Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1517954
W e suspect "Build it and they will come" was the thought process behind The Power Station. Founders Alden and Janelle Pinnell know the cardinal rule: To remain relevant and interesting, they must constantly provide cool programming within their cool building — a renovated historic Dallas power station in Exposition Park. Opening parties for new exhibitions are generally a who's who of our city's art crowd, joined by international sorts during the Dallas Art Fair — the cool crowd that wears off-the-radar designers and conversations revolve around recent visits to global art fairs. The Power Station's Picnic Curatorial Projects are always a draw. At the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, artist and director of exhibitions Gregory Ruppe reflected on the notion of a picnic for one. He launched the initiative with a series of surfboards handmade during the days of solitude. This month, he presents Miguel Sbastida's "Future Reefs" (April 3 – June 15) — a reflection on the ecosystem beneath the waves, specifically the complex technologies being used to speed up the evolution of coral during climate change. As part of this presentation, Picnic Curatorial Projects donates a portion of the exhibition budget to Reef Renewal USA to fund undersea restoration and research. Visitors are also encouraged to contribute to these efforts. Miguel Sbastida's "Future Reefs," opening Wednesday, April 3, 6 - 10 pm, at The Power Station garden annex, powerstationdallas.com. Billy Fong Miguel Sbastida's Future Reef (detail), 2023, as installed at the Galveston Arts Center, 2023-2024 D uring Dallas Arts Month, trek west to visit another vibrant arts center, Fort Worth's Cultural District. First off, check out "Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists Since 1940" (through July 28) at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Under the eye of curator María Elena Ortiz, the exhibition is inspired by the history of Surrealism in the Caribbean, with connections to Afro-Surrealism in the United States. You'll find more than 80 artworks — painting, sculpture, video, installation, and drawing — that span the last eight decades by artists including Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, José Bedia, Agustín Cárdenas, Nick Cave, Minnie Evans, Joyce Mansour, Ana Mendieta, Ja'Tovia Gary, and Kara Walker. Have lunch at our favorite spot, Café Modern, before you leave … Next door at the Kimbell Art Museum, you can pay homage to the iconic buildings designed by Louis Kahn and Renzo Piano. Since the arts institution is in between exhibits, make a visit to some of our favorites in the permanent collection, with names such as Rembrandt and Maillol. Finally, make your final stop at the top of the hill on the grounds of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. As some of the galleries will be closed for maintenance until April 28, you can marvel at Elizabeth Turk's "The Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction" as part of the museum's multiyear outdoor sculpture program that was launched in 2022. Turk's vertical sound sculptures are visualizations of avians that are endangered (the bald eagle) or extinct (possibly, the ivory-billed woodpecker). Accompanying each is a QR code to access an audio file of the bird's song. You can make it to Fort Worth in just under 45 minutes after the morning rush hour, visit all three institutions, and have lunch before the evening commuter rush home. themodern.org, kimbellart.org, cartermuseum.org. Billy Fong FORT WORTH ROAD TRIP Elizabeth Turk's Bald Eagle, 2022, at Amon Carter Museum of American Art ART AL FRESCO F or its third year, Dallas Art Fair features art outside of the walls of Fashion Industry Gallery through its collaboration with the jewel of the Art's District, Klyde Warren Park. This year, the greenspace — which welcomes more than a million visitors each year and is adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center — presents a large-scale work by Baltimore artist Theresa Chromati, who is represented locally by Tureen, a recently opened gallery in Oak Cliff on Jefferson Boulevard. Titled A Life to be Lived within this Deep Breath (I am with You as We Take This Step forward), 2023, the patinated-bronze work weighs close to 1,000 pounds yet celebrates movement. Resembling an anthropomorphic plant with black petals at the top, a yellow stem, and bold red at the base, the flower's head turns back on itself as it steps forward, as if to examine where's it's been and imagine where it's going. The work will likely star in a multitude of Instagram posts, especially during the solar eclipse celebration at the beloved Park on April 8. Billy Fong PURPOSE FILLED PICNIC COURTESY THE ARTIST AND HIRSCHL & ADLER MODERN, PHOTO ERIC STONER, © ELIZABETH TURK. Left: Theresa Chromati's A Life to be Lived within this Deep Breath (I am with You as We Take This Step forward), 2023, at Klyde Warren Park LANCE BREWER