Conservation was one of new Dallas Museum of Art Director Maxwell Anderson’s areas of focus, he told the media last month. Now the museum has hired its first Chief Conservator, who will help develop the museums conservation program, including the creation of an onsite paintings conservation studio. Leonard was the former head of conservation at the J. Paul Getty Museum before he stepped down to focus on his career as an artist. Here’s the full release:
DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART ..read more
Here it is, the full list of films selected for the Dallas International Film Festival. There is a lot to shift through here, and we’ll be back to preview the festival, but here are some highlights that jump out:
- By the numbers: 111 films, from 27 countries, five world premieres, one North American Premiere, one U.S. premiere, and 36 Texas premiers. - The Dallas IFF is throwing its love behind the big boys, studio and theater executives, as well as blockbusters. ..read more
Maxwell Anderson said after his February arrival in Dallas that he had his first 100 days mapped out. Now we see those initial plans included changing up the administrative structure of the upper ranks of the museum’s staff.
The first new addition came this past Friday when the Dallas Museum of Art named Robert Stein its new Deputy Director for Research, Technology, and Engagement. Stein led the launch of Art Babble at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, steering the online media resource that is now a partnership that includes nearly forty art institutions. At the DMA, one of Stein’s duties will be rethinking the way the museum engages audiences, with particular attention to digital media.
Today, the DMA has announced three new positions and two new appointees. Here they are:
What do all of these new titles mean, exactly? Well, according to a DMA spokesperson, Anderson is creating a more centralized leadership team that will facilitate “close collaboration” between the museum director and the promoted individuals, while expanding both Meslay and Wootton-Bonner’s management responsibilities.
Here are the two releases with biographical information:
DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART APPOINTS ROBERT STEIN AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR
DALLAS, TX – March 9, 2012 – Maxwell L. Anderson, the Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, today announced the appointment of Robert Stein as the Museum’s Deputy Director, effective April 19, 2012. Stein, who currently serves as the Deputy Director for Research, Technology, and Engagement at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, will work with Anderson and the DMA’s senior staff to lead the Museum and enhance the DMA’s impact in the Dallas community and around the world. Stein will oversee the Museum’s financial, educational, conservation, technological, web, and operational activities. Stein’s appointment represents the reinstitution and expansion of the role of Deputy Director at the DMA, and he will work with Anderson on a revision of the portfolios and responsibilities of the DMA’s leadership team.
“Rob has been a long-time advocate of innovation in museums and is a pioneer in exploring strategies and techniques that cultural organizations can use to drive real and meaningful engagement with their audiences, both onsite and online,” said Anderson. “I am thrilled that he will be joining us in Dallas and know that his programmatic, strategic, and administrative strengths will help the DMA provide deeper connections to the Museum’s collections and programs.”
“The Dallas Museum of Art offers an incredible opportunity to partner with a talented museum staff and dynamic board of trustees with a vision for excellence. Building on a history of innovative public programs, groundbreaking experiences like the Center for Creative Connections, and deep online content is an amazing chance to make a real difference in Dallas and the art world at large. I believe the DMA is ideally positioned to make a dramatic leap forward as one of the nation’s most dynamic arts institutions,” said Stein.
In the museum’s education department, Stein spearheaded a renewed focus on audience engagement, instilled a systematic approach to evaluation and visitor studies, and recruited a dynamic staff focused on visitor experience. Similarly, Stein led a merging of publications, new media, and photography departments into a unified team to address the rapidly evolving role of media creation, digital publishing, and online communication. Stein also directed the growth of a robust team of technologists, media specialists, and software developers, who have been recognized nationally and internationally for their work in the museum field.
Stein led the IMA’s Conservation department and a state-of-the-art Conservation Science laboratory founded in 2009. He oversaw the initiation of several research projects, the launch of digital documentation of collection surveys, and the completion of the museum’s first long-term strategic plan for conservation. Stein also led efforts to create the IMA’s Archives, establishing the museum’s first formal archives program in its 129-year history, and a program of digitization and online access for archival documents.
In 2009, Stein headed a team of staff at the IMA to create ArtBabble.org, a niche content portal for digital video about art and artists. Among the largest technology collaborations of museums in recent history, ArtBabble features contributions from 35 important international organizations including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Museo Nacional del Prado, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Van Gogh Museum among many others. ArtBabble stands out as the first significant effort in the cultural sector to use cloud computing technology in service of cultural history.
Throughout his career in museums, Stein has advocated for community-minded collaboration and has worked to pioneer best practices in the field and to unite the interests and common goals of multiple institutions. His work from 2006-2008 as project director of the Steve.Museum research project—now a collaboration of some 21 institutions—explored whether social tagging could enhance online collection access in museums. In 2009, he founded a mobile-software project called TAP to create open-source tools that support mobile content experiences in museums, which was awarded a 2011 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Also in 2011, Stein was awarded a grant from the Getty Foundation’s Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative to create a reusable model for online publishing that can transform the practice of scholarly publishing for art museums.
In 2009, Stein also founded the IMA Lab, a commercial software consulting arm inside the museum, dedicated to the creation of open-source software for the cultural sector. In addition to the fiscal benefits of the IMA Lab, the museum has also seen significant benefit from being able to use the tools created as part of those efforts given the Lab’s focus on open-source software.
Stein also worked closely with Anderson on initiatives dedicated to promoting ethics and transparency in operating practices. In 2007, he helped launch the IMA Dashboard, the first real-time online museum platform that shared strategic metrics of the organization with the public. The IMA Dashboard has remained an important means for the staff to understand the long-term performance of the museum and is considered a gold standard of museum transparency.
Prior to his tenure at the IMA, Stein worked in the high performance computing industry and academic computer science. From 2002-2006, Stein served as Assistant Director of the Visualization and Interactive Spaces Lab at Indiana University where he led research efforts combining scientific visualization and computer graphics with innovative computer interaction techniques. From 1997-2002, he also served as Senior Visualization Specialist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, where he developed high resolution displays for scientific computing and custom visualization software for virtual reality and advanced display systems.
DMA Announces Creation of Three New Positions to Enhance Leadership Team
Appointing Olivier Meslay Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs
and Tamara Wootton-Bonner Associate Director of Collections and Exhibitions
DALLAS, TX – March 12, 2012 – Maxwell L. Anderson, The Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, today announced the creation of three new positions to enhance and expand the Museum’s leadership team. The positions include:
The announcement follows the appointment of Robert Stein to the reinstituted and expanded position of Deputy Director. The new leadership structure and team reflects a realignment of responsibilities and departments within the DMA.
“Olivier and Tamara have made incredible contributions to the DMA and are among its most important assets,” stated Anderson. “So I am extremely pleased that they will be working closely with me as part of the team that will lead the Museum into the next phase of its service to the Dallas community and to enhance our role globally.”
Olivier Meslay
Olivier Meslay is the DMA’s Senior Curator of European and American Art and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon Curator of European Art. Meslay manages the Museum’s extensive collections of European and American art, composed of nearly 4,000 works including paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. Prior to his appointment in Dallas, Meslay served as a noted and longtime curator from the Musée du Louvre. During his sixteen-year tenure at the Louvre, Meslay held a number of senior positions, including Chief Curator of Louvre Lens from 2006 through 2009, a satellite of the Louvre being developed in northern France. From 1993 through 2006, Meslay served as the Louvre’s curator in charge of British, American, and Spanish paintings. Meslay is a graduate of the Institut National du Patrimoine (1992–1993), the French State School for Curators. He received an M.A. from the Ecole du Louvre in 1983, having previously received an M.A. from the Sorbonne in 1982, where he also earned his B.A. in 1981.
Tamara Wootton-Bonner
Tamara Wootton-Bonner, who has served as Chair of Collections and Exhibitions, has been with the Dallas Museum of Art for more than eleven years. During her tenure at the DMA, she has overseen the realization of numerous exhibition, publication, and building projects including the DMA’s centennial project; the exhibitions Matisse: Painter as Sculptor, J. M. W. Turner, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy, and From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk: The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier; the recently published guide to the Museum’s collection and other publications such as Gustav Stickley and the American Arts & Crafts Movement, the Museum’s African collection catalogue, and Ignite the Power of Art; and the refurbishment of the Fleischner Courtyard and inner courts and the building of the Center for Creative Connections. Tamara received her M.A. in Art History from George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., and her B.F.A. in Art History from the University of North Texas. Before arriving at the DMA she worked at the Amon Carter Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The latest programming announcements from the Dallas International Film Festival suggest the April event is going for “big” this year. The festival announced three programs yesterday. One is a 25th anniversary tribute to what is perhaps the most popular movie ever shot in Dallas, Robocop, which will see the cast of the eighties robo-noir reunited in Dallas. Next up, a tribute to the founders of Cinemark, the movie theater chain that made its mark buying up small- and mid-market theaters in Texas, ..read more
As it turns out, when Alec Baldwin flew into town last week to fill in for Jamie Foxx, who canceled his Brinker International Forum appearance, the speaker swap proved serendipitous for the forum’s host, the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The 30 Rock star has offered a $25 thousand challenge grant to the ATTPAC to help put the center’s annual fund over the $1 million mark.
“When I saw the AT&T Performing Arts Center, I was impressed with the commitment that the citizens of ..read more
The way Bart Weiss tells the story, The Dallas Video Festival began as the result of a passing aside. The director of the now 25-year-old festival dedicated to visual media of all kinds, with a concentration on the fringe and cutting edge, put together a program of video art at the Dallas Museum of Art in 1986, and when it was over, someone just threw out an idea, “We should do this again,” or “We should make this a festival,” ..read more
Dallas ISD is laying off teachers. Mayor Mike Rawlings is adopting schools. But how does the news of the day resonate with the larger purpose of education? The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture will take a long look at the purpose of education with its second annual Education Forum this Friday and Saturday. Speakers will include Dr. Diana Senechal, who, if you remember, was awarded this year’s Hiett Prize by the Institute, Dr. Louise Cowan, and Dr. Wesley Null. ..read more
Say what you want about the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, its pending opening does seem to have brought more attention to the once-hinterlands on the west side of the Trinity River. Last week, The Dallas Contemporary brought street artist Shepard Fairey to town. This week, another plan in the works via the Ft. Worth Ave. Development Group. Artist/Magnolia Gallery curator/the Belmont Hotel’s Scott Horn sends word that the group is seeking submissions from an artist or team of artists to ..read more
Remember that proposed public art project for White Rock Lake? An artist has been chosen for the project, and there will be a public meeting/meet and greet this coming Monday, February 6 at 6 p.m. at the Bath House Culture Center to discuss the proposal. The artist is Brower Hatcher, a public art veteran, who heads up Mid-Ocean Studio. To get a sense of what Hatcher might bring to White Rock, you can check out some of his other projects ..read more
Haven’t heard of the Dallas studio A Little Artsy? Well now you have, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t attend one of artist/blogger Casey Wiegand’s adult art night classes…or sign your kiddo up for one of her day camps, or host a corporate gig inside the studio.
The interior of the studio is a hodge-podge of paint, canvases, twinkling lights and inspiration perfectly suited for girlfriend get-togethers and date nights alike. Studio owner Casey will guide you through the painting process—she ..read more
The Arts Community Alliance, or TACA, announced yesterday that they will award $1 million worth of grants to local performing arts groups in 2012, including 41 total recipients. The awards range from large $100,000 gifts to groups like the Dallas Opera, Dallas Symphony, and Dallas Theater Center, to smaller awards to seven new recipients, such as the African American Repertory Theater, Arts District Chorale, Dallas Festival of Modern Music, and others.
Here’s a full release with a complete list of recipients:
TACA’s ..read more
In May 2011, a number of area students participating in SMU’s Summer Youth Program undertook a project sponsored by The Trinity Trust to learn about the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, by constructing a replica of the bridge. Their efforts were captured in a short documentary film, which will be screened twice tonight at The Texas Theater. Below you’ll find a trailer for documentary, as well as more information about the program, which will include ..read more
During the opening of the exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier at the Dallas Museum of Art, the CBS show, Sunday Morning, filmed an interview with the famed French designer at the museum. That piece will finally air this week, as the exhibition readies to enter its final month. You can preview the interview below.
If you missed last night’s Golden Globe Awards, you can see all of the nominees and winners here. Big winners on the movies side of things included The Descendents (best motion picture drama, best actor in a motion picture) and The Artist (best motion picture comedy/musical, best actor in a motion picture comedy/musical), while Homeland scored two wins for television (best television series and best actress, Claire Danes).
But the real question: did host Ricky Gervais zip any zingers on par with last year’s Scientology one liner? You can watch the monologue below:
As we discussed last week, The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge will open this coming March. The Trinity Trust is staging a celebration on the bridge that will surely be packed with local dignitaries and patrons. But the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce is also staging a community festival to celebrate the bridge opening: The Bridge-o-Rama. Bridge-o-Rama will feature a world music stage, a performance by West Dallas’ own The Relatives, a Parade of Giants celebrating notable West Dallas residents (from Sarah Cockrell to Bonnie and Clyde), and more. The events will take place from March 2 – 4. Here’s the website with more information.
Grumble grumble. The Dallas Fort Worth Film Critics Association, of which I am a voting member, has released its list of the top movies, actors, etc. of 2011, and the final list couldn’t look more different than the ballot I submitted. Top picks include The Descendants as best picture and Alexander Payne as best director, both of whom don’t crack my top ten. Best actor goes to George Clooney for The Descendants. Again. Bah. Listen, I liked The Descendants just ..read more
We have a couple of programming notes this morning. I’ll be on WRR today around noon chatting about the new edition of D Magazine as well as various goings on around town this weekend. Also, on Monday be sure to tune in to Good Morning Texas where I will be running down my list of the top five worst holiday movies ever. My inclination is to say all but eight or nine holiday movies are horrendous, but the GMT spot has ..read more
We thought Jaime Foxx was making his way back to Texas this week (and we had tickets to giveaway), but now comes word that the actor and musician has pulled out of his Winspear appearance. If you are the type of person who immediately wants to find someone to blame, then turn your gaze to Mr. Quentin Tarantino. Foxx is playing the title character in an upcoming movie by the director, Django Unchained, work on which has purported required his ..read more
UPDATE: Apologies, but we just got word that the Jamie Foxx show has been canceled.
Who is Eric Bishop? Jamie Foxx answers that question and shares other stories he’s gathered as an actor, singer-songwriter and stand-up comedian in almost two decades at the Winspear Opera House on December 1st. We have two tickets to giveaway, to get your hands on them all you have to do is answer the question in the from below: Foxx was born and raised a Texas ..read more
His name is Lee Papert, one that should be familiar to Dallas arts and culture watchers as he has spent time as head of the Arts District Friends, director of development for the Dallas Wind Symphony, and serving on the board of the Dallas Architecture Foundation, Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, Booker T Washington High School, and more. He was most recently the Trinity River and Dogwood Canyon Audubon Centers’ director of marketing and development. Here’s the full release and bio.
DallasvFILM ..read more
If you’ve spent any time at the Texas Theater, then you know the special place that the film Repo Man has in the hearts of the guys who run Aviation Cinemas, the theater’s operating group. There will undoubtedly be some fan boy swooning, then, as the director of the 1980s cult classic — with one of the best movie soundtracks, well, ever — will appear at the Oak Cliff theater for two nights on December 1st and 2nd. Alex Cox will attend screenings of three of his films, beginning with an original 35 mm print of Walker (1988) on Thursday, and a double feature of Highway Patrolman (1991) (on a restored 35 mm print, no less) and Straight to Hell Returns (1987) on Friday. Both screenings will be followed by Q&A’s with the director.
Image: Still from Highway Patrolman.
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, founded in 1980, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this week with a three day conference entitled Longing For Beauty. The conference will focus on three areas that the Institute has focused its work and attention over the past three decades, Spiritual and Archetypal Psychology, Publications, and the Center for the City, which focuses on urban design and cultural life. Here are all the details.
The USA Film Festival will be screening five of director Alexander Payne’s films at the Angelika Film Center leading up to the release of his much anticipated George Clooney-staring The Descendants. Tonight, you can catch Citizen Ruth, followed tomorrow by the great (and maybe my favorite Payne movie) Election. Wednesday brings About Schmidt, and on Thursday, Sideways will screen. Finally, a week from today, you can see The Descendants in a preview screening. All the screenings are free for USA Film Festival members, and $6 for everyone else (except for The Descendants preview, which is free for all).
Here’s more info.
The crew behind the Texas Theater announced the creation of a new film festival today, the Oak Cliff Film Festival, which will take place from June 14-17, 2012. Venues will include the Texas Theater (of course), the Kessler Theater, TeCo Theater, and the Belmont Hotel. So what will set the OCFF apart besides the venues? The Aviation Cinema crew says the “Oak Cliff Film Festival will seek to showcase “brave and independent filmmaking of all stripes” from Oak Cliff, Dallas, Denton, Austin, and Fort Worth as well as nationally and internationally.” More specifically, former Fantastic Fest programmig coordinator Blake Ethridge says the fest will gather the best movies from “Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam, Austin Film Festival, Sitges, SXSW, Sundance, New York and more.”
Here’s the full release.
Aviation Cinemas, Inc. Announces:
The Oak Cliff Film Festival
DALLAS, TX (Nov 1, 2011) — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aviation Cinemas, Inc. (Operating Company at the Texas Theatre) proudly announces the Inaugural Oak Cliff Film Festival, taking place at the Historic Texas Theatre, the Kessler Theater, the Bishop Arts “TeCo” Theater (formerly the Bluebird Theater), and the Belmont Hotel during the week of June 14-17th, 2012 (details at www.FilmOakCliff.com).
The film festival will feature the very best of Oak Cliff’s theater venues as well as highlight the popular restaurants and bars of the burgeoning Bishop Arts District. Led by the Aviation Cinemas team who took over operations at the Texas Theatre in December of 2010, the Oak Cliff Film Festival will seek to showcase “brave and independent filmmaking of all stripes” from Oak Cliff, Dallas, Denton, Austin, and Fort Worth as well as nationally and internationally. The assembled team for the festival includes Aviation Cinemas, Inc. Partners Adam Donaghey, Barak Epstein, Jason Reimer, and Eric Steele, Festival Coordinator Carla Tschosik, Interactive Marketing Director Micah Phillips, Corporate Events Outreach Specialist Chris Gardner and Festival Consultant Blake Ethridge.
Programming will be led by the Aviation Cinemas team, along with a programming committee comprised of filmmakers and festival programmers from all over the world, including Blake Ethridge. Ethridge, former Festival Programmer for Austin’s Fantastic Fest, will consult on programming and acquisition efforts for the film festival. “Our programming team is already active in scouring the world for the best cinema from attendingCannes,Berlin,Rotterdam, Austin Film Festival, Sitges, SXSW,Sundance,New York and more,” said Ethridge. “Dallas has long been a beacon of cinema history. We know this town and Oak Cliff will provide us with a great film-going audience where new history and legendary screenings will happen.”
The Festival is backed by the 501c Oak Cliff Foundation who purchased the Texas Theatre in 2001. “Energizing the Texas Theatre and re-establishing its role as a centerpiece of the Oak Cliff community are central to the mission of the Oak Cliff Foundation,” said Monte Anderson, Chairman of the Oak Cliff Foundation. “To that end, Aviation Cinemas has made huge strides in the last year through creativity, dogged determination, and hard work in making a name for the theatre with local and national filmmakers and film-lovers alike. The Oak Cliff Film Festival has the potential to solidify these achievements and to further establish the theatre’s significance to Oak Cliff and the film community at large.” As well as supporting national and international independent films, the Oak Cliff Film Festival will also feature a community and local student film competition.
The Festival is actively accepting corporate sponsors who share the mission and view of the festival. These sponsors will join local sponsors, including the Belmont Hotel, Bolsa, Eno’s, Oddfellows, Mesa, and the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company. “We are reviewing sponsorship partners with new and exciting brands who are, in some cases, new toDallas or are launching a new product or service” said Eric Steele, Aviation Cinemas Partner and OCFF Sponsorship Director. “Our goal is to be brazen and original all the way – from the films we show, the parties we throw, and the sponsors we highlight. We have some pretty cool announcements forthcoming.”
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Background on the Texas Theatre / Aviation Cinemas, Inc:
On August 31st, 2010, Aviation Cinemas, Inc., a company formed by filmmaker and film industry consultant Barak Epstein took over the lease of the Texas Theatre. Epstein enlisted the help of filmmakers Adam Donaghey, Jason Reimer, and Eric Steele to begin new cinema and event venue operations at the Texas Theatre. The Texas Theatre is operated by Aviation Cinemas, Inc. and is open seven days a week, currently booking independent films, concerts, theater programs, parties, and events.
“Best Movie Theater in Dallas – The Texas Theatre” – Dallas Observer, 2011
“Best Film Advocates – Aviation Cinemas Inc” – Dallas Observer, 2011
In 2001 The Oak Cliff Foundation purchased the Texas Theatre and began looking for a new permanent tenant. Several areas of the building were renovated and upgraded by the OCF. The Texas Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The Missionof the Oak Cliff Foundation is to “ensure the viability of the Texas Theatre.”
PRESS AND SPONSORSHIP CONTACT:
Eric Steele
Partner, Chief Sales Officer
Aviation Cinemas, Inc.
CORPORATE CONTACT:
Barak Epstein
Partner, Chief Executive Officer
Aviation Cinemas, Inc.
PROGRAMMING / CREATIVE CONTACT:
Jason Reimer
Partner, Creative Director
Aviation Cinemas, Inc.
FILMMAKER LIASON CONTACT:
Adam Donaghey
Partner, Vice President
Aviation Cinemas, Inc.
The Dallas Film Society and TXU Energy are teaming up again for a student film competition that challenges high school and college students to create films about energy and energy conservation. Winners win cash, video editing software, and some other perks courtesy of the Dallas International Film Festival. The submission period begins today, October 31, and continues through February 12. Here’s more info.
Theater Review: Flesh World: Is this what passes for edgy in Dallas? Seems so.
Theater Review: Jubilee Gives Life To Broke-ology, A Play With A Message
Ticket Giveaway: Two Pairs of Tickets to FrontRow Live With STRFKR, Onra, DJ Ben Aqua, And More
Theater Review: Gods of Carnage: A Parental Dispute Peels Back The Facade of Civility
