Dallas Contemporary, founded in 1978, is a

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

museum located in the Design District of

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Description

Dallas Contemporary is a non-collecting

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. ...

presenting new and challenging ideas from regional, national and international artists. The institution is committed to engaging the public through exhibitions, lectures, educational programs, and events. The range and level of Dallas Contemporary’s programs serve audiences in the metropolitan Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond. Dallas Contemporary’s programs target the Dallas-Fort Worth area, while attracting audiences from the entire Southwest. It is the only bilingual institution in Texas dedicated to contemporary art and culture. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, and admission is always free.

History

Patricia Meadows founded Dallas Contemporary, originally known as the D’Art Visual Arts Center, in 1978. In its original form, the museum hosted annual exhibitions of artwork created by its members and offered rental exhibition space to emerging artists. The museum evolved over the next few years to include exhibitions by nonmember artists from various regions around Texas. Dallas Contemporary eventually embraced the entire spectrum of contemporary art, placing Texas artists in a worldwide context. Today, Dallas Contemporary follows the European model of the

kunsthalle A kunsthalle is a facility that mounts temporary art exhibitions, similar to an art gallery. It is distinct from an art museum by not having a permanent collection. In the German-speaking regions of Europe, ''Kunsthallen'' are often operated by ...

, or art hall, a welcoming exhibition site for art of the moment. As a non-collecting institution, the museum commissions the creation of new artwork by emerging artists from all walks of life.

Building

Dallas Contemporary is housed in a 37,000 square foot building in the Design District, Dallas, an emerging neighborhood 1.5 miles north of downtown. Built in the 1950s, the building was used for a range of industrial purposes before being redesigned to fit the needs of the museum in 2010. Architect Edward M. Baum was responsible for renovating the space, transforming the structure into one of the largest kunsthalles in the United States. The building’s inaugural owner was Grinnell Fire Protection. The building was later purchased by United Metal and converted into a steel-manufacturing plant that supplied steel to many of DFW’s high-rise buildings, ballparks, and roller coasters. Several industrial features still occupy the building’s interiors, including the original beams, roof trusses, sliding doors, floors and drains, as well a loading dock, dock leveler, and industrial weighing scale.

Featured exhibitions

Landmark exhibitions have featured renowned artists such as

Nic Nicosia Nic Nicosia (born 1951) is an American artist using photography, sculpture, and drawing in his practice. He received a BS in radio-television-film, with a concentration in motion pictures, from the University of North Texas in 1974. He was awarded ...

(2006); Vernon Fisher (2009)
James Gilbert
(2010); Michel Verjux (2011); Juergen Teller (2011); Rob Pruitt (2011); Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin (2012); Walter Van Beirendonck (2013); Richard Phillips (2014);

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings" — with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been ...

(2014); Mario Testino (2014); Nate Lowman (2015); Nadia Kaabi-Linke (2015);

David Salle David Salle (born September 28, 1952; last name pronounced "Sally") is a Pictures Generation American painter, printmaker, photographer, and stage designer. Salle was born in Norman, Oklahoma, and lives and works in East Hampton, New York. He ear ...

(2015); and

Yoshitomo Nara is a Japanese artist. He lives and works in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, though his artwork has been exhibited worldwide. Nara has had nearly 40 solo exhibitions since 1984. His art work has been housed at the MoMA and the Los Angeles Cou ...

(2021). Recent exhibitions have featured artists such a
Aura Satz
(2016); Jeff Zilm (2016); Dan Colen (2016);

Helmut Lang Helmut Lang may refer to: * Helmut Lang (artist) (born 1956), Austrian-born fashion designer and artist * Helmut Lang (athlete) (born 1940), Austrian Olympic sprinter * Helmut Lang (fashion brand) The Helmut Lang fashion brand was created by ...

(2016); Paola Pivi (2016); Laercio Redondo (2016); Pedro Reyes (2016); Bruce Weber (2016)
John Houck
(2016);

Ross Bleckner Ross Bleckner (born May 12, 1949) is an American artist. He currently lives and works in New York City. His artistic focus is on painting, and he held his first solo exhibition in 1975. Some of his art work reflected on the AIDS epidemic. Early ...

(2016); Ambreen Butt (2017)
Keer Tanchak
(2017); Pia Camil (2017);

McDermott and McGough McDermott & McGough consists of visual artists David McDermott and Peter McGough (born 1952 and 1958 in Hollywood, CA and Syracuse, NY respectively). McDermott & McGough are contemporary artists known for their work in painting, photography, sculp ...

(2017);

Kiki Smith Kiki Smith (born January 18, 1954) is a West German-born American artist whose work has addressed the themes of sex, birth and regeneration. Her figurative work of the late 1980s and early 1990s confronted subjects such as AIDS and gender, whi ...

(2017);

Jeremy Scott Jeremy Scott (born August 8, 1975) is an American fashion designer. He is the creative director of the fashion house Moschino and the sole owner of his namesake label. Since launching his brand in Paris in 1997, Scott has built a reputation as " ...

(2019); Alicja Kwade (2019); John Currin (2019); FriendsWithYou (2020); and Liu Xiaodong (2021). Thematic exhibitions include Black Sheep Feminism: The Art of Sexual Politics (2016) and Invisible Cities: Asian Moving Images (2017). Dallas Contemporary has a history of mounting successful public art projects that engage the surrounding community. Over the past five years, the museum has commissioned various murals around the city, including extant works by Sour Grapes;

Shepard Fairey Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989 he designed the " Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker campai ...

; JM Rizzy; Michael Sieben; and FAILE. These murals can be found around the Design District, Trinity Groves, and Deep Ellum neighborhoods.

Learning programs

DC School Tours – Student experiences at Dallas Contemporary are grounded in close looking, inference, and inquiry. Through close examination and discussion, students are able to construct their own interpretation about a work of art. Guided tours seek to facilitate conversation, rather than lecture about facts and dates. Chit Chat – Dallas Contemporary’s artist talk series engages learning though the art of conversation. Chit Chats increase dialogue, encourage debate, and stimulate exchange in visual art and culture. Dallas Contemporary actively supports the development of critical perspectives, as well as engages with issues that affect contemporary culture. The Renaissance Programme – This nine-month internship was designed for emerging museum professionals who want to develop their knowledge in a supportive and creative environment. The Renaissance Programme adopts an interdisciplinary approach to museum practice, with focused projects surrounding exhibitions, education, development and events. DC Summer Institute for Young Artists – Designed for middle and high school students, the DC Summer Institute for Young Artists allows participants to experiment with exciting art-making techniques, while discussing art with local, contemporary artists.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dallas Contemporary Art museums and galleries in Texas Arts in Dallas Contemporary art galleries in the United States Museums in Dallas Art galleries established in 1978 1978 establishments in Texas Education in Dallas Tourist attractions in Dallas