Spring is upon us, so it is merely a moment before your social calendar is packed to the gills with essential events. Before you fill your diary, please pencil in April 10, 2015, for MTV RE:DEFINE at the Goss-Michael Foundation.
Four years in, there’s no doubt it’s a fundraising powerhouse for AIDS research, with nearly $4 million to date benefiting the MTV Staying Alive Foundation.
Easily accessible by the purchase of an all-access DalPass 2015 (which also includes entrance to such tony events as the Art Ball after-party and the Dallas Art Fair opening soiree), MTV RE:DEFINE is a particularly energetic highlight of a very exciting week.
To simplify things, we’ve picked five reasons why this is a must-see, can’t-miss, gotta-go-there, choose-your-outfit-now occasion:
1. The Return to Goss-Michael
There’s no place like home. Although raucous and revered in its guest jaunt at the Dallas Contemporary last year, MTV RE:DEFINE belongs right where it started, at the Goss-Michael Foundation. “We’re going back to the original feel of the event and making it a more intimate affair,” says Goss-Michael curator Kevin Rubén Jacobs. “Last year we raised a lot of money with over 100 works, and we’re looking to raise even more with a smaller amount — 60 or 70 works.”
In other words: all killer, no filler. Dapper Paddle8 founder and auctioneer Alexander Gilkes will return for his second year of charming repartee.
2. The Honoree Artist
To call Michael Craig-Martin a legend wouldn’t be an inaccurate statement. The godfather of British contemporary art, we have him to thank for the likes of Sarah Lucas, Damien Hirst and Gary Hume, to name but a few.
During his time as a tutor at Goldsmiths College in the ’80s, he singlehandedly paved the way for what we now know as the YBA (Young British Artist) generation. Famed for his hyper-colored digital portraits, Craig-Martin’s work can be seen at the Tate London, the Modern Museum of Art in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou.
While in Dallas, he’ll be launching his new memoir/instructional guide On Being An Artist, a tome of which no Dallas talent should resist nabbing a signed copy.
3. That Host Committee
Supermodels, super entrepreneurs and super collectors are just the start. From art-world movers and shakers to chic boutique owners to elegant editrixes to up-and-coming gallerists, really anyone in the city you’d want to schmooze with is present and accounted for in the nearly 200-strong list of hosts. The only question is, are you ready to join them?
In addition to Dallas’ best and brightest, art chair Elisabeth Karpidas, director of one of the most comprehensive collections of contemporary art in the world and the daughter-in-law of supernova art patron Pauline Karpidas, will be on hand to lend a supportive yet critical eye. The stylish Schlegel sisters — Kari, Krystal and Kimberly — are co-chairing the event.
4. The Covetable Art
Ever felt like getting up close and personal with art by Julian Schnabel, Dan Colen, Loris Gréaud, Richard Phillips, David Salle and Nate Lowman? A well-curated contemporary museum or gallery might help you achieve this goal, but RE:DEFINE allows a greater opportunity to view pieces by these artists and actually take one home — not to mention well-curated works by Donald Baechler, Zoe Crosher, Dzine, Ian Davenport, Phil Collins, Ryan Gander, Rachel Howard, Jason Michael Lee, Richard Patterson, Michael Rey, Adriana Varejao and Aaron Young.
5. The Public Works
Although artist Ben Eine adorned the city during the 2011 RE:DEFINE, this year’s event brings a much more expansive approach to street art, transforming walls by the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Contemporary and Le Bilboquet with Craig-Martin’s work. Timed to coincide with both the event and the Dallas Symphony’s Soluna Festival, the 10 pieces will be RE:DEFINE and Craig-Martin’s gift to the city, and they should be up through May.
Michael Craig-Martin is the honored artist at this year's RE:DEFINE.
Cliburn Junior 2023 winner Seokyoung Hong (center) with second-place Yifan Wu (left), and third-place Jan Schulmeister. Photo by Ralph Lauer 
Clayton Stephenson competed in the 2015 Cliburn Junior Competition and returned for the 2022 Cliburn International Competition, where he was a finalist. Photo courtesy of The Cliburn 
Italian pianist and Cliburn alum Alessandro Deljavan will serve on the jury. Photo courtesy of Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth 