Monthly Archives: February 2017

Have A Great Weekend

Well, we’re at the end of the time at the Galleries at Midtown space. 18 months ago, we opened with wide eyes and no idea of what the future would bring. By February 28, most of the art galleries will be moved out, the last of the stores on the lower level vacated, and the inevitable demolition started. Valley View Center will be replaced with a new collection of apartments, office buildings, and retail space, but without ARTwalks, without random passersby, and without a lot of strange memories. Valley View deserves a final sendoff, but the move this weekend takes precedence. The new gallery awaits, and with it come new schemes and new stories, all of which wouldn’t have been possible if not for the last year and a half out here. And so it goes.

Have A Great Last ARTwalk weekend


And here it comes. The last-ever ARTwalk at the Valley View Center location is Saturday, February 18, and then we start the move to the new gallery shortly thereafter. One way or another, we have to be out and gone by February 28, and then demolition starts on March 1. The clearout is bittersweet: we don’t necessarily want to go right away, but between a steady decline of visitors and the steady breakdown of essentials such as escalators, this works out well.

As far as the new gallery is concerned, that’s been its own adventure. Because of prior commitments for two big shows in March and May, the Triffid Ranch will have the official opening in June. After that…well, let’s wait and see.

Anyway, for those coming out, a few notes. Firstly, for those who have been considering purchasing a larger enclosure for a while, all of those are now at Shirt Price rates for the duration of ARTwalk. In addition, for those wanting to get one but not being sure about hauling it home, park on the Alpha Road side of the mall (just look for the covered parking), and we’ll take care of the moving and loading into your vehicle. Other than that, we’ll see you on Saturday.

Have A Great Valentine’s Day

You know, for all of the noise made about the sort of relationship we all want on Valentine’s Day, it’s all fine to bring up the classics. Gomez and Morticia, John and Delenn, John and Aeryn, GIR and Gaz, and even Sid and Nancy. Why, though, does nobody bring up Anton and Victoria? Considering society’s obsession with obsessive relationships, isn’t it strangely sweet to have a spouse so devoted to you that your killers all face inventive, witty, Art Deco deaths?

Have a Great Weekend

Current gallery status: we received the official moveout form this week for the existing space, and so has everyone else. We’re two weeks away from the last-ever ARTwalk on February 18, and while a couple of the galleries will remain at least until May, the majority of us are already getting packed and moved. After that, one last weekend before the official cutoff date of February 28 to move, and that’s it for the Triffid Ranch at the Galleries at Midtown. After that, the mall comes down bit by bit, and then it’s a matter of watching the new Midtown rise. As to all of that, we know exactly as much as everyone else, which is precious little, and the energy needed to ascertain the mall’s final death date is better spent on finding a new locale.

Future gallery status: everything is still tentative, but we think we have a new gallery space, with more than suitable parking, a more accessible location off Central Expressway, and more usable gallery area than the current one. (It isn’t until you’ve done so for a year or more that you realize how much an immovable counter island gets in the way of, well, everything.) We’ve already had a discussion on how the new location, wherever it may be, won’t have regular monthly ARTwalk-type events, but that’s mitigated by trying to get more shows in other galleries in the Dallas area. As much as we’ve loved the ARTwalks, they still meant that an entire weekend per month was pretty much shot as far as work on new enclosures was concerned, so quarterly openings makes much more sense for everybody. This way, we have more surprises when we do have an opening.

Show status: outside shows are problematic, if only because many of the previous science fiction convention venues are themselves in serious trouble. That said, expect a few announcements as to other venues over the rest of the year. It’s not surprising that the con circuit is imploding: this happens about every twenty years, and they start to come back after the ground has been fallow for a decade or so. This makes setting up a more permanent gallery more important, though, as well as attending more unorthodox shows outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Again, expect a few announcements.

Music: a particularly appropriate theme for tonight.