Two by Two Sneak Peek

RSVP not required: You don't need a ticket to the gala to bid on the art at Twox Two

April Gornik “Forest Light.” 2009.  Charcoal on paper . 24 x 30 inches.Estimated retail value: $35,000.
Eva Rothschild “Why Don’t You.” 2012.  Aluminum ring, modrock, jesmonite,fibreglass, paint and lacquer . 45 1/4 x 45 1/4 x 3 1/2 inches. Estimated retailvalue: $28,800.
Josephine Meckseper/ Nancy Gonzalez . 2012.  Crocodile with suede lining, furtails and metal fixture, acrylic, fabric, and paper on canvas with metal chain. 23 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches. Estimated retail value: priceless.

You may never get a chance to attend Two by Two for AIDS and Art, the annual charitable event benefiting the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, or the First Look preview party. In its 13-year history, the gala and art auction has raised more than $35 million to support amfAR’s AIDS research initiatives and the contemporary art acquisition program at the DMA, making it the largest U.S. fundraiser for amfAR and the museum. The event is hosted by Cindy and Howard Rachofsky and draws big-deal donors, influencers and art collectors every year.

But now you don’t need an invitation to see – or acquire – the spectacular selection of works donated by renowned artists. The new Two by Two website includes an online catalogue of all artwork up for auction and gives collectors a chance to absentee bid – or, better yet, buy something they love on the spot. At the very least, you get to look, right?

As you cruise around the site, keep an eye out for Own It Now caricature icons next to key pieces selected by host and patron Howard Rachofsky; Jeffrey Grove, Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Dallas Museum of Art; and Allan Schwartzman, curator of the Rachofsky Collection. These three identified hidden gems and under-the-radar pieces available for sale starting October 15. Those that remain will be put in the live auction at the October 20 gala.

The new Two by Two website includes an online catalogue of all works and gives collectors a chance to absentee bid – or, better yet, buy something on the spot. At the very least, you get to look, right?

“With the new website linked to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Two x Two has a wider reach than ever,” said Cindy Rachofsky in a statement. “The amazing donation by our honored artist Richard Phillips, along with donations of over 140 works of art by renowned artists and dealers will make the 14th year of Two by Two for AIDS and Art another one for the record books.”

This year, Richard Phillips will receive amfAR’s 2012 Award of Excellence for Artistic Contributions to the Fight Against AIDS. Among the donating artists are Karla Black, whose show at the DMA opens October 19; Eva Rothschild, who has a show at the Nasher Sculpture Center starting October 19, and Tom Orr, whose works are on display at the Barry Whistler Gallery through October 13. Past Two by Two honorees April Gornik and Tom Friedman also contributed works for this year’s auction.

In addition, Two by Two has collaborated with famed accessories designer Nancy Gonzalez to create a series of signature handbags for the benefit auction. The organization commissioned 10 artists – including honoree Richard Phillips, Jenny Holzer, Will Cotton, former Two by Two honoree Jim Hodges and Josephine Meckseper – to customize matte white crocodile-skin totes, creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

A VIP preview of 47 works, along with the 10 artist handbags, takes place tonight, September 13, at Sotheby’s New York. The Rachofskys will be joined by Two by Two director Melissa Meeks; Amy Phelan, Two by Two event chair; honoree Richard Phillips; donating artists Chuck Webster and Ken Solomon; Dr. Maxwell L. Anderson, Eugene McDermott director at the DMA; Kiehl’s Since 1851 President Chris Salgardo; and 30 Rock’s Cheyenne Jackson.

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All Eyes on Them

Dallas alt hip-hop group wins prestigious Tiny Desk Contest by NPR

Cure for Paranoia/Facebook

As winners of the Tiny Desk Contest, Cure for Paranoia will record their own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour.

Few live recording studios or musical web series have the cultural sway of NPR's Tiny Desk, and a Dallas band is poised to make an impactful debut: Cure For Paranoia, an alternative hip-hop project by rapper Cameron McCloud and producers Tomahawk Jonez and Jay Analo, has won the high-stakes annual Tiny Desk Contest for 2026.

They'll record their official Tiny Desk show "soon," the announcement by NPR says.

Winning the concert also means Cure for Paranoia is going on tour. The only Texas stop will be at Emo's Austin on June 24.

Tiny Desk is known for platforming both niche and majorly successful artists — NPR posted a new Foo Fighters set on YouTube on May 13 — for stripped-down sets that are literally played behind former All Things Considered director Bob Boilen's old desk. (Fun fact for Texans: Tiny Desk was created because folk artist Laura Gibson was disappointed with the sound at her South by Southwest show in Austin in 2008, and she wanted a redo.)

Most artists who appear on Tiny Desk more than 15 years later are already well-known, at least in their specific circles. But the Tiny Desk Contest, which launched in 2015, helps a growing group of newer, unsigned artists get their foot in the door. Contestants record one video of them performing a single song behind a desk, and a jury of radio staff and musicians chooses their favorite.

In their audition video, Cure for Paranoia gathered 11 musicians around a truly tiny desk and in front of downtown Dallas' iconic gigantic eyeball sculpture. They played the song "No Brainer," a frenetic track that starts with clever boasts and becomes a criticism of racism in the United States.

McCloud, a pre-school teacher, is known independently of Cure for Paranoia for rapping to his social media following about politics and current events. Some of those lyrics made it into "No Brainer." He says he started the group because he found that music was more helpful than medication for coping with bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia.

Alex Marrero, host of the Austin-based KUTX show Horizontes, was one of the judges this year. He was impressed with the visuals in Cure for Paranoia's audition.

“When this popped up, I immediately felt something different," he wrote in a blurb for the announcement. "It just jumped out. The visuals were super cool and creative, BUT I could still totally envision them bringing the heat behind the Desk.”

Madison McFerrin, jazz vocalist and daughter of the famous singer Bobby McFerrin, was one of the musical judges.

"Cure For Paranoia’s energy is infectious, fresh and distinctly theirs — exactly what you want in a Contest winner!" she wrote.

McCloud's post on Instagram announcing the group's win has only been up for three hours at the time of this article's publication, and it already has more than 8,000 likes. The YouTube audition has garnered 74,000 views.

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