Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1020281
132 1. Early exhibitions in 1982, such as "First Law Enforcement Officers' Art Show," "First Business Women in the Arts Show," and "First Businessmen in the Arts Show," seem quaint today. But in years since, Dallas Contemporary has brought myriad groundbreaking exhibitions to town, including "Black Sheep Feminism: The Art of Sexual Politics," which featured zeitgeist identifi ers Betty Tompkins and Cosey Fanni Tutti. The show would ultimately become one of the most-written-about group exhibitions to be organized by a Dallas museum. 2. The 12-hour marathon fund-raiser Art-A-Thon, May 1991. 3. The annual "Texas Legends" exhibitions initiated under executive director Katherine Wagner in 1993, showcasing artists, professionals, and patrons who propelled the Texas arts landscape to national attention. Honorees included sculptor James Surls and donor/collectors Tim and Nancy Hanley. 4. People still talk about former DC director Joan Davidow's unforgettable moments at the microphone. She knows how to command a room and knew her audience intimately. During her 10 years helming the organization, Dallas Contemporary went through a massive campaign to raise money for the Glass Street building that would launch its next chapter. 5. The Wish years. Fondly remembered amongst the Dallas social swirlers, the annual art auction fund-raiser — often under the watchful eye of former PaperCity editor Brooke Hortenstine — was a hotbed for memorable one-liners. "I was trying to fi nd the perfect piece of art, but was distracted by the cleavage," said Ray Balestri in 2005. On bidders who said they've run out of wall space, George Sellers offered: "There's always a powder bath somewhere." 6. The move to the Design District, inaugurating a new era for the museum at 161 Glass Street. Formerly a '50s-era sheet- metal plant, the building was repurposed by architect Edward Baum to usher in Dallas Contemporary's modern era. 7. Richard Phillips' Playboy Bunny hopping up to greet drivers-by on Riverfront Boulevard. Originally commissioned by Playboy magazine, the side-by-side 1972 Dodge Charger and 40-foot-high Playboy bunny logo lived along Highway 90 (in Marfa) briefl y in 2013; the piece moved to Dallas as part of the 2014 solo exhibition of Phillips' work at the Contemporary. It remained on view for three years. 8. Artist Loris Gréaud's installation and opening performance in January 2015. EVERY CULTURED COMMUNITY NEEDS AN ORGANIZATION THAT FOCUSES ON THE NOW — ART THAT REPRESENTS OUR TIMES. IN 1978, PATRICIA MEADOWS AND JUDY HEARST DID JUST THAT, FOUNDING D'ART, WHICH LATER BECAME DALLAS CONTEMPORARY. AS THE ORGANIZATION CELEBRATES ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, WITH THE RUBY RED GALA, WE STROLL DOWN A MOST ARTFUL MEMORY LANE, LANDING ON OUR TOP 10 LIST OF DEFINING DALLAS CONTEMPORARY MOMENTS. 4 ! 0 4 0 4 ! 0 ! BY BILLY FONG Marc Azoulay, 2014 Richard Phillips' Lindsay V, 2012 Peter McGough Taylor Tomasi Hill, 2018 Justine Ludwig Fred Holston, 2016 0 Mary Katrantzou, 2018 JR of the Inside Out Project, 2014 Erin Wasson, 2014 Bruce Weber, 2016 Maxine Trowbridge Filippo Tattoni-Marcozzi, 2017