More New Gallery Spaces Set To Open And We Can Now Prove That One Local Arts Fixture Is A Genius.

Welcome to Canvassing, our weekly look at the conversations that surround the Dallas art world. Pull up a chair. Stay with us for a while. The view's pretty nice from here.

Houston artist Rick Lowe tells Canvassing that he received a text from Tom Finkelpearl, the cultural affairs commissioner for New York City at 12:05 a.m. on Wednesday morning, telling him to brace himself.

At first, Lowe didn't know what Finkelpearl meant. Then another barrage of congratulatory text messages started pouring in, one after the other, from people all over the country.

“At first, it was East Coast people, and then West Coast people,” says Lowe. “And it did not stop until 3 a.m.”

Turns out Lowe had just been announced in the 2014 class of MacArthur Fellows. Colloquially known known as “The Genius Award,” the distinction, one of the highest honors a creative can achieve, comes with a $625,000 grant paid to its recipients over a five-year period. The best part is that it's all unrestricted money — funds that can be used however the fellow so chooses.

I've had the privilege of working with closely with Lowe over the past year and half as part of the Trans.lation:Vickery Meadow project that aims to highlight and increase the strengths of that North Dallas neighborhood as a hub for creatives, and there is no one that I know who is more deserving of this honor.

Congratulations, sir!

Elsewhere in area art news, the slew of new gallery spaces coming to town continues this week. Last week, you may recall, brought with it the first forays of both Cydonia and Erin Cluely Gallery, each of each impressed with their debuts. (For more perspective on these two spaces in particular, check out Lauren Smart’s review on these first shows in the Dallas Observer.)

This week, meanwhile, Lab Art Gallery and Midway Gallery will each host their own inaugural exhibitions. Lab Art Gallery comes to us by way of Los Angeles and specializes in street art. On the other hand, Midway Gallery, which is run by Lily Taylor and Sean Miller, has been displaying video art in its window throughout the summer and will use this show featuring work by Thor Johnson and curated by THRWD's Lee Escobedo as its first time utilizing the interior of the space.

Finally, this is another great weekend to see art and catch up on shows that you might have missed. The Dallas Arts District Fall Block Party will give you an opportunity to view every museum show for free on Friday — and in a festive atmosphere, no less. Also, the Dallas Art Dealers Association Fall Art Walk and the Deep Ellum Fall Art Walk will both occur on Saturday. Only have the time to check out a couple shows in Deep Ellum? I recommend the ones current up and running at The Public Trust, WAAS Gallery and Kettle Art for some of the best exhibitions of street art I've seen in recent memory.

Without further ado, here are this week's openings.

This Week's Openings and Happenings of Note.

THURSDAY.
Grand Opening at Lab Art from 7 p.m to 10 p.m.
“HOMETOWN ARTISTS: An Interview between Christopher Blay and Anthony Mariani” at University of Texas at Dallas' Centraltrak at 7 p.m.
“Exclusive Preview of Art 21” presented by The Goss Michael Foundation at Texas Theater from 7 p.m. to midnight.
“A City Under The Influence” presented by Creating Our Future, D Magazine, Fashion Art Network and Darryl Ratcliff at Ash Studios from 8 p.m. to midnight.

FRIDAY.
Dallas Arts District Fall Block Party from 6 p.m. to midnight.
“Two Story” by Frank Mosley and Lee Luna at The Safe Room from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“Fair Game” by Thor Johnson at Midway Gallery from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

SATURDAY.
DADA Fall Gallery Walk from noon to 8 p.m.
Deep Ellum Fall Gallery Walk from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Grand Opening at Modartists Gallery from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Midtown Art Walk at Gallery at Midtown from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“A Transfer of Spirit” at Kirk Hopper Fine Art from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
“Actually” by Patrick Romeo at Beefhaus from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Cover photo of Rick Lowe courtesy of Trans.lation Vickery Meadow.

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