Back Talk Oak Cliff

This weekend: Art shows, homebrewing contest and retracing Lee Harvey Oswald's steps

There's a little something for everyone in Oak Cliff this weekend.

On Saturday night The Soda Gallery opens its new "50/50 II" art exhibition, back by popular demand. The show, which asks 50 artists to each create a work and sell it for $50, was such a hit in February that the shop decided to give it another go. Soda Gallery arts director Jonathon Kimbrell says that, "one, it shows people all the great work being created around the country and two, illustrates the idea that buying original art doesn't have to break the bank, so to speak." You can preview the art before Saturday night, but nothing will be sold until 7 p.m. — and "work will go fast, I assure you," Kimbrell says. Some of Kimbrell's own work will be on display as well.

The Oak Cliff Artisans sixth annual fall sale offers handmade works ranging from stained glass and clay to metal sculpture, jewelry and photography. The sale takes place Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. at Kidd Springs Recreation Center.

This weekend: Bonafide Blues at Eno's, Kessler School Pumpkin Patch, Fall Home Tour and Urban Bazaar

Start your weekend with a neighborhood band tearin' it up at a neighborhood restaurant — Bonafide Blues takes the stage at Eno's Friday night at 9:30 p.m. (Lead singer Bill Ford's alma mater, Southern Methodist University, published a story today about the advertising lecturer's hobby.)

Then on Saturday, it's home tour time. Start your day at 9 a.m. with some coffee and breakfast tacos at the Kessler School Pumpkin Patch, then head to the Turner House for the 10 a.m. Centennial Ceremony, marking the 100th year of the Winnetka Heights neighborhood. The home tour's 11 homes will be open for public viewing between noon and 6 p.m. If you still don't have your tickets, buy them on tour day at the Stevens Park Pavilion on Colorado.

Somewhere in the midst of the festivities, drop by the Bishop Arts District to shop at Make's Urban Street Bazaar, where designers and craftsmen will be hawking their wares, and Bishop Arts retailers will offer specials.

City council priorities: a curfew, a promoter and a trans-fat ban?

DMN city council reporter Dave Levinthal apparently spent some time at the city council's retreat this week, and he highlights a few ideas that council members are considering pushing later this year ... here's a sneak peak at what might come up during the next council term:

• "A daytime curfew for school-aged children in an effort to curb truancy," this idea courtesy of mayor pro tem Elba Garcia.

• Additional crime-monitoring cameras in troubled neighborhoods.

Oak Cliff Fall Home Tour: Chagall to Warhol

For art lovers, 808 N. Hampton is a don't-miss on the OOCCL Fall Home Tour. Not only is the mid-century modern house architecturally stunning, but owners Mark Wright and Alex da Silva have accumulated quite the art collection over time.

Their pieces include both 2D and 3D art from artists like Picasso, Calder, Dali, Chagall, Deyber, Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Mark Kostabi, Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and Bertho. Much of the 3D art is displayed in what Wright calls the "monolith" in the front room, with the fireplace on one side and shelves on the other. (The couple told me that before they moved in, their friends wanted to slip on roller skates and circle around it. I don't think that ever happened.)

Coupon Mommy: Free plays

Coupon Mommy is back. I'm here to let you know what the deal is. Here's a great one--live theater for free. Quick, call the babysitter!

The City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs is offering the first ever Free Night of Theater, to be held from Thursday, October 16 through November 10, 2008. Presented in conjunction with Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Free Night of Theater is offering over 3,000 free tickets to more than 26 Dallas-area theaters. Dallas is one of 120 communities across the country participating in the event.

How can you get FREE tickets? Reserve your tickets through their website, beginning Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at noon. Tickets can only be reserved online and reservations are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Each participating theater will set a reservation ticket limit for their productions. Once tickets have been reserved through the website, patrons will be able to pick up their tickets at the will-call window of the individual theater's box office on the night of the show.

Participating Local Theaters: African American Repertory Theater, Charles W. Eisemann Center, The Company of Rowlett Performers (C.O.R.P.), Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, Dallas Children's Theater, Dallas Hub Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Echo Theatre, Garland Civic Theatre, ICT MainStage, Jubilee Theatre, Lyric Stage, MBS Productions, One Thirty Productions, Pocket Sandwich Theatre, Repertory Company Theatre, Shakespeare Dallas, Teatro Dallas, TeCo Theatrical Productions, The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, The MET Theatre, Theatre Britain, Theatre Three, Uptown Players, WaterTower Theatre, WingSpan Theatre Company.

This weekend: La Reunion TX open house

See for yourself what all the fuss is about.

This weekend La Reunion TX opens its new office, gallery and world headquarters to the public to showcase the 35-acre space in our neighborhood that will eventually house artists for one week to one year at a time. In exchange for the space to live and work, the artists will give back to the community through programs, exhibits, performances and installations.

The come-and-go open house takes place on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 5-8 p.m. Drop by and grab a bite, catered by Bolsa, and listen to the music of Neeki Bey. La Reunion TX is located at 2129 Farrington.

Daily news roundup: Big Tex, Barefoot, toy guns and Warren Culbertson

If you're tired of reading about the big financial-system bailout, DISD screwups and how great the Dallas Cowboys look this year, check out these diversions in today's Dallas Morning News:

     • Remember the big city council vote in May 2007 to criminalize "displaying or brandishing a replica firearm in public? I don't remember it either, and apparently it's a law that even the police have forgotten about. Dave Levinthal reports that since the ordinance was passed, not a single ticket has been written for a violation — talk about your effective ordinance or your irrelevant one; take your pick. In the story, Levinthal asks councilman Angela Hunt: Was it all a big waste of time and resources? "Probably so," she says.

Public PARKing at Bishop Arts District

If you drive around the Bishop Arts District today, it may inspire a double take. Today is PARK(ing) Day, an global event created by the San Fransisco group REBAR in which "artists, activists and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into PARK(ing) spaces: temporary public parks." In 2007, the event inspired more than 200 temporary parks in more than 50 cities.

In this vein, one of the metered parking spots in the Bishop Arts District will become a PARK(ing) spot, or a pocket park, according to an Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce e-mail I recently received. The pictures I have browsed online basically look like people are rolling out grass and plopping down benches. The chamber invited the Bishop Arts businesses to "join the fun and set up their own installations."

Just don't forget to feed the meter ...

Ice House Cultural Center: 'Lo que vi' and DADA

The opening reception for Jorge Martinez' new photography exhibit "Lo que vi", translated "What I Saw", is this Saturday from 6-8 p.m. at the Ice House Cultural Center. The exhibit opens today, and runs through Oct. 10.

It might be a great place to wrap up this Saturday's Dallas Art Dealers Association Fall Gallery Walk. The Ice House is the only Oak Cliff art space on the walk, but the event invites art lovers to peruse more than 30 galleries, museums and non-profit art spaces, all free of charge. The brochure, complete with map, is attached below.

Download DADA-0908-8-5x11.pdf