Category Archives: In the City

Dallas Museum of Art Impressionist Exhibit

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The Impressionist Revolution: From Monet to Matisse is on view at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) now until November 3. Dubbing the Impressionist artists as renegades, the exhibit celebrates the 150th anniversary of their first Paris exhibition in 1874.

Monet to Matisse

If some of the art looks familiar, it’s because the DMA has drawn on its own collection for the exhibit. And while the paintings may not be the most noteworthy, each of the major artists are represented. I had no idea the DMA had so many Impressionist paintings. There are some beautiful Renoirs and more than a handful of Monet and Degas. Four rooms are filled primarily with paintings. Visitors see the Impressionist movement’s beginning and how, as years passed, Impressionism spawned other styles such as Fauvism.

The exhibit includes works by Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot. While both women bucked convention to work as artists, they were confined to compositions acceptable for their gender. Cassatt is known for her mother and child paintings, and Morisot for her depictions of domestic life.

Impressionist Revolution is a wonderful exhibit for anyone wanting to learn more about art. I especially enjoyed the detailed wall panels that explain Impressionism and provide visitors with interesting factoids. For example: the innovation of paint in metal tubes allowed artists to leave their studios and paint en plein air (outdoors).

Art Beyond Sight

The DMA is an Art Beyond Sight partner. Scattered throughout the Impressionist Revolution gallery, are several tactile stations. The exhibited painting is described briefly in braille, with a tactile relief version. The DMA can also provide special tours arranged in advance for visually impaired visitors. What a fabulous way to increase art accessibility.

When You Go

DMA is located at 1717 North Harwood in Dallas. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is free, though there is a cost for visiting special exhibits like Impressionist Revolution. Onsite parking is available for $20.

Saturday in Richardson

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Lockwood Distilling Co.

We visited Richardson in search of a local distillery, and found a fun market and vintage mall in the process.

Richardson is perhaps best known for the Eisemann Center and the biannual Cottonwood Art Festival. A long established inner-ring suburb of Dallas, the city saw much of its residential growth in the 1970s. Many of its shopping areas date from that decade. Repurposing has breathed new life into one older shopping strip, Dal-Rich Towne Square.

Richardson’s Farmers Market

Every Saturday the parking lot of the Dal-Rich Towne Square (101 S Coit Road) fills with over three dozen vendors in a mixed farmers and craft market. Unlike most markets, you don’t need to wake at dawn to score the best baked goods. Richardson’s Farmers Market is open from 10 am until 2 pm. I was impressed with the friendliness of the vendors, though this farmers market is short on farmers. On the day of our visit, there was just one produce seller, Stubblefield Farm. That said, their produce selection was high quality and reasonably priced.

Several vendors sell a range of bakery goods including keto friendly cakes. A neighborhood favorite, Boulangerie à Paris, appeared to have a loyal following of customers visiting the market just to buy bread and scones for the week. Other food stalls sell prepared foods (jams, jellies, and specialty olive oils), North Texas honey, and small-batched coffee.

In addition to food, there’s a good selection of artists and handmade crafts including jewelry makers, a leatherworks stall, and several woodworkers. It’s a fun market to explore.

Cottonwood Market

Cottonwood Market

Located at the same location as Richardson’s Farmers Market, Cottonwood Market anchors the Dal-Rich Towne Square. The once-upon-time big box store now houses over a hundred vendors with an outstanding selection of antiques, vintage, new gifts, and art. There are so many stalls crammed with treasures that it can be a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, each stall sticks to its theme. You’ll find grandma’s china and crystal, along with vintage children’s books, an outstanding selection of vinyl records, and even contemporary home décor. A custom framing studio, A&G, operates at the back of the store. If you enjoy searching for vintage treasures, Cottonwood Market is your spot.

Lunch at Lockwood Distilling Co.

At last, shopping done, we headed to Lockwood Distilling Co. (506 Lockwood Drive) for lunch. The distillery produces a variety of liquors, from hibiscus-infused vodka to bourbon to gin, and even flavored rums. Lockwood is more than a tasting room, though. Its restaurant serves lunch, dinner, and in-between. Select a shareable plate for a quick snack or one of their signature sandwiches for a meal. Texas/Louisiana cuisine inspires many of the menu items like the shrimp and grits, muffaletta sandwich, and pastrami made with brisket.

Lockwood Distilling Co

The versatility holds with a number of different ways to sample their product. Choose from over a dozen seasonal cocktails or order a tasting flight. The flights include a sample of four liquors, with three options: Lockwood flight, with a sample of vodka, gin, and bourbon; a rum flight; and an aged bourbon flight. You can also purchase unopened bottles to take home, too.

We didn’t need reservations for lunch, but if you plan to visit on a weekend evening, be sure to call for reservations. Even with the outdoor seating area, Lockwood is often packed in the evenings.

We’ll definitely be back!

Did you know: The Cottonwood Arts Festival takes place at Cottonwood Park (1321 W Beltline) the first weekend in May and October.

Meadows Museum

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Wave by Spanish artist Santiago Calatrava at The Meadows Museum
12th Century Fresco

This year, the Meadows Museum celebrates its twentieth anniversary in its current location on the Southern Methodist University (SMU) campus. With an extensive collection of Spanish artwork, the museum has the well-earned nickname Prado on the Prairie. A trip to the museum is like a tasting at a winery … you get a small sampling of a large swath of Spanish art. On the afternoon of my visit, I’d come to see the twelfth century frescoes on the second floor landing. The two large Romanesque paintings had figured prominently in an art history class I recently attended. These and several other art pieces are on long term loan to Meadows Museum.

Medieval and Renaissance Art

I confess that I’m not a big fan of the hyper-religious and often gaudy medieval and early Renaissance art. The Meadows Museum offers wonderfully ornate examples of fine altar pieces and paintings of the time without overwhelming visitors with too much gilded piety. I appreciate that their collection encompasses more than paintings. My favorite was a painted liturgical cabinet, beautiful and practical.

Spanish Masters

Diego Velazquez, Female Figure

The Meadows Museum collection includes a sampling of painters from the Spanish Golden age. You’ll find portraits by Diego Velazquez, and Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation by El Greco. There are Baroque artists like Bartolome Murillo and Claudio Coello. Spanish painters who found their way to Paris during the Impressionist period are represented. And modern artists like Picasso and Salvador Dali also have works on display. What I enjoy most about the Meadows Museum is how seamlessly it allows the visitor to travel through almost eight hundred years of Spanish art during a short two hour visit.

Pablo Picasso, Still Life in a Landscape

Fossils to Film

Fossils to Film is an exhibit highlighting SMU’s other collections. You’ll find incredible fossils from the Shuler Museum of Paleontology and artifacts from the school’s archeology collection. Pieces from the Birdwell Library and Hamon Arts Library are also on display. Finally, the University Art Collection includes many fine paintings from Texas Regional artist and former SMU professor, Jerry Bywaters. This smorgasbord of SMU gems will be on display through June 20, 2021.

Meadows Mobile Tour

When you visit the museum, be sure to bring your ear buds and smart phone. Posted placards have you scan a QR code or dial (214) 466-6543 for extended detail on many art pieces. This mobile system beats the old style headphone tours, especially given current pandemic concerns. And best of all, once home, you can still access the information including short talks from art experts.

Outdoor Sculptures

The largest example of Spanish art at the Meadows Museum is outside. Santiago Calatrava’s Wave is an impressive sixty-eight feet long. The kinetic sculpture undulates at a hypnotic pace. While not an official sculpture garden, several of the Meadows Museum large sculpture ring the upper plaza and can be enjoyed without a museum ticket. Concrete benches are strategically positioned throughout if you just want to relax a bit.

When You Go

The Meadows Museum (5900 Bishops Blvd, Dallas) is located on the SMU campus. Free underground parking is available for museum visitors. Admission is $12 with discounts for seniors and students. Admission is free to military and veterans. As of this writing, pandemic precautions include advance tickets, masks, and reduced museum capacity. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. Thursdays the museum remains open until 9 pm with free museum entry after 5 pm.

Dallas Arboretum Reopens

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Dallas Arboretum Sculpture
Celebrating the Familiar at the Dallas Arboretum

How do you ramble in the midst of a pandemic? For me, it’s finding uncrowded outdoor spaces. Dallas summer heat adds to the challenge, but, with a little pre-planning, Dallas Arboretum suits. The quintessential garden reopened to the public June 1. Though some areas, like the Rory Meyer Children’s Adventure Garden remain closed, much of the Dallas Arboretum is open for a leisurely stroll and even a picnic. Best part, the garden is ablaze with color from blooming annuals.

Dallas Arboretum summer color
Summer annuals add bursts of color

What’s Changed

Pre-purchased tickets, procured by phone or online are needed for entrance …even for Arboretum members. The timed reservation allocates four hours garden admission to the ticketholder. I reserved online, printed my tickets at home, and swapped them at the entrance for color-coded wrist bands. While the garden recommends wearing masks, almost all visitors dispensed with face coverings once inside the grounds. Everyone was respectful of social distancing. Please note, however, masks are required in public restrooms.  

Not all gardens are open. The tram isn’t running. What is available is a mile loop around the garden. To prevent crowding, the trail is directional, with arrows and signage guiding visitors. I thought I’d find this too limiting. It wasn’t. The loop takes you along the entire perimeter of the Arboretum and includes the Woman’s Garden. Much of the route meanders through shade and past water features, a wonderful respite from the heat.

Seward Johnson Summer Sculpture

You won’t find the seasonal playhouses for children that graced the Dallas Arboretum in previous summers. What you will find are twenty-five, bronze statues from Seward Johnson’s Celebrating the Familiar. When I spied the first statue, I mistook it for an actual person. Johnson’s art are life-sized sculptures ‘dressed’ in painted bronze … almost like store manikins. Most had me taking another look to determine if it was a garden visitor or a Seward Johnson sculpture, like the young girl sitting on the park bench with a rabbit in her lap. The exhibit opens on June 22, though most of the sculptures were already in position during my visit this week.

Seward Johnson Celebrating the Familiar at the Dallas Arboretum
Seward Johnson – Celebrating the Familiar

Seward Johnson, grandson to a Johnson & Johnson founder, died at 89 this past March. His sculptures have been described as ‘hyperreal’ and some art critics consider them ‘kitsch.’ I found them delightful snippets of everyday life and a treat to discover during my garden walk.

Consider a Membership

Timing is everything. If you want to beat Dallas heat, the earlier in the day you visit, the more pleasant the experience. The Dallas Arboretum opens at 9 am. Through November, however, Arboretum members can reserve a 7 to 11 am admission ticket. The early entry option is a wonderful perk with even fewer people around, and best of all, less heat to contend with. My family’s favorite is early admission, walk, and then a breakfast picnic. Members have an additional option to enjoy a twilight garden walk, Thursdays from 4 to 8 pm.

Picnic

Unlike other formal gardens, the Dallas Arboretum encourages picnicking. Under the current reopening, dining locations are limited. I strongly urge bringing your own food and drink. There is a water refill station at the main entrance, but other drinking fountains are not available. During our visit, we found folks using benches, ubiquitously located along the pathway, for al fresco dining. Magnolia Glade offers tables under massive trees. My favorite spot, the cabanas at Three Sisters Overlook, even has rotating fans to cool you off.

Three Sisters Overlook

When you go The Dallas Arboretum is located at 8525 Garland Road, Dallas.  Garden admission is daily 9 am to 5 pm. Pre-purchase tickets by phone at (214) 515-6615 or online. Seward Johnson’s Celebrating the Familiar will be on display June 22 through July 17. As Dallas Arboretum reopens to the public, expect changes. Please consult their website for the latest updates and guidance. Virtual garden tours are also available right from your home computer.

It’s Bluebonnet Time

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You don’t have to travel to Texas Hill Country to find bluebonnets. Roadways and Zion Cemetery (800x599)parks near Dallas offer plenty of springtime blooms including fields of bluebonnets! The Facebook page, Bluebonnet Love, is a great resource for finding bluebonnets in your area. My go-to places for local bluebonnets couldn’t be more different: one is a park on the Southern Methodist University (SMU) campus and the other is an old pioneer cemetery.

In the Heart of the City

The best Dallas wildflower viewing may just be at SMU and the George W. Bush Presidential Center. A 15-acre urban park planted with native prairie grasses and wildflowers forms a semi-circle around the back of the Presidential Center. Not only will you find bluebonnets, but also dusty pink carpets of evening primrose, brilliant reds and yellows of firewheel, and magenta wine cup. Benches scattered around the garden make for an ideal spot to stop and enjoy the magnificent spring display.

The park is open sunrise to sunset. There is a fee for touring the Presidential Center, but entry to the attached park is free. The George W. Bush Presidential Center is at 2943 SMU Blvd, Dallas. For more information, contact the center at (214) 200-4300 or visit their website.

Half Forgotten Zion Cemetery

A hillside covered in bluebonnets is stunning. And that’s what you’ll see at Zion Cemetery – a hillside awash in blue. At the height of the season, this sleepy little cemetery becomes a parking lot with hundreds vying for that perfect snapshot of the kids in the flowers. I’ve even seen an industrious photographer lug a Victorian chaise lounge onto the hillside to capture just the right photo!

Alas, the pastures that once surrounded the cemetery are gone, making way for new housing developments. Still, this is a safe, off-the-road location to take a family photo in the flowers. Zion Cemetery is located on Farm to Market (FM) 423 between Eldorado Parkway and State Highway 380i in Little Elm.