Tuesday
May292012

Video: State of the Emerging Arts Panel Discussion

1.2 Million Stories: State of the Emerging Arts was a panel discussion we held at UTD Centraltrak Artist Residency. I served as the moderator and Kevin Rubens Jacob, Danielle Georgiou, Jerod Alexander Davies, and Bryan Embry served as panelists.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, including this review from the Dallas Observer.

My respect for moderators has gone up greatly – it is difficult leading a live discussion and delivering value for the audience! I am happy and thankful for the opportunity. Green Bandana Group seeks to be a leader in arts commerce, and we realize that part of that is helping build an active, exciting, diverse, and vibrant community of artists and art lovers.

Thank you to Heyd Fontenot, Paul Bryan, Hilly Holsonbock, Brandy Michele Adams, Vincent de Jesus, Grady McGahan, Cody Ross, and all of the panelists for helping make this worthwhile.

Tuesday
May222012

Green Bandana's YOLO Summer

Timing can be everything.

When I started Green Bandana Group in 2009 the timing was mixed.

The art scene had not started to recover from being decimated by the Great Recession. Deep Ellum was at the very start of its recovery. The Arts District was eerily empty. Even the Design District was just starting to boom.

Dallas was a clean slate, and there wasn’t much momentum then – just a heartbreakingly urgent need for someone to do something to help the scene.

Three years later, there is momentum – a sense of purpose, dare I say even swagger when you look at the Dallas arts scene.

Deep Ellum recovered (although poor public policy decisions might soon ruin that), there are signs of life in the Arts District, and the Design District might be at the height of its bubble.

Galleries are popping up all over the place. People are trying to create new things. Everyone is tuned in.

This summer Green Bandana hopes to raise the level of arts, culture, and entertainment.

As always it starts with people. We have hired several development partners to help us out this summer. They are accomplished, passionate, and ready to make a difference. I look forward to introducing them shortly.

This Thursday, May 24th, we have put together a panel discussion at UTD Centraltrak called 1.2 Million Stories: State of the Emerging Arts. The panel will consist of talented people who are making a huge difference in our arts scene such as Danielle Georgiou, Kevin Rubens Jacob, Jerod Alexander Davies, and Bryan Embry. Yours truly will be moderating this discussion and there will be a lengthy Q&A at the end. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the conversation about our arts community and learn about what is going on.

Over the next few weeks, in a series of essays, we will lay out our philosophy and opinions about the visual art commerce complex. I am confident many people will disagree and perhaps be upset by what we suggest. It is completely against the status quo.

Yet, we are not simply going to complain about how things are done in the arts world.

We are going to try to fix it.

June 1st we have the Grand Opening of our newest space – theSpace @Florence St. It is our 6200 sq ft laboratory nestled between the Arts District and Deep Ellum. We will build community here, we will provide amazing experiences, and we will be innovative with creating value for ourselves and our partners.

In July we will launch #PopupDallas. We will have 10 pop-up events across the city, ranging from dinners, to galleries, to boutique stores, concerts, and fashion shows. They will be fun, whimsical, and well-executed. We believe that you cannot always wait for them to come to you. Sometimes you have to go to them.

We will also have a series of pool and penthouse parties tentatively called “Parties In The Sky”. Mainly because its summer and we can. We might even throw a party on a boat.

By the end of the summer we might launch Art Stats, our ambitious project to look at what is objective about visual art.

Lastly we will continue to work and support our existing clients and partners, such as Blaqout Dallas and reTREEt America.

It will certainly be a busy summer, and hopefully a very productive one.

I couldn’t be more excited about our team, our new hires, our partners, our clients, our projects, and our city.

In the words of Hillel the Elder, “If not now, then when?”

See you in the sky.

Tuesday
Apr172012

Free Beer, Jobs, Art, Flowers - This Saturday

There is nothing more exciting for Green Bandana Group than the opportunity to create community.

We believe that creating organic and authentic experiences that allow groups of talented people to interact is a strength of our company.

This Saturday, April 21, 2012, we are producing four events that do just that.

First, our partner Grady McGahan’s nonprofit reTREEt America will be having a booth at Earth Day in Fair Park. reTREEt’s mission is to send volunteers into disaster zones to replant trees at the properties of people who have lost their homes and to promote cycling in the process. We are so proud to be part of this community of cyclists, conservationists, and volunteers.

Next, we have our largest project to date – the RoundUp For StartUps. This event is the brainchild of Chris Gay, and occurred because he saw the need to build a better start-up community in Dallas. We are honored that he chose our company to carry out his vision, and we have created a job recruiting event like no other.

There will be 130 salaried jobs from 30 North Texas start-up companies. We are expecting 1000 people to attend this event, and unlike the experience at most job fairs – we are going to treat the potential applicants like kings. First we are dispensing with the silliness of resumes and coat and tie. They aren’t allowed. Second, we are giving away three free beers and having passed pub food throughout the event. Third, we are having the Roundup at the Deep Ellum Brewing Company, which is the only working brewery in Dallas. Fourth, we will be having performances by the Circus Freaks, music by Sweet Corn Quartet, and live painting by Eric Trich. Finally, it will be hosted by our dear friend and client, Will Richey.

After trying to save the world with reTREEt America and create jobs with RoundUp For StartUps, we turn to creating community in the arts. Our partner, Kevin Spurgin has planned another stellar Deep Ellum Art Walk with 15 participating galleries. The walk shines a light on the talent in the area, and is a great opportunity to engage with the visual art scene.

We conclude the day with The Grind: The Official Deep Ellum Art Walk After Party at Life in Deep Ellum. ArtLoveMagic is co-producing the event with our newest partner, Vincent De Jesus. Deep Ellum Brewing Company will be showing off their brand new summer brew, Farmhouse Wit, and many of our favorite visual artists and musicians will be participating. I can’t think of a better way to end the day than surrounded by all of my friends.

For those interested in learning more about what Green Bandana does – this Saturday is the perfect opportunity to find out. Specifically, for those who are interested in our summer internship – we will be conducting interviews at the RoundUp For StartUps from 4-8 p.m. (please RSVP). For everyone else we hope to see you this Saturday, whether at Earth Day, RoundUp For StartUps, Deep Ellum Gallery Walk, or the Deep Ellum Gallery Walk After Party.

Wednesday
Apr042012

The Three Levels of the Dallas Arts Scene

There are three art scenes in Dallas, TX.

The first level is the museum, mainly represented by the Arts District. This level has tons of money, reaches thousands of people, imports artists into the city, and is fairly accessible to the average person. You can catch a show at the Winspear, enjoy a Friday Night Live at the DMA, and BAM – you are a patron of the arts.

The second level is the gallery, which includes everything from The Dallas Contemporary and Goss Michael Foundation to CADD galleries, University galleries, and cultural centers. This is where most of the real “work” happens locally. These venues give you the best chance to see top talent doing innovative things. Yet, this is also the least diverse level – especially in the Design District area. When I look at art at this level – I am often the youngest and the blackest (and almost always the black male-iest) person in the room.

The third level is the underground, functions that people do at their houses, studios, warehouse spaces, or other such unheralded local venues. Usually these are things that you don’t hear about in Art&Seek or Glasstire. They are happenings at alternative spaces in the city.  They are both captivating and frustrating in equal measure.   It is the hardest scene to find, but is also the freshest, most organic, and most real.

Green Bandana Group’s goal as a company is to be equally comfortable in all three levels of the Dallas art world.  However, after attending Radical Regionalism, it became clear that the third level is actually a lot more unknown than it should be.

In 2009, I met Alfredo Salazar-Caro at a house party. At that time, he was a student at Brookhaven  College and was showing some small sculptural work. We became friends and I helped him organize a show at the Mitchell Lofts that was part of that year’s Deep Ellum Gallery Walk. The show was a rousing success—a well-known member of our community bought his installation. Alfredo would go on to win some DMA grant awards and is currently attending the Art Institute of Chicago. Last summer, I showed his work alongside Shane Mecklenberger’s in a show I curated at 1111 Studio Gallery. 

Now, let’s say that Alfredo has a show at Oliver Francis or The Dallas Contemporary in the Fall, having reached the second level. That will likely be the first time many art patrons would have heard of him. Yet, he has been around the underground for a while. In fact, about 60 people saw his work at that house party. And 250 saw his work at the Mitchell Lofts. Over 500 people saw his work at 1111.

Or take someone like Danielle Georgiou. When I met Danielle, she was preparing for the now defunct 14+1, a one-off exhibition in an empty space on Dragon Street.  Definitely a third level affair.  Not long after that, she met another talented artist, Cody Ross, and his performance art band “Able Youth.” Then, Hilly Holsonback, an artist in residence at UTD Centraltrak and fellow Able Youth member, and Danielle spun off a performance duo called “Silk Stockings,” whose first performance was at this year’s Green Bandana NYE party in front of 250 people. Now, both artists are racing through the second level, individually and as a duo.

There are many other young artists with similar stories—Mylan Nguyen and Jessica Trevizo, for instance. And there are entire organizations that work on the third level—ArtLoveMagic, Just-Us League, and Nomad Arts—each representing dozens and in some cases hundreds of artists. Obviously, to ignore the third level, the underground, is to ignore what is the best of our scene. Most of the shows on this level shows are not from 5pm-8pm, because that does not fit a younger demographic. These show go on until 11pm, midnight, sometimes 4:00am. They often incorporate live music or DJs. Live painting or sketching is a common sight, as is performance art of all sorts. And these gatherings are incredibly diverse—straight, gay, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, male and female, young and old. But, most importantly, people come to these shows. Not 40 people or 75, but hundreds of people. And, uniquely, most of them are under 35.  For these Dallasites, the third level is the real Dallas art scene.

There is such energy and movement and organic growth that happens in the underground. Sure there are problems—there is usually a need for guidance, better curation, and, eventually, event management. Yet, the underground is diverse and exciting and young and vibrant. And it is all happening in Dallas—right below the surface. The patrons in the first and second level would do well to foster these communities, and step out everyone once in a while a little later than they are used to.

Tuesday
Apr032012

2012 Green Bandana Group Internship Program

2012 Green Bandana Group Internship Program

Purpose:
Expose talented young people to the business of art, culture, and entertainment in North Texas.


Company Overview:
Since 2009, Green Bandana Group has invested in exciting ideas and projects in the arts, culture, and entertainment. Our clients include Pulitzer Prize winning artists, major museums, local municipalities, galleries, music venues, nonprofits, blogs, startups and varied publications. Green Bandana Group actively creates culture and fosters the artistic community by hosting uniquely engaging events.


Some members of Green Bandana Group have children graduating from college, while some graduated only a few years ago. Our team is just as comfortable working a conservative church as it is with a
GLBT organization. Our workspaces range from small houses in East Dallas and the Deep Ellum Brewing Company to the boardroom of the Dallas Museum of Art and the Mayor’s Conference Room in City Hall. We like wearing suits and burning the midnight oil. And we like riding bikes and planting trees. We are looking for interns who compliment our diverse group.


The culture of Green Bandana is fun – we work hard, we play hard.
We fully enjoy the fruits of our labors. We only engage in innovative endeavors. And we are reshaping the artistic landscape in North Texas.


Internship Program:
This is not a mindless go-get-coffee internship. It is an opportunity to learn about and have an active role breaking new ground in the realm of artistic entertainment.


Interns at Green Bandana Group will work on meaningful projects best suited to their individual interests and goals. Additionally, interns will be responsible for a group project and will meet once a week for
a business seminar. We are only looking for the best and brightest candidates, people who:


Communicate ideas clearly
Multitask
Solve problems
Systematize
Are punctual
Improvise appropriately
Reason creatively
Maintain discretion
Accept constructive criticism


The Internship Class will begin June 18, 2012 and end August 18, 2012. While an internship with Green Bandana Group is unpaid, there will be opportunities to make money. Students interested in
applying to the 2012 Green Bandana Group Internship Program should direct resumes to vincent@greenbandanagroup.com.
Applicants should also include a concise written statement (no greater than 500 words) detailing their interest in art commerce and explaining what they would offer, in particular, to our organization this
Summer.


Suggested Majors: Art History, Studio Art, Project Management, English, Music, Business, Event Planning, Statistics, Marketing, Advertising, Writing, Social Media Studies, Publishing, Communications, Ethnic Studies, Film, Media Arts, Journalism, Latin American Studies, Theatre, Philosophy, Graphic Design, Web
Design, Museum Studies, Nonprofit Management, Entrepreneurship