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Ricardo Paniagua Bids Dallas Adieu and The Kimbell Art Museum Scores Quite The Coup.

Welcome to Blank Slate, our weekly rundown of the happenings in the art world of North Texas, 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.

This week in the Dallas art world is a bit of a bittersweet one.

Ricardo Paniagua, a Dallas native and fixture of the local contemporary arts scene for the past decade, will be having an opening reception for his solo exhibit, “Ricardo Paniagua-Retrospective: 2004-2014” at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Latino Cultural Center in Deep Ellum. It will function as a sort of homage to Paniagua, who will be moving away from Dallas to Cleburne.

Paniagua is known for many things — the most absurd dreadlock hairstyles, wearing pants backwards, the formerly foam party-like exterior paint job on the building now leased by Baker's Ribs and his “art car” that seems to have been perpetually parked outside of the Continental Gin Building, among others. But, most of all, he's known for his highly geometric painting and sculpture work — something he calls “spiritually technological.”

As for why he's moving? Well, the reasons are somewhat obscured, even to him.

“I'm not sure why I'm relocating,” he says. “It might be true that things happen for reasons beyond our comprehension, but I'm blowing in the wind in life and feel OK with it.”

Worry not: Paniagua has more shows planned to go down in Dallas in the future. He's just not sure when, which is kind of fitting.

Over at the University of Texas at Dallas, the cavernous creative confines of the UTD Art Barn seem to have dodged the bullet of destruction — for now. The space has been on the chopping block ever since the school's new Arts and Technology Building was built on the campus. But while the new building definitely puts more emphasis on the technological side of art, it definitely lacks fine art imperatives such as adequate space for sculpture or printmaking.

Speaking of things that are big: You big-name art appreciators out there should know that there's going to be quite the art loan going on at the Kimbell Art Museum in March of next year. The collection is that of the Glasstire-dubbed “first royal family of Fort Worth,” the Basses, and among the artists included in the collection are Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, just to name a few.

On a smaller scale, here are some awesome shows you should definitely check out this week.

First up is tonight's Kettle Art Gallery show that kicks off at 7 p.m. Featuring Dan Colcer, Clint Scism, Larry Carey and Raymond Butler, “Over the Line” promises to be a dooozy, as every one of these artists boasts extremely intricate and unique work.

For you more urban-art inclined fellows, there's the “Art & Coffee Hip Hop Edition” show going down 7:30 p.m. on Friday at ArtLoveMagic. Alongside the local art, there will be music, poetry, hip hop, B-Boys and B-Girls and graffiti.

Also on Saturday is a noteworthy small works show called “CHAOS” at Ro2 Art. The show will feature over 100 artists, who each created intimate works for the show. Why should you care? Well, price tags may be accessible for you inaugural art collectors.

So get out there and get some art in your life, folks. Doctor's orders.

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