Pretty Pictures

Most beautiful and surprising photos win Dallas Arts District contest

"Wet and Wild" by Barbara Brands.

Photo courtesy of Hall Group

The photos have been taken, the judges have judged, and now the winners are in. "Through the Lens: Dallas Arts District," a photography fundraiser organized by the Hall Group and the Dallas Arts District, gives the thumbs up to 91 photographs from 56 photographers, all of which will make their way into posterity, or at the very least, a nifty hard-bound coffee table book.

A jury of seven people selected 91 photographs out of 1,050 that were submitted. The selected photographs, taken by 56 photographers of all skill levels, will be included in a hardbound coffee table book that will be sold throughout the Dallas Arts District. All gross proceeds go to the Dallas Arts District Foundation, which provides grants to emerging arts organizations to program in the Dallas Arts District.

Select photographs will also be considered for display in guest rooms and other locations throughout the Hall Arts Hotel, currently under construction.

The 56 selected photographers also won a $500 stipend and will receive a copy of the coffee table book upon completion, along with an in-kind gift from one of many participating venues throughout the district.

Lily Weiss, executive director of the Dallas Arts District, says in a release that it's an honor to be partnered with HALL Group, corporate sponsors, and local photographers.

"There is no greater gift than to reinvest in the performing and visual arts in Dallas," she says. "The funds raised will enable the Foundation to expand its grants program for years to come, showcasing the vibrant, dynamic and innovative arts scene that Dallas has to offer!" She's very enthusiastic.

The judges included:

Dallas Mayor Michael S. Rawlings, Honorary Chair
Patricia Meadows, Co-Chair, Art Curator and Consultant
Virginia Shore, Co-Chair, Art Curator and Advisor, Shore Art Advisory
Jeremy Strick, Director of the Nasher Sculpture Center
Agustin Arteaga, Director of the Dallas Museum of Art
Sam Holland, Dean of the Algur H. Meadows School of the Arts at SMU
Howard Rachofsky, Local Philanthropist and Art Collector

Several local businesses and organizations that are committed to the Dallas arts are helping to underwrite the book costs including Billingsley Company, HKS Inc., Emily Summers Design Associates, Austin Commercial, Visit Dallas, OJB Landscape Architecture, Ashlar Projects, KPMG LLC, Weitzman Group, and The Artisan Craft Kitchen and Terrace Bar.

The winning photographers are:

Karen Almond
Robert Bellomy
Brandon Borga
Sharen Bradford
Barbara Brands
Cole Cappel
Katherine Coker
Pody Connally
Sheila Cunningham
Johnathan Daake
Joseph Dalcour
Radz Daswani
Oscar Duran
Amy Edwards
Paul Ellenbogen
Sylvia Elzafon
Stephen Evans
Melissa Farelli
Cecelia Feld
Brian Guilliaux
Sarah Hamilton
Kevin Hann
Joseph Haubert
Justin O’Keith Higgs
Laurel Houston
Lauren Kuehmeier
David Leggett
Tyler Lyons
Jo Mattison
Holly Marie
Jon McCutcheon
Brian McGregor
Anthony Medina
Ashley Mendoza
Suzzanne Mitchell
Servando Morales
Michael Nguyen
Suzanne O’Brien
Nikola Olic
Michael Owens
Bobby Pack Jr.
Gregory Piazza
Bret Redman
Nancy Ross
Joel Sampson
Melody Schotte
Paul Sokal
Susan Taylor
Phillip Thomas
Steven Visneau
Alan Weissman
David Worthington

awards downtown

Museum News

National Medal of Honor Museum offers preview at downtown Dallas event

AT&T

The AT&T Discovery District hosted a mobile museum pop-up.

A high-profile museum opening in 2025 offered a preview in downtown Dallas: It's The National Medal of Honor Museum, slated to open in Arlington, at Nolan Ryan Expressway and AT&T Way in the Stadium district in spring 2025.

To give folks a preview of coming attractions, the institution dispatched a mobile museum to make a visit to the AT&T Discovery District on November 20, during lunchtime when foot traffic is brisk.

Imagine the sense of wonder and amazement that downtown Dallas denizens must have felt upon the sight of a double decker bus, parked in the District, equipped with video and historical information about the Medal of Honor award, stories of the recipients, and a rendering of how the museum in Arlington will look.

The National Medal of Honor MuseumCourtesy rendering

The goal of The National Medal of Honor Museum is to inspire Americans by honoring and preserving the history of the highest military decoration awarded for valor in combat.

They hope it will serve as a national landmark, illustrating the historical thread of sacrifice and patriotism that runs through all U.S. military service members, past and present.

Beyond its state-of-the-art, interactive experiences, a critical part of the Museum’s mission will be to use the stories of Medal of Honor recipients to inspire their fellow Americans.

It will incorporate the AT&T Virtual Recipient Theater, an augmented reality experience where visitors can interact with with Medal of Honor recipients. The space will be equipped with cutting-edge conversational AI technology complete with voice recognition to allow museum goers to have a conversation in a 3D format with medal of honor recipients living and past.

It will also have AT&T Branded Wi-Fi throughput the museum.

Interior of the mobile Medal of Honor Museum.AT&T