Wednesday, December 1, 2021

WHO NEEDS SLEEP Returns For Fifth Year

This 36-Hour Telethon aims to raise money for cancer fighters on Sat., Dec. 4, 2021 and to entertain and inform audiences. The telethon begins Saturday, December 4 at 8:00 am CT and will be broadcast live at WhoNeedsSleep.org, and VokalNow.com.

WHO NEEDS SLEEP mixes live music and comedy performances, game shows, celebrity and athlete interviews, and special in-studio surprises. Viewers are urged to pledge money through donations over the course of the telethon, as well as bidding on unique sports and pop culture auction items.

Proceeds from the 2021 campaign will benefit the hematology and oncology wards of Cook Children’s Hospital of Fort Worth.

“Cook Children’s is honored and grateful to be a beneficiary of this event. Funds raised through WHO NEEDS SLEEP are helping us provide the best care to the patients in our Hematology and Oncology Program. Without the support of our community, we would not be able to provide leading-edge clinical research and additional resources to help families during their Cook Children’s journey,” said Grant Harris, Chief Development Officer / Senior Vice President of Cook Children’s Health Foundation.

The telethon will be produced live at Music City Mall in Lewisville, which will also be holding their Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and the arrival of Santa Claus during the livecast. “Last year, though we were broadcasting in a ‘bubble’ during the pandemic, we still loved being at Music City Mall during the event – the holiday spirit truly lent an added level of excitement,” said Executive Director Devin Pike, who will be on-air through the entirety of WHO NEEDS SLEEP, with a revolving cast of co-hosts.

The telethon is produced by the Who Needs Sleep Foundation, a 501(c)3 registered organization solely tasked with raising and distributing funds to cancer-fighting individuals and organizations.

Photo credit: “Who Needs Sleep Foundation”

Monday, November 22, 2021

Score Unique Gifts at the Happy Holidays Pop-Up Shop

Support local artisans by shopping for your holiday gifts from the Happy Holidays Pop-Up Shop in Pantego.

Want to get away from mass produced big box store offerings for the recipients of your gift list? Then come out to the Happy Holidays Pop-Up Shop in Pantego at Simply Divune Cafe. Support local artisans while whittling down that holiday list of yours. When you shop, you might even find a treasured treat for yourself.

Happy Holidays Pop-Up Shop offers a unique shopping experience. Handcrafted, many one-of-a-kind creations, by about a dozen local artisans, will fill the private room of Simply Divune Café. A wide range of fabulous finds, including ceramics, upcycled decor, framed and unframed art, jewelry, Christmas decorations, handmade candles and more will appeal to you and the people on your gift list.

Find all of this in the Village Park Shopping Center at Simply Divune Café, 2230 W Park Row Dr, Pantego, TX 76013.

On Saturday, November 27 from 9am-3pm, get a preview of some of the hand crafted goodies that will fill the Happy Holidays Pop-Up Shop this year. Even though Small Business Saturday is a preview day, these unique creations will be for sale too, so pop in and purchase anything that catches your eye since many of our items are one or few-of-a-kind finds.

Happy Holidays Pop-Up Shop will be fully stocked and open beginning at 10am on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 and will be open for your shopping pleasure through Thursday, December 23. Shop hours will be: Monday 10am-2pm, Tuesday - Thursday: 10am - 5 pm, Friday - Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm, Sunday: 1pm-5pm

“Every year I am amazed at the variety of the new wares the participating artisans bring to this holiday pop-up. You never know what remarkable find awaits to be discovered,” states Cathy Stein, one of the artists and coordinator of this event through 817 Arts Alliance.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Pegasus Media Project Provides One-of-a-Kind Career On-Ramp to Dallas’ Aspiring Film Artists

A new apprenticeship program, in partnership with The Alliance of Media Arts + Culture and Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, provides a direct career merge for young adults from underserved communities.

When Joey Lee graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication, he felt excited about his future. He had created a portfolio of his strongest work and started to look for work in the advertising industry. Unfortunately, the work never came along with COVID. Ultimately, Lee returned home and to the unfulfilling job he had left prior to attending college.

“I was kind of lost, stuck,” Lee says. “It’s funny. I had just started thinking to myself that maybe the film industry was something I wanted to get into, just because I like writing and telling different stories.” That’s when Lee heard about Pegasus Media Project, and he applied on the spot. The first program of its kind offered in Dallas and, in fact, in the nation, the Pegasus Media Project apprenticeship program is designed to give young adults like Lee a pathway into the film and media arts industry.

While Dallas-Fort Worth boasts the state’s largest creative economy at $34 billion and over 200,000 jobs, pathways to those careers were built on a culture of unpaid internships. “But even with paid apprenticeships available, many people still need an on-ramp to qualify for them,” says Wendy Levy, Executive Director of The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, the national program sponsor for Arts2Work.

In the spring of 2021, Arts2Work, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas and Pegasus Media Project partnered to provide access to creative careers to people traditionally excluded from those opportunities. Apprentice Caodan Tran is one of those individuals. “Being Vietnamese-American, I wish I had seen more stories like mine growing up,” she said. “This is something I’ve always wanted access to. I just didn’t know how to get there besides going back to school.”

In launching the program, Arts2Work partners MIT Solve, New Profit, the Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas and Adobe provided a $250,000 cash and in-kind investment in the Dallas pilot program, seeding Pegasus Media Project as a certified Arts2Work Training Center. The equipment and infrastructure have been vital to a program serving Dallas’ most underrepresented and underserved communities. Over 15 weeks, film educators, teachers and mentors working in the industry not only trained apprentices in equipment use and technique but quickly set them up to begin telling their own visual stories.

Lee’s mentor, Dallas filmmaker Jake Hochendoner, says he leaped at the opportunity to work with the apprentices. “I had mentors early on who helped me get to where I am today,” said Hochendoner. “Without those mentors, I would have probably struggled to find myself, find my place, find my voice and be validated as an artist.”

As part of their on-the-job training, Pegasus Media Project apprentices also made films for local performing arts groups, working together telling powerful stories to bring Dallas audiences back to theaters again. “We want to provide avenues for becoming an individual entrepreneur but also to have the option to hyper-focus on one skill and move into the workforce,” said Daniel Laabs, an independent Dallas filmmaker and lead mentor. “We want to give them as many options as possible and make them as hire-able as possible.”

Having completed the program, Lee says the experience has been meaningful for him and he hopes it will be a springboard to new opportunities for him.

“This program has blown me away,” said Tran, who said the skills she learned through the program felt like the missing link for her. “I have been so grateful.”

Photo Credit: PegasusMediaProject, Xenia Matthews, apprentice, on location shoot at Sate Fair of Texas, photo by Niloo Jalilvand

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Call for Artists from Create Arlington - Deadline Nov. 28, 2021

With the theme of Gratitude, Create Arlington is asking the artists to tell them what the exhibit will look like. ARtists can submit anything that they feel speaks to the subject of showing appreciation and being thankful. Is it possible to maintain this outlook during difficult times? How does a thankful heart change a person or even transform a community? Is there a specific aspect of gratitude you want to explore, unpack, deconstruct, blow up, or rearrange?

They are accepting art that covers a broad spectrum of media from traditional materials to small installation, to multimedia (such as video), poetry, short stories, music and beyond. Create Arlington is grateful for the many successes within their community this year, and would like to see how it’s expressed in the gallery for the end of the year. For all the submission details, click here.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Lumedia Musicworks premieres ‘Don’t Look Back’ on October 28, 2021

Classical sitarist Vatsal Dave of Flower Mound joins the Lumedia Musicworks ensemble on the soundtrack of the Dallas-based early music ensemble’s short film, “Don’t Look Back.” The film is directed by Derrick Robert Brown of Dallas and will premiere at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, at event1013 in Plano, and will be available online Nov. 5.

The music interweaves the Cantigas de Santa Maria and a saltarello, songs and dances from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Tickets are $27-$75 and are available online. Student tickets are $10.

“It merges the music of two cultures and plunges into the underworld,” said Julianna Emanski of Frisco, Lumedia’s artistic director and a Grammy nominee. “We’ve timed the release of this particular film right before Halloween since it fits the season so well. Our mission is to showcase early music in innovative ways.”

Originally from India, Dave is best known for playing Hindustani classical music from northern India. He has several albums, including Lone Star Sitar, a world music fusion effort in collaboration with Grammy Award winner Art Greenhaw.

“Don’t Look Back” will be available online beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5. It’s available at no charge.

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Timeless Concerts to Perform "Germany to Austria" Concert November 13, 2021

Timeless Concerts performers are looking forward to their next concert, Germany to Austria, at 8 pm. on Nov. 13, 2021. They will be in Fort Worth this time, at the Holt Hickman Center which is about 10 minutes south of downtown Ft Worth, just off 287.

Travel through time to the elegant era of the Viennese waltz, as Timeless Concerts musicians accompany experts dancing the waltz. A beautiful romantic piano quartet by Robert Fuchs, Hungarian Dances by Brahms, plus songs of Strauss, Mozart and Lehar (known for his opera "Merry Widow") will follow. They will end the concert with songs from the beloved musical, "Sound of Music", set in Austria. Post-concert, enjoy giving pianist Erik Barnes your requests. Complimentary wine, soft drinks and snacks will be available. Concert performers will be violinist LeeAnne Chenoweth, violist Tim Angel, cellist Oliver Schlaffer, pianist Heejung Kang, soprano Sabrina Romero Wilson and tenor Sergio Cepeda.

Tickets are on sale now. Seating will be assigned in order of date/time of purchase. A full table at this location seats 10. If a group wishes to sit together have someone buy the tickets together as a group, or send a message about whose table you would like to join well in advance of the concert.

Perhaps "business casual" would be a good description for suggested attire. There really are no rules; some dress up more, some dress down, it's your choice!

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Timeless Concerts Presents - From France to Argentina

From France to Argentina!
Saturday, September 25, 8 pm
Rose Garden Tea Room, 4720 South Cooper Street, Arlington, TX

Bizet's opera "Carmen" will be a significant portion of this performance by Timeless Concerts, as Dr. Tim Angel, violinist, will perform the virtuosic and entertaining "Carmen Fantasy" by Pablo de Sarasate. Tenor Sergio Cepeda and mezzo soprano Rachel Moon will perform arias from the famously flirtatious opera Carmen, as well as French art songs. The trio of pianist Heejung Kang, cellist Oliver Schlaffer and violinist LeeAnne Chenoweth will accompany the Carmen pieces as well as perform tangos of Astor Piazzolla.

Complimentary desserts will be included, wine and soft drinks will be available. Table seating for up to 8.

General admission is $35, seniors 60+ are $30, college students are $15 and one youth age 11-17 is free with one paying adult.

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Call for Art to be Hung in Downtown Arlington Gallery



The gallery at Create Arlington is accepting artist submissions for their next show, Color Abstractions. Their gallery caters to a diverse and engaged audience within the growing North Texas region. Create Arlington is an easy walk from the Arlington Museum of Art, Theatre Arlington, the Levitt Pavilion, the University of Arlington, and several popular restaurants and bars. The gallery is an active art space with frequent visitors throughout the week.

The Color Abstractions theme is a broad invitation to explore interesting or unexpected uses of color in your art, in whatever form that may take. It may be a particular color motif or a significant pop of color that appears in your work. Perhaps you want to go bold and present a prismatic explosion on your canvas. The theme is yours to interpret.

Saturday, June 19, 2021

London to Dublin! Music Concert from Timeless Concerts, Saturday July 17, 8 pm

July 17 will be Timeless Concerts' first performance at the Lake House by Lake Arlington. It's hot in the summer. Dress as casually as you wish...shorts, sundresses, athletic wear, be comfortable. The performers will not be in formal wear this time.

From the beautiful compositions of great composers of England and Ireland, to the jigs of the countryside, you will be entertained by the music presented. As always, Timeless Concerts will feature music by composers well-known from the countries highlighted (Holst, Vaughn-Williams and Andrew Lloyd Webber) but also a few new discoveries (Vincent Kennedy and Thomas Dunhill). One of our featured works will be a chamber music version of the ethereal "Lark Ascending", by Vaughn-Williams, based on the poem of the same name by George Meredith.

Performing for you will be violinist LeeAnne Chenoweth, violinist/violist Tim Angel, pianist Erik Barnes, tenor Don O'Neal LeBlanc, soprano Sabrina Romero-Wilson, and cellist Jim Higgins. Table seating (for up to 8) is available with complimentary wine, soft drinks and dessert plates. BYOB is allowed.

Tickets: Table seating $35 general, $30 senior 60+, college $15, youth age 11-17 are free (one youth per one paying adult).

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

30 Americans Art Exhibit is Presented by the Arlington Museum of Art

The Arlington Museum of Art is proud to announce it’s exhibition for the summerof 2021, 30 Americans. This will be the second exhibition that the AMA has received from the renowned Rubell Museum (the first being Keith Haring: Against All Odds, one of the most successful exhibits in AMA’s history). 30 Americans showcases works by 30 emerging and established African American artists of the last three decades.

“The second collaboration with the Rubell Museum in Miami, solidifies our relationship and allowsus to bring important art to the North Texas region. The exhibit will push the limits of our space and returning visitors will be surprised by the scale and scope of the exhibit while introducing them to new galleries. Including a variety of styles and a broad array of visual art, there's something for everyone in this exhibit. We decided to bring this exhibit to Arlington to provide more individual access to art that will inspire and engage ever growing audiences” says AMA Board President Dr. Christopher Hightower.

This acclaimed exhibition focuses on issues of race, sexuality, gender and historical identity in contemporary culture while exploring the powerful influence of artistic legacy and community across generations. Curated by the Rubell Museum, the exhibit includes works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mickalene Thomas, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, and Kehinde Wiley. The exhibition features works from a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation. While some works probe the notion of racial and social difference in a candid manner, others evoke universal concepts and emotions using a sophisticated blend of visual beauty, humor, and irony.

“This is an important exhibit that will undoubtedly spark conversation about race in America. It comes at a time when race and social justice issues are at the top of people's minds on a day to day basis. We are proud to present this profound exhibit that highlights the most important African-American artists since 1990” says 30 Americans Committee Chair and CEO for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Tonya Veasey.

Mera Rubell, of the Rubell Museum, states that “30 Americans is a celebration of the artists we collected over a 30 year period and their work never stops addressing the common humanity in all of us. The Keith Haring exhibition was the first of our collaborations with the Arlington Museum of Art and now we are excited to continue with 30 Americans." Likewise, the AMA is thrilled to continue their relationship with the Rubell and bring this remarkable exhibit to DFW.

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Virtual Dance Event - At the Edge of Reality

AT THE EDGE OF REALITY is a virtual dance event collaboratively created by dance faculty and student choreographers. Inspiration is drawn from folklore, urban legends, and the more unsettling sides of human nature. Each dance work is created, performed, and filmed in a variety of settings to emphasize our unique connections to place and environment.

AT THE EDGE OF REALITY will be streamed via Video On Demand from April 30 – May 2, 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. To purchase the Video On Demand rental, please visit our virtual Box Office.

Sunday, April 11, 2021

DIG - A World Premier Play by Natalie Gaupp presented via Video on Demand

The University of Texas at Arlington’s Maverick Theatre Company presents the world premiere of the original work DIG written by UTA’s playwright-in-residence, Dr. Natalie Gaupp as a part of the Theatre Arts Teaching Lab.

DIG follows the story of the Dewitt brothers, two young men who despise each other. Young attorney Victor has had their small-town home in his rearview mirror for years, pursuing his career in a metropolitan city. Eliot has become a virtual recluse caring for their mother, Lina, who is staging with Alzheimer’s. But now Vic’s back, prompted by a disturbing call from a neighbor. Vic is set to interrogate his brother about the present situation, but Eliot has his own slate of questions about the past. Even Lina has an agenda. She’s out in the back lot. Digging. Morning ‘til night. And she’s just about to uncover the answers her sons are looking for, whether they’re ready—or not.

DIG will be streamed via Video On Demand from April 16-18, 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. To purchase the Video On Demand rental, please visit their virtual Box Office.

Adult Language and Subject Matter