Black History Month

Dallas photographer champions beauty of Black community in joy-filled portrait series

When Dallas photographer Yesi Fortuna saw civil unrest unfolding around the country after George Floyd’s death last summer, she felt compelled to help. So she picked up her camera.

On June 4, 2020, Fortuna opened the doors to her Fort Lion Studio and invited Dallas’ Black community for free portraits that would serve as a celebration of Black resilience. So many people were interested, she reopened for a second day. The results are now on display in "Black is Beautiful DFW," a new exhibit that has opened for Black History Month at Galleria Dallas.

“The public response to George Floyd’s murder last May left many Black people feeling vulnerable, unheard and, most importantly, traumatized, as they were forced to grieve with no comfort through justice,” Fortuna says in a release. “I observed this reaction and felt inclined to nurture the souls of people experiencing this pain. I felt it was part of my duty as an ally.”

Her campaign was part of a revival of the “Black Is Beautiful” movement started in the 1960s by the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS) in Harlem as an act of defiance and deep self-love while promoting Black culture. (Read more about its history on the Fort Lion site.)

Fortuna's project got a boost when a grant from the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture allowed her studio to put the photos in three ad kiosks in Fair Park, Deep Ellum, and West Village.

The Galleria exhibit includes portraits of 30 Dallas families, individuals, and community influencers. Among them: Jay Grishby, Charis and Javory Moon, Olachi Uzoma Morrel, Erika Watkins, Hakeem Adewemi, Simi Adewemi, Sanya and Saveah Goodson, J'la Dade, Jonai Simmons, Denzel Knight and Doniqua Portley, Ryan Rich, and Autumn Heckard.

"I think representation matters in ways we as humans can hardly articulate,” says Josette Archin, a subject in the photo series. “I know that visually we as Black folks are not represented as readily as the European standard of beauty, and the only way to dismantle it is for Black people to feel seen and be seen and celebrated in our many walks of embodiment."

“Black is Beautiful DFW” portraits will hang on the Gallery Wall across from Apple on Level 1 of the Galleria through February 28. It is free to view, and visitors can learn more via a QR code included in the display.

Portrait of Erika Watkins in "Black is Beautiful DFW."

Photo by Yesi Fortuna

Portrait of Erika Watkins in "Black is Beautiful DFW."

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Season Announcement

Kitchen Dog Theater unleashes immersive 2025 season in new Dallas space

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Safe at Home

Photo by Jordan Fraker

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Seven years after announcing it had purchased a building in the Design District, Kitchen Dog Theater is finally ready to move into its new home.

The third and final production of its 2025 season — the theater company's 34th — will take place all around the new "Doghouse." The other two productions will follow the immersive format at non-traditional performance spaces that was established last season.

With three fully produced events that each run the gambit from captivating and gutsy to heartfelt and hilarious, the monthly New Works Festival Staged Readings Series returns, as does the 23rd annual PUP Fest, nurturing high school talent from all over DFW.

First up is the area premiere of Will Eno's Wakey, Wakey, directed by KDT's artistic director Tina Parker and starring KDT co-artistic director Christopher Carlos.

"Is it now? I thought I had more time." These first words in Will Eno's play are spoken by Guy, a man who knows, like all of us on some level, that he is about to die. The play questions why we are here and the journeys that everyone takes to eventually get to the same place. Performances will take place at Expo Park, 840 Exposition Avenue, and run February 7-23, 2025.

Production No. 2 is full of mystery: The title and performance location will be announced soon and run in March/April 2025.

The Happiness Gymby Ken Weitzman closes out the season in August 2025 (exact dates TBA).

This regional premiere is a joyous, experiential event based on the science of well-being. Participants take part in a curated theatrical experience meant to boost their sense of happiness, joy, and feelings of connection. This one-of-a-kind project will be the soft opening to Kitchen Dog’s new theater and will take place all over the entire facility, giving patrons unparalleled access to KDT’s new home.

From March to July 2025, the 26th annual 2025 New Works Festival will showcase four-to-five staged readings of the newest and most exciting local and regional playwrights working in contemporary theater today. Each reading will feature some of DFW's most accomplished actors and directors and will take place at different venues across DFW.

For its 23rd annual event, PUP Fest will feature six staged readings of jury-selected plays written by DFW high school students, featuring student actors directed by area professional directors. PUP Fest is the culminating event of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Dallas ISD and Junior Players. Performance location is TBA, but the event will happen June 7, 2025.

For more information, visit kitchendogtheater.org or call 214-953-1055.

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