May 11, 2012

Fort Worth is quickly making a name for itself as a food truck haven, opening two food truck parks in the past year.  The first, Fort Worth Food Park, was an unabashed hit and the second is well on track to be just as successful.  Aptly named Cowtown Chow Down, the second park caters to folks roaming between the Downtown Cultural District and the Fort Worth Stockyards and can accommodate up to 20 food trucks at a time, making it one of the largest selections of gourmet food truck dining options in the DFW area. This particular food truck park will feature both covered and indoor climate-controlled seating in addition to an arts and crafts corner and a space for live entertainment.  There will be an official grand opening celebration at 10am on Thursday, May 17, but if you can’t make it, don’t worry.  Cowtown Chow Down is open seven days a week and will feature these delectable vendors throughout the year.

Fort Worth is quickly making a name for itself as a food truck haven, opening two food truck parks in the past year.  The first, Fort Worth Food Park, was an unabashed hit and the second is well on track to be just as successful.  Aptly named Cowtown Chow Down, the second park caters to folks roaming between the Downtown Cultural District and the Fort Worth Stockyards and can accommodate up to 20 food trucks at a time, making it one of the largest selections of gourmet food truck dining options in the DFW area. This particular food truck park will feature both covered and indoor climate-controlled seating in addition to an arts and crafts corner and a space for live entertainment.  There will be an official grand opening celebration at 10am on Thursday, May 17, but if you can’t make it, don’t worry.  Cowtown Chow Down is open seven days a week and will feature these delectable vendors throughout the year.

May 9, 2012

There’s no such thing as too much country music in Texas, which is why we’re loving the Rebels & Roses Music Festival hitting Tyler tomorrow through Saturday at the K.E Bushman’s Winery and Celebration Center.  Featuring three days of nothing but country music from over 25 different artists, this event is perfect for the whole family.  Buy single day passes or pack a tent and stay all weekend long (Woodstock-style). Either way, you won’t want to miss names like Jason Meadows, Casey Donahew and Stoney Larue.

May 3, 2012

Houston’s 25^th Anniversary Art Car Parade isn’t until May 10, but you can snag a sneak peek at ten of this year’s most magnificent mobile creations at the Uptown Park Art Car Preview Show this Sunday from 12-4pm.  There are over 250 participants in the parade each year, but this is a great chance to get up close and personal to see all of the hard work and detail that goes into each art car.  This free event will take place in the parking lot in front of Café Express off the 610 Feeder Road.

April 30, 2012

“Breathtaking” and “spectacular” are just a couple of the words being thrown around in relation to this weekend’s opening of Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum. Dale Chihuly, quite possibly the most well-known name in the world of art glass, is bringing his large scale glass masterpieces outdoors.

These glass beauties will be on display in 15 different areas at the Dallas Arboretum May 5 – November 5, which will include “Chihuly Nights,” during which the installations will be illuminated, creating a dramatic, otherworldly experience. This is one that’s not to be missed, folks.

April 25, 2012

Music lovers come out in droves each year for the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival. This year’s free event is taking place April 27–29 at Quakertown Park and will feature seven stages of continuous music and fine arts as well as crafts, food and games for the little ones. Expect jazz, blues and cross-cultural music as well as headliners like Lee Ritenour, Los Lonely Boys and Brave Combo. Get the full breakdown of events here.

April 13, 2012

There’s no denying that our lives are richer for experiencing great works of art.  Support The Woodlands Waterway Art Council’s efforts to foster creativity in the local community by checking out The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival happening this weekend, April 14–15.  Browse the works of over 200 fine artists and fine craft artists at this juried show, coupled with performing arts, delicious food, wine tasting and an “Art of Food” chef demonstration.  Single day passes are only $10, and tickets can be purchased at the gate—cash only.  Don’t miss this once-a-year, award-winning celebration of the arts in The Woodlands.

March 9, 2012

What do you get when you combine chocolate and art? ChocolateFest Grapevine, benefiting Travelers Aid Dallas/Fort Worth!

Tickets are still available at the door for tomorrow’s “Day of Chocolate and Art” at the Palace Arts Center in Grapevine. Enjoy chocolate samples from area chocolatiers, caterers and bakeries, plus artwork by local artists and live music.

Adult tickets are $15 and children’s tickets are $5. All ticket proceeds will benefit Travelers Aid Dallas/Fort Worth, an organization that helps individuals and families who are
in transition, in crisis or who are separated from their normal support systems and are
facing a travel-related crisis.

We’re pretty sure chocolate that benefits a good cause doesn’t have any calories…

February 29, 2012

March 9 – 18

There are a few key times of year when it’s extra-fun to be in Austin. SXSW (read: South by Southwest) is one of them. It’s a music, film and interactive event that takes over virtually the entire city.

Music highlights include Bruce Springsteen, plus hundreds–literally–of others. On the film side, Judd Apatow will make an appearance, as will the cast of cult-favorite The Boondock Saints.

Even the rooftop of the flagship Whole Foods (525 N. Lamar) will transform into a concert venue, complete with Dog and Pony pop-up shop.

Our favorite part of the massive event, however, has to be Style X on March 16 – 17. In its second year, Style X examines the role of music and technology in fashion and style. It includes pop-up shops, runway shows and eight expert panel events. This year’s distinguished (and omg-worthy) lineup of fashion players and insiders includes Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller, editors from Elle, Nylon, GQ, Refinery29 and the Huffington Post, plus experts from Neiman Marcus, DANNIJO and What Goes Around Comes Around. Whew!

Bonus: Style X is 100% free to attend.

Bottom line: SXSW is beyond cool and cutting edge, so attend any and every part of it that you can!

February 1, 2012

Ok maybe not a full-on parade, but definitely on tour.

We’ve got a serious crush on College Station artist (and assistant professor in the department of visualization at A&M) Joshua Bienko due (though not entirely) to his latest exhibit Ever So Much More So. This latest collection of work utilizes the soles of Christian Louboutin pumps as canvases. Yes, you read right. Bienko has adorned our beloved redbacks with images like Andy Warhol’s Soup Cans, Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs and Takashi Murakami’s Happy, Smiling Faces.

The collection of shoes has been divided up and is currently on display at both the Houston (The Galleria) and San Antonio (The Shops at La Cantera) locations of Neiman Marcus.

And you thought you didn’t like art…

November 13, 2011

Parlez-vous Gaultier? We most certainly do!

Known as fashion’s “enfant terrible” (that’s “bad boy,” loosely translated), Gaultier has shaped contemporary fashion in countless ways. He has also shaped a lot of other things, for that matter–remember Madonna’s infamous cone bra?

A retrospective of the bad boy’s work entitled Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is now on display at the Dallas Museum of Art and will run through February 12, 2012.

The exhibit is comprised of 130 looks from the designer’s collections, organized into six different sections, tracing influences from the streets of Paris to the world of science fiction: The Odyssey of Jean-Paul Gaultier, The Boudoir, Skin Deep, Punk Cancan, Urban Jungle and Metropolis. The pieces span from 1976-2010, and many of them have never been exhibited before. Visitors can also expect sketches, stage costumes, and excerpts from films, runway shows, concerts, dance performances and interviews.

Notable pieces in the exhibit include two corsets from Madonna’s 1990 Blonde Ambition Tour and a look from her 2006 Confessions Tour. And what would an avant-garde fashion exhibition be without animated mannequins that break into spontaneous commentary? Yeah, there are 30 of those as well.