Artful anniversary

Dallas Contemporary toasts 40th anniversary with red-hot Ruby Gala

After four decades, Dallas Contemporary is still red hot. So it was fitting that the Dallas museum should celebrate its 40th anniversary with a party dubbed the "Ruby Gala."

Presented by Headington Companies, the intimate evening saw the museum transformed into a red-lit, ruby-hued space. The gallery space went scarlet for the sit-down dinner, with fabric-draped walls, vibrant floral arrangements, and a magnificent, multitiered birthday cake.

After taking their arrival photos on the red carpet, guests — including Joyce Goss, Kenny Goss, Bill Hutchinson, Brianna Ramirez, Jessica Ayers, Josh Ayers, Gonzalo Bueno, Michael McCray, Gayle Halperin, Philip Clemmons, Max Trowbridge, and Ben Trowbridge — enjoyed a cocktail reception as they perused the silent auction artworks powered by Paddle 8. The party continued with a dinner created by The Joule that included whipped ricotta toast, an heirloom tomato and peach salad, and smoked filet of beef.

Partygoers — many of whom donned shades of red for the occasion — sipped wine and champagne along with craft cocktails by Midnight Rambler and Roxor Artisan Gin.

In the audience, artists Richard Phillips, Joseph Havel, Carlos Rolon (DZINE) and Keer Tanchak mingled with guests. After opening remarks from Dallas Contemporary executive director Peter Doroshenko and event co-chair Laree Hulshoff, guests paused to recognize longtime board member and honorary chair Jo Marie Lilly.

Then it was time for the featured entertainment. Singer-songwriter Erykah Badu took the stage for a powerful musical performance that concluded with her R&B hit single “Tyrone.”

Bidding was fast and furious in a live auction that included art donations, a luxury trip package to Tulum, and a suite at the upcoming Andrea Bocelli concert. As guests finished their chocolate mousse cake, auctioneers Ed Beardsley and Roberta Kramer with Heritage Auctions hit the stage, rallying guests to flash their paddles.

Once the auction had concluded, guests enjoyed an after-party with dancing to the sounds of Medicine Machine Revival.

Funds raised through the event support the artistic and educational mission of the museum and its programming. Dallas Contemporary is a non-collecting art museum presenting new and fresh ideas from regional, national and international artists. The Design District space offers temporary exhibitions, important lectures, and learning programs.

Michelle Moussa, Steve Flory

Photo by Tamytha Cameron Smith

Michelle Moussa, Steve Flory

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Arts in Fort Worth

DFW museum debuts landmark exhibition about Statue of Liberty

Amon Carter Museum of American Art presents "The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol"

Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), Early View of the Statue of Liberty, n.d.,, watercolor, Musée Bartholdi, Colmar, 2005.0.16.3, © Musée Bartholdi, Colmar, Photo Chr. Kempf

"The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol" opens at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art on August 15.

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art will celebrate the United States' 250th anniversary with a major exhibition examining one of the country's most recognizable symbols: "The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol" will open Saturday, August 15 for a nearly five-month run.

The exhibition, co-organized by the Denver Art Museum, is an examination of the Statue of Liberty’s enduring relevance in American visual culture and the evolution of its image from the 1870s to the present.

According to a release, it will bring together nearly 100 artworks and objects from more than 70 artists, exploring the statue’s varied manifestations - from artistic marvel and pop culture icon to symbol of immigration, patriotism, and resistance.

Successive generations of artists who have represented the statue's iconic form over the past 150 years will be included in the exhibition, including Pacita Abad, Benny Andrews, Edward Moran, Norman Rockwell, Nari Ward, and Andy Warhol.

The exhibition is anchored by a rare cast of French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s bronze sculpture Liberty Enlightening the World (Statue of Liberty) (1894-1901), one of only five domestic-scale bronze reductions made during the artist’s lifetime.

The exhibition will be broken up into four distinct sections:

Creating a Monument, which focuses on the statue’s origins and initial public reception in the tumultuous decades between the American Civil War and World War I.
A National Monument, which showcases the way society and visual culture were inundated with Statue of Liberty imagery between World War I and the 1950s. The installation of newspapers, advertisements, lithographs, images, films, and paintings demonstrate the turning point in the statue’s transformation into a dominant American icon.
Reimagining an Icon, which explores pop art and reproductions of the statue’s imagery, demonstrating its increasing detachment from its original image and malleability as an American symbol.
The Statue of Liberty Today, which closes the exhibition with a selection of works by living artists who have continued to investigate the Statue of Liberty’s meaning in the 21st century.

“This monumental exhibition tells the story of how our nation has interpreted the Statue of Liberty not only as a national icon, but also as a reflection of American values, creativity, and identity throughout our collective history,” said Scott Wilcox, Interim Director of the Carter, in a statement. “Premiering 'The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol' in Fort Worth on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding invites our community to see this emblematic statue in new dimensions.”

"The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol" will remain on display through January 3, 2027.

It will then travel to Denver for a presentation from March 14-July 4, 2027. The exhibition will also travel to the Munson Museum of Art in Utica, New York, from August 5-December 5, 2027.

The Amon Carter Museum will celebrate the opening with a special event called "Liberty Talks" on August 15 from 11 am-3 pm, featuring gallery talks, live music, poetry, treats, and more. A second event, "Second Thursdays: Monuments & Martinis," will take place September 10 and include Statue of Liberty-inspired flash tattoos by Fort Worth artist Joseph Ayala of Panther City Tattoo.

Admission to the Carter is free.

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