Art Scene

Hipsters, hippies and artists flock to eighth annual Art Conspiracy

Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Attendees admired the works of art before the auctions began.

Photo by Robert Bostick
Live auction action.

Photo by Robert Bostick
Girls Rock Dallas performed as the opening act at Art Con.

Photo by Robert Bostick
Guests lined up at food trucks.

Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Guest got creative with drawings on the Art & Seek chalkboard.

Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick

We spotted a crowd of hipsters, hippies, artists and super cool dudes during the eighth annual Art Con. The scenesters' dream took place at a warehouse on Dragon Street in the Design District.

The art- and music-filled fete supports Art Conspiracy, a nonprofit that funds other art-focused organizations. But this year's event raised money for Girls Rock Dallas — a camp to empower women through music — and W.T. White Academy for Visual and Performing Arts ceramics program.

A week before Art Con, more than 120 local artists (chosen through a lottery system) came together to create masterpieces on an 18-by-18-inch plywood board for the night of live auctions.

After anticipating the main attraction — and waiting in the entrance line — guests including Chad Houser, Kristen DeRocha, Rachael Cole, Alvah and Meadow Stahlneckeon, Angela and John Rawlings, and Roksolana Karma indulged in beer, music and a whole lot of art.

Outside, food trucks such as Nammi, The Butcher's Son and Cajun Tailgaters sated the palates of bidders hungry from the pandemonium of the packed space and loud bidding.

Inside, the hipster-chic and funky folk got close to the art — for viewing and admiring — before the bidding began. Artists who didn't get to make a piece for the auction still had the opportunity to get creative on the giant chalkboard named Art & Seek.

Throughout the night, three local bands — Blackstone Rangers, Daniel Hart and Burning Hotels — performed as attendees flooded the space and soaked in the excitement of the night.

If this is what executive directors Erik Glissmann and Todd Macaulay and board president Cari Weinberg call a conspiracy, we totally buy into it.

unspecified

all-time high

Idina Menzel helps Dallas Symphony Gala defy gravity and raise $1.3M

Photo by Celeste Cass

Allison Brodnax, Brett Brodnax

WHAT: 2026 Dallas Symphony Orchestra Symphony Gala

WHERE: Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

THE 411: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s annual black-tie gala - led by chairs Allison and Brett Brodnax and honorary chairs Linda L. Burk and John R. Gilmore - raised a record $1.3 million to support music education, community engagement, and artistic initiatives across North Texas.

More than 550 guests attended the sold-out dinner on September 26, held beneath a canopy of gold branches in the Meyerson lobby and themed “Harvest Rhapsody.”

The evening began with a cocktail reception, and continued with dinner and the main event - a gala concert featuring Broadway star Idina Menzel with the DSO.

Conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez, the concert featured Menzel singing favorites from Rent, Wicked, and Frozen. In a sweet moment, she invited three young girls from the audience onstage to sing with her. An appropriate gesture as the gala supports DSO programs that bring music to more than 200,000 adults and children annually.

A post-concert after-party kept the energy up for those who weren't quite ready to end the celebrations yet.

WHO: Isabelle Haemisegger, David Haemisegger, Nancy Nasher, Roger Gault, Marena Gault, Sherwood Wagner, Todd Clendening, Laura Harris-Means, Patrick Means, Lisa Segert, Bob Segert, Donna Weitzman, Herb Weitzman, Jennifer Perez, Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart, Grace Cook, Jane Montgomery, Michael Catrino, Claire Catrino, Meredith Camp, Cyndi Phelps, Denise Do, Steve Do, Karen Cox, Kevin Cox, Calvert Collins-Bratton, Vince Bratton, and hundreds more DSO patrons and guests.

Photo by Celeste Cass

Allison Brodnax, Brett Brodnax

dallas symphony orchestra dso gala galas