Blank Slate.

The Dallas Zoo Is Seeking A Friend For Its Giraffe Statue.

Welcome to Blank Slate, our weekly rundown of the happenings in the art world of Dallas, which, as it happens, does exist. Need to seem super intellectual and deep on that first date? Want to rub elbows with the popular gallery directors around town? Or maybe you just genuinely enjoy following the local art scene? Whatever the reason, this is your stop for quick and dirty art news.

OK, so the good ol' U.S. of A just got eliminated from its World Cup run, which probably means that, for many of you, your interest in soccer dwindled to near nothingness following a night of post-loss drinking. But try and hold onto that interest at least a little while longer: Tonight, Kettle Art is holding its opening reception for former FC Dallas player Brek Shea's art exhibit, with proceeds going to the Cancer Support Community of North Texas. Drop by the gallery at 6 p.m. today with 10 bucks, and you're in.

And, hey, make a night of it, even: The similarly Deep Ellum-set Capital L Arts and Entertainment will also open a solo exhibit with an interesting premise this evening, starting at 7 p.m. The show, called “Fifty for Fifty,” will display 50 works created by Capital L owner Migl Barajas. Barajas challenged himself with the pieces, giving himself a time constraint of 50 total hours to create all the works. Oh, and each piece is selling for $50, so there's that. And, in keeping with the cost-effective theme, the show is free to attend.

Meanwhile, later on in the weekend, over at RE Gallery on Saturday, a solo show by Colby Currie, a recent University of North Texas MFA scholar, will kick off its opening reception at 7 p.m. The show is called “found surfaces” and contains work made of found materials that Currie encountered in everyday life.

On this slow art weekend, those are your go-to events.

But the biggest art news of the week? It's probably this: The City of Dallas' Office of Cultural Affairs just now sent out a call for submissions for a new art installation that's meant to join the giraffe statue — the tallest statue in Texas, mind you — near the entrance of the Dallas Zoo.

The total budget for the installation? A whopping $262,000, according to the release. Of course, there are stipulations. Taken from the announce statement, verbatim:

• Artwork should include visual references to the Zoo and Zoo wildlife.
• Artwork must support the Dallas Zoo’s mission: “Inspiring Passion for Nature and Conserving Wildlife.”
• This location will serve as a gateway to the Dallas Zoo and the artwork design should reflect this.
• Artwork should welcome visitors to the Zoo.
• Artwork should serve as a “way-finding” element to alert visitors to the entrance to the Zoo.
• Artwork must complement the existing artwork at the site. The giraffe has served as the defining image of the Zoo for many years and will continue to a be prominent icon for the Dallas Zoo.
• Artwork must be highly visible in the landscape.
• Movement and interactive qualities can be considered.
• Due to the overall topography around the proposed location, land form elements are of interest.
• Artwork must require little or no maintenance free of safety hazards.
• The size of the site is 150ft X 100ft.
• There are no height restrictions in this location.

The proposed site for this new piece will be near the Zoo's entrance at South Marsalis and RL Thornton. Drawings and renderings of potential concepts are to be submitted through this site by August 8. Chosen submissions will then be given $3,000 to further conceive their proposals, which will then be further whittled down until a winning idea is selected and, eventually, built.

Sounds like a nice deal, right? Sure.

Plus, it's for animals!

Cover image via the Dallas Zoo's Facebook page. Got a tip for Blank Slate? Email us!