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, May 29, 2012 at 11:03AM 
