Beauty from Blight

9th Nasher Xchange project will transform East Oak Cliff rubble into art

As the Nasher Sculpture Center has revealed its projects for the upcoming 10th anniversary Xchange program, an important theme has emerged: This public arts initiative aims to help Dallas communities.

That's once again the case with the ninth project, a sculpture titled Buried House by Spanish artist Lara Almarcegui that will be made out of the remains of a demolished house in the Oak Cliff Gardens neighborhood in East Oak Cliff.

Artist Lara Almarcegui is working in conjunction with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.

The Nasher and Almarcegui are working in conjunction with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity on the project. The house, at the corner of Exeter Avenue and Calder Street, was one that was already scheduled to be demolished.

Following the demolition, which started Monday morning, Almarcegui intends to bury the house on the site where it sits, allowing residents and visitors a chance to reflect on what was and on what the future may bring.

Almarcegui has done similar works around the world, focusing on vacant or abandoned areas in urban spaces that will inevitably change. In a statement, Almarcegui says she hopes the sculpture is one of inspiration, not of blight.

“This project is a sculptural work that is about the construction that used to stand, the history of the house and how it was erected,” Almarcegui said. “However, it’s not just about the house, but about the past of the terrain and the future of the terrain. It is a work about construction and urban development.”

Once the Xchange program ends February 16, 2014, Habitat for Humanity, which owns the land, will decide what to do with the property. This will be the ninth home in the neighborhood that Habitat has torn down in East Oak Cliff; they have built or plan to build homes on the eight others, so it's likely the same will happen here.

Almarcegui's sculpture joins the eight other Nasher Xchange pieces already announced, including ones from Ruben Ochoa, Rick Lowe, Ugo Rondinone, Liz Larner, Alfredo Jaar, the Good/Bad Art Collective, Vicki Meek and Charles Long. One final project will be announced soon.

Demolition on the house started on August 26; the project will be finished with the Xchange program starts on October 19.

Photo by Alex Bentley

Demolition on the house started on August 26; the project will be finished with the Xchange program starts on October 19.

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Art for all

Dallas’ Katy Trail will debut new public art biennial in 2027

The Katy Trail/Facebook

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Dallas' most popular jogging trails will fill with art next year: A new contemporary public art biennial called KTX Biennial will debut in spring 2027 along Dallas’ Katy Trail.

"The KTX Biennial marks Texas’ first biennial of its kind dedicated to public art and provides an open-air platform for engaging with ambitious contemporary artworks, free and accessible to all," says a release.

Organized by Friends of the Katy Trail executive director Amy Bean and Katy Trail art director Amanda Dillard Shufeldt, the inaugural event will invite New York-based curator Jovanna Venegas to organize a display of nearly a dozen existing and newly commissioned works by living artists from across the world. Venegas, the curator at SculptureCenter, has an international reputation for exhibiting and commissioning major works by living artists.

The Dallas presentation will span the 3.5-mile former railroad corridor running through Dallas’ Uptown, Knox, and Highland Park neighborhoods, which attracts 2 million annual visitors, they say. Artworks will be thoughtfully integrated into the trail’s natural environment, organizers say.

"Building on the Katy Trail’s existing public art program - which has featured work from the likes of Iván Argote, Eddie Martinez, Will Boone, Nic Nicosia, Carolyn Salas, and more - the Biennial thoughtfully integrates art into its natural environment, creates new avenues for discovery for local and national audiences, and fortifies Dallas’ standing as an international art destination," the release says.

Beyond the artworks that fill the trails, the event will include educational programs, public activities, panel conversations, and partnerships with local institutions and organizations, organizers say.

“The KTX Biennial grows directly out of our belief that the Katy Trail belongs to everyone," says Bean in the release. "By bringing ambitious contemporary art into an open-air setting, free and accessible to all, we are inviting both longtime visitors and first-time audiences to experience the Trail in an entirely new way. This Biennial strengthens the Trail’s role not only as a place for recreation, but also as a space for creativity, reflection, and shared discovery."

The inaugural KTX Biennial will open in spring 2027 and will be free and open to the public.

arts art festival sculptures gallery museums katy trail