERN, GRANTS & PUBLICITY

(802) 635-2727

The Vermont Studio Center Announces the Brown Foundation Awards for Texas Artists & Writers

The Vermont Studio Center, the international creative community located in the heart of the Green Mountains in Johnson, Vermont, USA, announces the Brown Foundation Awards to fund four-week Residencies for three outstanding Visual Artists and Writers from Texas.

The Fellowship will provide 3 outstanding Texas artists and writers with 4-week VSC Residencies in 2008/09, including ample studio space, comfortable housing, 3 meals daily, as well as access to the 6 distinguished Visiting Painters, Sculptors and Writers who are in residence each month.

A Vermont Studio Center Residency is an ideal opportunity for fruitful interaction with American and international professional peers in a non-competitive, supportive environment. The Brown Foundation awards continue a well-established tradition at VSC of offering cultural exchange opportunities for national and international artists. VSC has other ongoing national Residency programs for artists and writers from New England, Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as Residency Fellowships for Native American artists and writers. In addition, VSC has international Residency Programs for artists from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, Cuba, Latin America, and Mexico.

The Brown Foundation, in Houston, Texas, was established in 1951 by Margarett and Herman Brown and Alice and George R. Brown as a nonprofit charitable foundation. All funds donated to the foundation and income generated from these funds is used for public charitable purposes, principally for support, encouragement, and assistance to the arts and education. Since its inception, the Brown Foundation has awarded grants in excess of $185 million to artistic, educational, medical, and other charitable organizations.

The deadline for all applications is February 15, 2008. Please call Kate Westcott, VSC Receptionist, for more information (802) 635-2727, or visit our Web site (www.vermontstudiocenter.org) for detailed application process.

Make Space for Art

2007-12-07T13:44:00.001-08:00

Every time I check the mail, there's a treat from some distant land. Today? Australia and Portugal. Not that the avalanche of stateside entries aren't interesting too. They are! I've been keeping all the envelopes because it's cool to see "La Reunion TX" in so many different handwritten fonts. A widely known fact I'd like to confirm after a decidedly unscientific survey: architects have the most amazing handwriting. Especially local architect and juror to La Reunion TX's Make Space for Art - Max Levy. Breathtaking and poetic script.

Registration deadline is Dec 17. Keep it coming ya'll.

For Immediate Release : 'Make Space for Art' Jury Announced

2007-11-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

La Reunion TX, a not for profit artist residency, launched a call for entries for ‘Make Space for Art’ on Monday, September 17, 2007. Thus far, La Reunion TX has entires from Egypt, Sweden, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, The Slovak Republic, Finland, UK, among others.

The purpose of ‘Make Space for Art’ is to generate ideas for a future artist studio and short-term housing space in Oak Cliff. The registration deadline for ‘Make Space for Art’ is December 17, 2007 and entries will be due January 31, 2008. Architects, students, and artists are welcome to register and submit entries.

Jury Facilitator for ‘Make Space for Art’ is Mark Gunderson, AIA of Fort Worth. Other jurors include: Rick Brettell of UTD, Rick Lowe of Project Row House in Houston, Louise Harpman of UT-Austin, and Max Levy, FAIA of Dallas. These jurors will honor the most creative entries with cash prizes and a chance to be a part of a 2008 touring exhibition in North Texas. Details of the tour will be announced later.

Facilitator: Mark Gunderson, AIA – Gunderson is a practicing architect in Fort Worth, Texas and is past president of the Dallas Architecture Foundation. He currently serves on the board for Dallas Architecture Forum and writes and lectures frequently on architecture. In 2006, his alma mater, Texas Tech University, presented Gunderson with Distinguished Alumnus Award from its College of Architecture. He has been a visiting critic at both Texas Tech and the UTA School of Architecture. Currently at work as a co-author to Buildings of Texas, a new 1,000-page double volume in the series “Buildings of the United States,” published by the University of Virginia Press for the Society of Architectural Historians.

Richard Brettell, PhD. – Dr. Brettell is founding president of the Dallas Architecture Forum, former Director of the Dallas Museum of Art and holds three degrees from Yale University. He has taught at the University of Texas, Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, Yale University, and Harvard University and is currently Margaret McDermott Distinguished Professor in the Interdisciplinary School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas. He has begun to publish architectural criticism, including “Beyond the Golden Age: Three New Art Museums for Texas” in Southwest Review and “Lost in Translation: Ando’s Building for The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth” for CITE. Brettell established and curated the “Five Modern Architects” exhibit for University of Texas at Dallas in 2002.

Rick Lowe – Lowe is the founder of Project Row Houses, an arts and cultural community located in a historically significant and culturally charged neighborhood in Houston, Texas. As an artist, Rick has participated in exhibitions and programs nationally and internationally. From 1996 to the present, he has exhibited at the Phoenix Art Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston and several other art museums around the world. In 1997, Rick and Project Row Houses were awarded a silver medal by the Rudy Bruner Awards in Urban Excellence. He was the year 2000 recipient of the American Institute of Architecture Keystone Award. In 2002, he was awarded by Theresa Heinz the Heinz Award in the arts and humanities. Rick was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University from September 2001-June 2002. In 2006, Rick received the Brandywine Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2007, he has been an Osher Fellow at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and received the Houston Spirit Award given by the Mayor of Houston.

Max Levy, FAIA – Fort Worth native Max Levy is a Dallas-based principal, adjunct associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, and fellow with the American Institute of Architects. He has lectured across Texas, written for Texas Architect, and authored Chasing the Modernist Rainbow (2000). Recent honors include a 2007 Best in Show award from the Dallas AIA; a 2006 National Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects; a 2002 AIA Dallas House of the Year Award fromD Magazine and a 2001 AIA National Honor Award. His design capacities and poetic sensibility have caused his office to receive more design awards from the Texas Society of Architects than any other small practice in the history of the TSA Awards program.

Louise Harpman – Louise Harpman is a partner at Specht Harpman. Before founding Specht Harpman, she worked as a designer at Eisenman Architects and Buttrick White & Burtis Architects. She is currently serving as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is also the Harwell Hamilton Professor of Architecture. Before joining the UT faculty, she taught for eight years at the Yale School of Architecture and for four years at the University of Pennsylvania. Louise Harpman received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University where she concentrated in East Asian Studies. She holds a Master of Philosophy degree from Cambridge University and received her Master of Architecture degree from Yale University, where she was awarded the AIA Henry Adams Certificate and the Janet Cain Sielaff Prize. Louise Harpman is the co-editor of Perspecta 30:Settlement Patterns (1999). She is the author of the Brooklyn Public Library Design Guidelines (1996) and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Design Trust for Public Space.

Art Chicas Unidas

2007-11-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

Art Chicas Unidas, a four way-collaboration between La Reunion TX, Dallas Art Dealers Association, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, and CityGallery was held on on Saturday, November 10, 2007.

The day began at 8AM with La Reunion TX artist set-up at CityGallery. Artists chosen earlier in the summer by the La Reunion TX artist selection committee included Erica Felicella, Ivonne Acero, Loretta Gonzales, Linka Behn, Johanna Hulsey, Catalyna Mendez, VET, and Lizzy Wetzel. High school girls from select Dallas area high schools started arriving at 8:30AM. What happened next was magical.

The girls were divided up among the selected artists and an all-day workshop began. Each group started on a project and began a day-long process in a variety of media. From digital photography to felt-making, each group fully explored process, design, materials, camaraderie. At lunch, DADA made a presentation in different careers in art as well as how to get started in a gallery by presenting a comprehensive portfolio.

After the workshop was complete, all the art created over the course of the day was installed in the gallery and the general public started arriving at 7PM. All the art sold by silent auction and proceeds were re-invested in the Art Chicas Unidas program. Pending funding, we will replicate this program at a Girl Scout camping facility in a "Total Art Immersion" experience in late April 2008. Stay tuned.

Shout outs and thank yous are in order to the following generous souls:
Lara Arp, Mattie Jenkins, Teri Walker, Rebel Calhoun, Lenita Davis, Clare Dempsy, Kevin Nash, Allison Graham, Catherine Cuellar, Andrea Roberts, Leah Shafer, Cathey Miller, Lisa Zimmerman, Lisa Taylor, Laura and Fred Fregin, Caroline Finlay, Maloree Banks, Dallas Women's Foundation, Kroger, and Central Market. Last - all the girls and the LRTX artists.

La Reunion TX Workshop

2007-11-08T06:30:00.001-08:00

Last Spring, David Hopkins lead a very cool workshop about comics and graphic novels at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary. Above is an excerpt. Enjoy!

SMU kids clean-up La Reunion TX

2007-11-05T06:18:00.001-08:00

The SMU kids have come through for us again in 2007, thanks to the amazing Bob Curry with the City of Dallas! Back in January, a team of fraternity brothers cleaned up what we called "Tire City" - where literally hundreds of tires had been illegally dumped just off the road on the La Reunion TX land. This time we weren't dealing with tires, but brush! Lots of it!

We made a huge pile of organic debris that the good folks at Preservation Tree later chipped for us. We had mostly juniors and seniors - male and female - this time. After the clean-up effort, I had the best time talking with some of the group about the project. As their eyes grew wider, I grew more and more happy to share. I hope they left inspired, invigorated, and happy too. Thanks ya'll!

ART CHICAS UNIDAS!

2007-11-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Come celebrate the launching of our new mentoring program, Art Chicas Unidas, on Saturday, Nov. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. at CityGallery, 3601 Routh St. This free evening will feature Girl Scout cookies, live music and ART- what else does one need?

La Reunion TX collaborated with Dallas Art Dealers Association, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas and CityGallery to create Art Chicas Unidas, which pairs high school girls with Dallas visual artists.

The girls will spend November 10 with Dallas artists creating the artwork that will be on display and for sale for the evening event. At lunch that day, DADA members will discuss artist portfolios and careers available in the visual arts.

Art Chicas Unidas targets high school girls from North Dallas High School, Adamson High School, Hillcrest High School, and Jasper High School. The mission of Art Chicas Unidas is to provide high school girls in the targeted DISD schools the opportunity to develop art-related leadership skills by 1) enabling these girls to work with and learn from professional artists; 2) providing a vision for a future profession in the arts and/or media; 3) teaching girls how their skills in art can be used to facilitate a college education; and 4) allowing girls to produce art in new and traditional media that portrays a contemporary image of Girl Scouts in the community.

The Dallas artists selected for this event include Erica Felicella, Johanna Hulsey, Catalyna Mendez, Lizzy Wetzel, Linka Behn, VET, Ivonne Acero, and Loretta Gonzalez.

There will be another opportunity for artists and high-schoolers to be involved in Art Chicas Unidas in April 2008 (if funding becomes available). How do you help that happen? You can sponsor a girl! Visit our site for a form. Email sarah@lareuniontx.org if you would like to volunteer for the Nov. 10 event.

Art Chicas Unidas is currently funded by Dallas Women's Foundation and supported by Central Market and Kroger.

Why are we doing this again?

2007-10-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Name's Sarah Jane and I'm the director of this organization. I had a wonderful conversation the other day with a brilliant gal who asked me why I was doing La Reunion. Hmmmm. Thought I'd speak to that publicly. My personal answer's simple: because I'm passionate about cultivating and sustaining artists and culture in my community. La Reunion isn't my first go with such an idea. After producing independent art shows for a few years, there was this gallery I formed in 2004 where emerging artists had space to present their ideas in all media. Then there was the community arts project I steered and managed for a couple of years that connected local artists and businesses through a concept gallery with satellite locations all over Dallas. Most recently, there's the annual underground art event I co-founded that brings all walks of life - expected and unexpected - to reinvest in the local arts economy. La Reunion is the fourth verse of a song I've been singing for years. What started as a kernel of an idea with my pal Catherine has quickly become larger than either one of us had imagined independent of one another.

As a serial social entrepreneur, I can speak about the failures as well as the successes. I know this for certain : An eye toward long-term sustainability is in the fore-front of my mind and it's what keeps me up at night - sustainability with the building, with the programs, with the staff, with the finances. How can La Reunion be an innovative and yet well-oiled machine with a solid business plan and a means to sustain itself long term? It's an invigorating conversation with lots going on in meetings, continuing education, miscellaneous websites and development behind the scenes. Having an idea and doing a little planning is one thing. Execution is another. Stay tuned folks.

Make Space for Art Updates!

2007-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

WOW. We interest and/or registrations from Korea, Vietnam, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Canada, Harvard, California, New York, Slovak Republic, Egypt, and of course LOTS of local inquiries. Keep it coming folks. Deadline to register is December 17, 2007. Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2008. Contact Jessica Stewart at jessica@LaReunionTX.org if you have questions about Make Space for Art. Many exciting annoucements to come in the next few weeks - including the jury!

Inspiration

2007-10-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, La Reunion TX board member Jessica Stewart and I (Sarah Jane) met with the Erika Huddleston - Marketing Coordinator for The Trinity Trust at Murray Street Coffee (one of our favorite places to meet). We began sharing about our organizations and what they mean to Dallas as a whole and the timelines we are both working with. Although La Reunion TX isn't involved in any part of the Trinity River Project, we wanted to know more about this proposed parks and roads system as residents in a part of town that will be profoundly impacted by the vote on November 6, 2007. Please check out their website to read about all of their exciting developments. And either way - if you are local, go vote!

Connections

2007-09-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day of making connections for La Reunion! First up was a presentation to the Uptown/Oak Lawn MLS group. Realtors are always great fun to interact with because by nature they are all about people and all about selling the community. They had insightful and thoughtful commentary on the slide show, the presentation, and really 'got it'. Their questions were great and I made wonderful new acquaintances on behalf of La Reunion.

Next up, Catherine and I had lunch at Rick Brettell's house with Charissa Terranova - they are the leadership team behind Central Track - the residency being formed around the University of Texas at Dallas community. Great conversation + delicious lunch = open dialogue for the future. We are forming very different programs in Dallas and yet have an opportunity for natural collaborations as we both move forward.

After lunch, it was down to the La Reunion land to meet 60-some-odd University of Texas at Arlington architecture students. They are taking on MAKE SPACE FOR ART as a class project this semester. Wonderful, I say! The students were anxious to explore so after a few brief words - they were off! We look forward to some interesting entries in January 2008 from these students.

tree carving

2007-09-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met with a couple of local artists named Kevin Obregon and Brad Ford Smith who are going to spearhead the tree carving at the La Reunion TX land later this winter. That's where unhealthy and non-native trees have been tagged by Preservation Tree and approved by the City of Dallas for banding - a technique where the bark is hacked off one handswidth around the trunk of the tree, thus inhibiting growth and slowly killing the tree from the inside out. The dying tree becomes a feast for insects and birds and restores a more balanced ecosystem.

We trekked around a bit and talked about various artistic visions. The most final version we have will most likely be altered somewhat before we execute the idea in January, but I'm already really, really excited. It's going to take a couple of clean-up days in advance to get the site ready, but once artists are lined up and we pick a date - wow-oh-wow. you'll want to be there to check it out.

Call for artists!!

2007-08-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Who: La Reunion TX teams up with Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Dallas Art Dealers Association, and City Gallery to launch Art Chicas Unidas, a totally new program to engage artists in the Dallas area to become involved in the artistic development of low income high school girls. This call for entries is for Phase I. Women artists, minority artists and artists working in all media are encouraged to apply. Dallas Women’s Foundation has partially funded this project.

What: Phase I will feature 10 artists who will lead teams of 4 girls in a day long project with the goal that the girls co-host an exhibition showing the art they have created. During lunch, members of DADA will lead a demonstration of the real-life essentials of how to create an artist portfolio as well as a talk on various arts-related careers. An evening reception will be open to their families and the public at the end of the day-long workshop at Uptown’s City Gallery located at 3506 Routh Street in Dallas. Proceeds from the sale of art will go towards these same girls’ tuition at a weekend-long retreat in Spring 2008. A separate call for artists will go out for Phase II of the program. The La Reunion artist selection committee is made up of Dallas area arts professionals who will choose artists for this program.

When: Artists interested must complete the attached application, provide adigital portfolio with a $20 processing/background check fee and return to La Reunion by Sept 15, 2007.

Mail proposals to:
La Reunion TX
4848 Lemmon Avenue, #100-117
Dallas, Texas 75219

Important dates:
Sept. 15: application deadline
Sept. 29: interviews for selected artists and proposal review
Oct. 3: artists notified of acceptance (or not)
Oct. 10: materials list due
Nov. 10: workshop date

Stipend: Chosen artists will each be paid a $250 stipend for their time and planning of the day-long Phase I workshop. A materials budget of $100 is available for each chosen program.

Detailed Program Description: This new program, entitled “Art Chicas Unidas”, is for girls from urban and inner city high schools and consists of two phases coinciding with the girls’ school year.

Phase I will be a one-day working session (Saturday, November 10, 2007) for up to 40 high school girls with 10 local area artists, concluding with an evening art exhibit at City Gallery in Dallas. All artwork produced by participants will be for sale. Proceeds from this sale will be applied to the costs of the weekend retreat in Phase II.

Phase II will be a weekend retreat at Whispering Cedars Girl Scout Camping Facility (date TBA) in the Spring 2008 for these same girls who participated in the Nov 10 workshop and open to other girls at the targeted high schools. As a part of the weekend retreat, 100% of girls will be filling out a Dallas County Community College application. The girls will learn how community college credits transfer to major four year colleges in pursuit of a sustaining art career. Cedar Valley College is our partner for this portion of the program. Sales from Phase II will go towards replicating the project in the Fall of 2008. In the coming years, we will be expanding the Art Chicas Unidas program throughout DISD inner-city, urban high schools.

With the collaboration of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, La Reunion TX, City Gallery and Dallas Art Dealers Association, this new program will impact the girls and their respective urban, inner city communities in these ways:

o Demonstrate and teach a new set of ideas and skills to girls;
o Sustain local artists by paying them for their time;
o Bring awareness of the contemporary vision of Girl Scouts;
o Expand the girls’ artistic and cultural awareness by introducing them to DADA members and artists actually generating income from their art business;
o Increase public and student awareness of La Reunion TX and artists affiliated with the non-profit; and
o Expose La Reunion TX artists to a larger audience.

This program impacts local artists in these ways:

o Connects local artists with La Reunion TX and DADA in mutually beneficial relationships;
o Artists earn a stipend for a day-long workshop to sustain professional artistic development;
o Artists are able to make a direct impact on at-risk youth.

For more information, please contact La Reunion TX executive director Sarah Jane Semrad.
sarah@LaReunionTX.org
www.LaReunionTX.org

2007-07-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

La Reunion was recently pledged $4800 by 8 generous donors. Please consider making a gift to this worthwhile project. Click here for a pdf of our Frequently Asked Questions to check out the amazing programming we have coming up the Fall.

Donations can be made via paypal to donate@LaReunionTX.org and checks can be mailed to La Reunion, 4848 Lemmon Avenue #100-117, Dallas 75219. Remember all donations are tax deductable.

Upcoming Event: Biological Livelihood of Mechanical Creatures Explored!

2007-06-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

When we heard about the exhibit U-Ram Choe : New Media from Seoul opening in June at the fabulous Crow Collection of Asian Art, we knew this was a great opportunity to have some fun! Join us as we explore U-Ram Choe’s fanciful metal and plastic sculptures that pull us into conversation about aesthetics, machinery, and biological transformation. La Reunion supporters and newsletter subscribers are invited to a complimentary champagne tour of the new exhibit led by Crow Collection Director Amy Hofland. Sweet!

THURSDAY, June 14, 6pm – 7pm.
Complimentary champagne will be served.
RSVP to sarah@LaReunionTX.org

Model Students

2007-05-08T14:15:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by Dominick Mastrangelo.

Feast your eyes on these photographs by Dominick Mastrangelo featuring the work of first year architecture students at University of Texas at Arlington. Big thanks to UTA professor and Oak Cliff dweller Danielle Langston for giving her students time to work on our project. More images and narratives by the students about their work will be on our website as soon as they're available.

What a month!

2007-04-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

Everyone who has celebrated La Reunion month was amazed by something. It's been our most ambitious programming effort, but also most representative of all that La Reunion TX is and will continue to be. Truly something for everyone. And we're not finished! Today you can learn about the history of the original La Reunion colonists who were so influential on Texas and Dallas in general and Oak Cliff in particular at the DMA. Tomorrow local architecture students will present their semester final projects – ideas for studios and artist housing at our site. Also tomorrow we find out if we've received funds from the Dallas Women's Foundation for Art Chicas Unidas.

Our first birthday celebration last night was far and away the most inclusive event we've hosted - from the ages of those in attendance (newborn infants through retirees) to the type of arts we featured – salsa performance and dance instruction; culinary; improv; breakdancing; and do-it-yourself shrinky-dinks. The historic Sons of Hermann Hall was once again our venue thanks to its lovely president Jo Nicodemus. A wonderful time was had by all because of help from outstanding volunteers – event coordinator Michael Hogenmiller; doormen Paul Semrad, Alvaro Garza, and Vance Wingate; door prize wrangler Leah Shafer; shrinky-dink activity leader Jessica Stewart; photographer Dominick Mastrangelo; set up aide Brad Ford Smith; and midnight tour guide Susan Cuellar (aka my mom)! Thanks again to sponsors Viking, Petropolitan, MAKE, From The Ends of the Earth, Green Living, Pandemonium, Crosby Catering and Coffee, and the Ballen family (founders of the LaFonda Hotel in Santa Fe, NM).

Extra special love to everyone who attended our events all month long, and we look forward to continuing our growth and positive impact on Dallas for years to come!

Free workshop helps fund films

2007-04-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund Workshop: Dallas Filmmaker Grants
Wednesday April 25, 2007
7PM to 8:30 PM
Magnolia Lounge
1121 First Ave
Dallas, Texas 75226
(in Fair Park next to the African Museum and the Music Hall)
Workshop is FREE!
Call 214 428 8700 for more info.

The Austin Film Society's Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund (TFPF) has a ten-year history of supporting Texas filmmakers with cash, goods and services - $675,000 for 222 film and video projects at last count. TFPF recipients have shown their films at festivals like Sundance, Cannes and Toronto and have been nominated for Independent Spirit Awards. This year, TFPF will award $150,000 to Texas filmmakers working in all genres of film and video.

The Austin Film Society's Director of Artist Services Bryan Poyser will be joined by Dallas filmmaker David Lowery (whose short film THE OUTLAW SON received a TFPF grant in 2005), to take you through the application process step-by-step.

Presented in partnership with the Video Association of Dallas.

For more information about TFPF, please visit
www.austinfilm.org/for_filmmakers/texas-filmmakers-production-fund

2007-03-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

VOTE FOR US ON REZOOM.COM!

We have a great opportunity to win two awards totaling $105,000 for La Reunion, but it will require everyone's help for the next thirty days. We are enlisting your support in an exciting awards program presented by ReZoom.com, entitled A Better World. In total, ReZoom.com is awarding over $200,000 to more than 20 charitable organizations. We are already nominated for the Regional Awards. Regional award winners will each receive a $5,000, and then we will qualify for the $100,000 National Award!Please go to http://www.rezoom.com/ every day between March 1 and March 31 and cast a vote for us.Your participation is easy!

With just a few clicks, you can help us create a better world. Go to http://www.rezoom.com/
Click on the "A Better World" symbol on the right hand side of the website.
Click on the big orange "VOTE BUTTON"
Find us on the charity search map
Follow the instructions to register and enter your vote

You can cast a vote for us every day and ask your friends to vote too!
With your help we have a great chance to win a regional award. If this happens, we will notify you and let you know when the National period begins.We can show the country just how active our supporters are! Please forward this letter to your email lists of friends and family. Just think, for every 100 of you that send this message to 10 friends, who then send it to 10 friends - we will receive 10,000 votes...a day!! With your help - we can do it.

april calendar of events. something for everyone.

2007-03-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

April 3, 6:30PM-8:00PM – Kick-off dinner at Tin Star. 20% of dinner sales benefit La Reunion.
Uptown Tin Star
2626 Howell Street, #100
Dallas, Texas 75204
214-999-0059

April 14, 11AM-5PM – Scriptwriting for Graphic Novels at the MAC. Ever want to know the finer points of writing a comic book? How to deal with that script once it’s turned over to an illustrator? How do these same collaborative issues affect playwrights and screen writers? $20 in advance or $25 at the door – includes lunch. Email sarah@LaReunionTX.org

McKinney Avenue Contemporary
3120 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75204
214-953-1212

April 21, 10:30AM-2:30PM – How Important Are We: Dallas Fort Worth: the next New York City? DADA presents two panel discussions for the public on how curators, directors and art critics answer this question. La Reunion is a community partner is this presentation. Admission will be $30 for two panels or $20 for one panel. (Students with IDs may enter at $10 per panel). Proceeds will benefit the Edith Baker Art Scholarship Fund. Lunch will be available for sale at the site. Call 214-943-1099 to register and reserve a lunch.

Latino Cultural Center
2600 Live Oak (at Good-Latimer)
Dallas, Texas 75204

April 22, 11AM-5PM – Oak Cliff Earth Day in Lake Cliff Park. Join state and local environmental, conservation, and wildlife groups, garden clubs, "green" businesses, city departments, state agencies, cycling, running, and hiking clubs, schools, and arts groups. Help make Oak Cliff's celebration of Earth Day (April 22nd) one of the largest in the State of Texas. www.oakcliffearthday.com FREE

Lake Cliff Park
Zang at Colorado Boulevards
Dallas, Texas 75203

April 28, 6PM-11PM – La Reunion Birthday Party at Sons of Hermann Hall.
Confirmations thus far include organic fair trade coffee and chips & salsa from Crosby Café & Catering, door prizes from MAKE, Pandemonium, Green Living, and From the Ends of the Earth, Paul Slavens' Texclectic Unsemble (a rock/improv hybrid), jazz by the John Holiday Band, and the Booker T. Washington Latin Jazz Ensemble. Break dancers, mariachis, and dance lessons in the works. More details coming! $10 admission. For $15 more, shuttle to the DMA for a special late-night tour... keep reading!

Sons of Hermann Hall
3414 Elm Street
Dallas, Texas 75226
214-747-4422

April 29, 12AM-1:30AM – After the Sons party, shuttle over for a late-night tour of Fast Forward (backwards) at the DMA, led by Susan Cuellar, a longtime docent and mom to president of the LRTX board, Catherine Cuellar. $15 (includes museum admission for the DMA Late-Night regular activities. payable at the Sons event.)

April 29, 1PM – La Reunion lecture at the DMA in the Orientation Theatre. Rose-Mary Rumbley leads a discussion of the lasting cultural impact this French colony has had on the formation of Dallas. Free with regular museum admission.

Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
214-954-0234

The original La Reunion colonists arrived in Dallas from Europe in 1855 on April 22, which is now celebrated as Earth Day. This April the newly-formed La Reunion TX celebrates its first anniversary in Oak Cliff. Thanks for making it a great year - hopefully the first of many!

Is it the end of January already?

2007-01-31T06:42:00.000-08:00

It is. Wow. Thanks to a chance meeting at a winter cocktail party with the delightful code enforcement officer Bob Curry, the next thing we know, 30 SMU frat boys are cleaning up the right-of-way out in Oak Cliff in front of the La Reunion stretch of land. Pictures on flickr. In anticipation of you asking... I don't think they were busted for a kegger or anything exciting. Instead, I think they were participating in some sort of required Greek community service. Either way, we are truly grateful that a mass of tires, trash, and other assorted items have been removed. Thanks boys!

In other news, the Belmont show was wall-to-wall people, from what I hear. I was, of course, waving from a jet on my way to France on a long-planned vacation, so I had to miss the Belmont festivities. Thank you to everyone who showed up and checked out the juried exhibit, Art With a View : La Reunion in the OC. A special thanks to Jesus Chairez and Carissa Byers for shooting some pictures and to those who purchased art. Thanks to the uber hip Belmont Hotel for hosting. A portion of sales goes to La Reunion and the show is up until March 13.

Call for Artists!

2006-12-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

La Reunion and The Belmont Hotel present
‘Art With a View’ - La Reunion in the OC

The La Reunion artist selection committee is making a call for art relating to Oak Cliff and specifically La Reunion if possible. All media will be considered, although works wired and ready to hang will be given preference.

Inspiration:
The original La Reunion colony was instrumental in the cultural formation of Dallas and specifically Oak Cliff in the mid-1800’s. The first piano and brewery were here as a direct result of their settlement. Although they failed as a utopian artist colony, they have had a lasting impact on current Dallas through street names, descendants, and artistic sensibilities. Feel free to Google the colony for access to pictures, maps, and other historical information. Be creative!

Important dates:
- Entries due: 5PM on Wednesday, Jan 17. (see below for digital requirements)
- Selected Art Delivered to the Belmont: 2PM on Sunday, Jan 21.
- Reception: 7-10PM on Wednesday, Jan 24.
- Pickup of unsold works: 5PM on Wednesday, March 14.

Art requirements:-
- Submission: a good quality digital photo resized no larger than 1000 pixels in either vertical or horizontal direction emailed to sarah@lareuniontx.org.
- Include your name, title of work, medium, and dimensions in the body of the email.

Other Important information:
- Commission split is 70% to the artist and 30% as a tax deductible donation to La Reunion.
- Show will be promoted through The Belmont Hotel, La Reunion and a press release will be sent to all local media.

Please contact Sarah@LaReunionTX.org for more information!

art con wrap up

2006-12-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

The numbers have been punched and the net for La Reunion is somewhere close to $12,000. A nice shot in the arm to start 2007 off with. We have thank you's to so many people for such an amazing event.

bands:
John Holiday
The Happy Bullets
Spitfire Tumbleweeds
Peter Schmidt and His Gentleman Scholars
Fishboy
Salim Nourallah

volunteers:
Jason Roberts
Andrea Roberts
Cari Weiberg
Tim Ruble
Shea Wood
Courtney Miles
Minus
Josh McKibben
Kris Youmans
Robert McCollum
Kevin Nash
Coy Green
Edward ruiz
DJ Stephen R
Erica Felicella
Pia Koch
Elisa Belsley
Scott Horn
Nicole Cullum
Melanie levy
David Marquis
Alex Taliercio
Ligh Tomlinson
Chad Stocklager
Paul Semrad
John Weedon
Rob Shearer
Alvaro Garcia
Harley Jebens
Tj Pendergrass
Mary Truitt
Julia Gregory Schloss
Jennifer Sobieraj
Mary Solomon
Marcus Striplin
Daniel Miller
Leah Shafer

sponsors:
Orr-Reed
Davis Hawn Lumber
Cliffdweller Magazine
Fusion Advertising
Print Place
HBS Media

and last, but totally not least, all the visual artists that participated. wow. pictures on flickr soon. some already on the art con site.

A bow to you all.

Art Conspiracy II

2006-11-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

December 1 at the Longhorn Ballroom. The countdown is officially on. www.artconspiracy.org for all the details.

$50K for a TX artist; apply by Nov. 17

2006-10-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

This isn't La Reunion-related, but still an interesting opportunity

Hunting PLC, an international oil services company, has announced their call for entries for the 2007 Hunting Art Prize—a $50,000 award open to established, emerging, and amateur artists from throughout Texas. Artists submit a single two-dimensional work (excluding photography) for consideration for the prize. Initial entries include one slide and a completed online form, all submitted no later than Friday, November 17, 2006.

While last year's competition focused on the Houston region, which is where Hunting's North American headquarters are located, the scope for this year's prize has expanded to include any Texas resident 18 years of age or older. For more information or to download a flyer, visit their website.

We are official!

2006-10-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Last week, we got THE LETTER. The one from the IRS that states we are officially a 501c3 non-profit corporation. This has been such a wonderful journey so far and we can't thank everyone enough for continued support.

That being said, please mark your calendars for Friday, December 1 for Art Conspiracy II. It's going to be held at the legendary Longhorn Ballroom on Corinth @ Industrial. More than 100 artists and 5 bands are participating. Go to www.artconspiracy.org for ALL the info.

Thank yous.

2006-09-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

We had a little art show over the weekend that barely made it into the La Reunion newsletter and onto the La Reunion website and yet we still had a great turn-out and sold a ton of work! Thank you to the not-yet-open ZEN Sushi over in the Bishop Arts District for donating their empty space on Saturday during the Bishop Arts Block Party. Thank you to Richard Ross, Zachary Broadhurst, Carissa Byers, Lance Jones, Kelly Berry, Therese Power, Margarita Buenaventura, and Patrick Rhodes for providing work on such short notice and donating a portion of sales to La Reunion. Seriously guys, that was awesome.

Barry Crosno with DonateIT was also there to stimulate interest in a new company he works for that allows folks to donate their old non-functional computers, cell phones, printers, cartridges etc with a portion of proceeds going to various non-profits. He'll be on hand at our booth at the Urban Street Bazaar the last weekend of September. Come check it out.

Last, thanks to all of you who stopped by and said Hi. Clearly none of this would be possible without community support. And for this, a bow.

Upcoming events. Check it.

2006-09-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

La Reunion is gearing up for all sorts of events this fall. Friend and fund raisers loom as the weather cools and our lives settle back into a routine.

First up: a lecture by Dr. Charissa Terranova on the philosophy of Fourier and the original La Reunion colony that settled Dallas over 150 years ago. It will be held at the Santa Clara Catholic Church, adjacent to our La Reunion land on Thursday, September 28 at 8PM. Complimentary dessert and coffee provided generously by Crosby Catering and Cafe. If you've never heard Charissa speak, you're totally in for a treat! Mentally stimulating and super friendly, she'll impress you with her ability to craft well-thought out commentary on whatever she presents. Admission is free. 321 Calument Avenue, Dallas.

Second: La Reunion will have a booth at the Urban Street Bazaar that our pal Julie over at MAKE organizes September 30-October 1. Featuring arts and crafts by local artisans and live music all weekend, La Reunion will also be the beneficiary to the live auction! Our own board prez Catherine Cuellar will be the auctioneer. Admission to the bazaar is free. Stop by on your way to the fair! Thomas at Boll in the St. Thomas Historic District, Dallas.

Third: Art Conspiracy 2 benefits La Reunion. If you missed last year's stellar event, well, there's just no excuse this year! Details TBA, although go ahead and save the date: December 2. Check out the Art Conspiracy site fill yourself in on last year.

humble beginnings & major progress

2006-07-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

From the bottom of our hearts, thanks to everyone we knew before and especially everyone we met for the first time this morning at the first Community Clean-Up Day! Before-and-after photos will be posted soon on flickr. Thanks to all the amazing volunteers who braved 100-degree heat, stinging insects, and poison ivy to help us fill the largest dumpster we could find with heaps and loads of trash, *including* a kitchen sink! Many helping hands posted signs so volunteers could find us; shared tools, gloves, trash bags, sunscreen, and snacks; worked very hard quite early on a Saturday morning; and documented our progress. It's inspiring to see so many willing to give of themselves for the benefit of the community, and as a whole we are far more than the sum of our parts.

Special thanks to The Oak Cliff Tribune for getting the word out in advance and covering our event, Gus Treviño at Nodding Dog Coffee Company in the Bishop Arts District for donating five gallons of cool iced tea to refresh our volunteers, and to Moonlady Amy Martin for helping us set the tone.

The La Reunion coffers are still light about $100, which will cover the cost of removing our now-full walk-in dumpster from the site. So if you were unable to attend and still want to aid our effort to transform Dallas through art and green living, please contribute through our website, or PayPal us some funds c/o donate [at] LaReunionTX [dot] org.

Local media continues to smile upon us. Thanks to Daily Candy for advance publicity, and to Frank Trejo, who interviewed several La Reunion supporters for The Dallas Morning News.

Please plan to join us for future clean-up efforts and a lecture in late September by advisory board member Dr. Charissa Terranova from SMU. For details, sign up for our mailing list online.

Reminder : Clean-Up : This Weekend

2006-07-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

With well over 30+ volunteers and two days left, we are gearing up for the Community Clean-Up day this Saturday from 8AM to noon. Please join us. Email sarah@lareuniontx.org for directions etc..

Long pants, sturdy shoes, and water are a must! All volunteers must sign a waiver. Please join us as you are able.

Behind the scenes // updates

2006-07-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

We have all been busy doing mundane behind the scenes work lately. It's a learning curve to be sure, but nice to know all the intricacies of zoning, platting, engineering, and escarpments. In gearing up for the community clean-up day on July 15, I met with the city arborist and had an interesting conversation about the land, the vegetation, and some creative options on how to proceed. Catherine and I also did an interview with Quin Mathews for Art Matters that will air on WRR on Sunday, July 9 at 4PM and Thursday, July 13 at 6:30PM. Be sure to tune in! Catherine and I have also met with an architect who is a member of the USGBC for advice on a LEED certified structure. It's all been fascinating thus far.

Other behind the scenes work? We're working on putting together our advisory board. With a killer interdisciplinary cross-section of working Dallas artists and professionals, we will have the qualified input to make decisions about which artists stay and for how long. More information on that on the La Reunion website soon.

La Reunion update, resources, community clean-up

2006-06-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

La Reunion held its first board meeting over the weekend. Sarah Jane Semrad (wow, that's me!) has officially been hired as executive director for the project. Community interest in this residency grows as we talk with more and more people. This is exciting! We have added a button on the main La Reunion site to add your name to the mailing list. Also, a paypal button! Money is always appreciated. Please click one or more of those buttons.

Although La Reunion is new to Dallas, the concept of an artist residency is certainly not. There have only been a few to exist in our fair state over the years. An excellent resource to explore other programs across the United States and abroad is www.artistcommunities.org. As La Reunion plows forward, we look to other programs' best practices and then modify to fit our community. Conversations with green architects knowledgeable in LEED certification and with the potential Chalk Hill Trail situated very near our site have proven inspirational, to say the very least.

Last, more announcements on this as exact plans develop: COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP DAY! Slated for Saturday, July 15 from 8AM - 12PM, the community clean-up day will not only be an opportunity for folks to come check out the site, but also to participate in clearing the land, which has been neglected for many years. Long pants, bug spray and water are a must! Please contact Sarah Jane Semrad if you are interested.

La Reunion Prom was a blast!

2006-05-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

la reunion prom (2)
Originally uploaded by La Reunion TX.

A huge public thank you to all who attended the La Reunion Prom last night at Sons of Hermann Hall. Most especially Jeremy Ordaz, Mike Graff, Allison Graham, Harley Jebens, Alvaro Garza for working the door. Paul Semrad and Stephen Ruiz for playing DJ. Jason Woefel, Carissa Byers, and Jonelle Doughty for their photographic prowess. Glenn Goodfellow for the amazing baked goods and Sons of Hermann Hall for being the coolest venue in town. The party was a smash and we suceeded in raising enough funds to cover our 501(c)3 filing fee and additional administrative start-up costs. We took the opportunity to announce the news of the generous anonymous gift of 32 acres of wooded land in Oak Cliff that we have rent free for many years. In addition, we introduced our first three board members: Catherine Cuellar, Lisa Taylor, and Allison Graham. More pictures on the flickr page linked above well have yearbooks for sale here once all images have been compiled.

We have a home!

2006-04-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, but we're not divulging full details just yet! We'll be doing that at the 'prom' we're hosting on May 6 at Sons of Hermann Hall. Please let us know if you're interested in coming and we'll make sure you get the evite. Funds raised from this event will be used to defray the administrative startup costs for launching a 501(c)3.

2006-04-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the blog of La Reunion, Dallas' first artist residency program to host the conversation between new and traditional media. Thoughts/ideas/updates will be posted here periodically.