Advertisement

Arts & Entertainment

The Conspiracy grows: ArtCon announces year-round events

A decade-long conspiracy is afoot in Dallas, its perpetrators armed with paints, canvases and a mission to improve the North Texas community through the arts.

It is the Art Conspiracy and after 10 years of non\profit work in Dallas, the organization announced it is expanding its programming from orchestrating two annual events to becoming a year-round organization in support of the arts.

ArtCon, whose mission is to grow a non-profit community of visual artists and musicians that raises funds and awareness for local creative programs in North Texas, was supposed to be a one time event in 2005 to help children displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Ten years later, Erica Felicella, executive director of ArtCon, and 34 other conspirators (volunteer board members) continue that mission."We got to bring local talent into a room and introduced our organization and local artists to this community."

Advertisement

Much like living room concerts made famous in hipster havens like Seattle or NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, the ArtConcert Living Room Series invites musicians and audiences into an intimate space.

News Roundups

Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

"We put them in an usual space or place," Felicella said. "We have been using galleries and we will continue to use that type of space, but we are constantly looking for rooms that sound good."

Advertisement

A major reason for the expansion: to highlight artistic mediums that do not fit into the traditional ArtCon signature event model, which is centered around visual art and music.

"I'm excited about giving writers a platform," Felicella said. "There are a lot of larger programs for writers and we want to be an intermediary - a stepping stone for these artists to get to the bigger stages."

The expansion is the natural next step for the organization. Felicella said that ArtCon and many galleries around Dallas have helped artists like herself become more established in Dallas and she sees the expansion as an opportunity for the artists to return the favor.

Advertisement

Through the expanded programming, such as ArtConnect, an interactive art map,  ArtConduit, a documentary series, ArtConverge, a program focused on art collection and five other new programs, ArtCon will be focusing not only on the artists and their work, but also deepening connections with their patrons.

An artwork by artist Clint Scism is put up for bid at the tenth annual Art Conspiracy.
An artwork by artist Clint Scism is put up for bid at the tenth annual Art Conspiracy.(Alexandra Olivia / Special Contributor)

"Whether it be a map to take you on an art journey, an experience to see where all these artists are in your city or hearing first hand stories about how art collectors began," Felicella said. "We hope to extend our reach and enhance the experience of culture in our city."

Felicella referred to ArtCon's most recent collaboration with The Dallas Opera for its run of "La bohème." ArtCon selected local artists to fill the Winspear Opera House lobby with art to reflect the opera's artistic themes.

"We got to bring local talent into a room and introduced our organization and local artists to this community."

Collaboration is crucial to the ArtCon expansion, but also central to the organization's goals. Felicella explained that through collaborations, "artists, musicians and patrons have come together as a collective whole to feed energy and resources directly back into our creative community."

Ultimately, the conspiracy is about growing the artistic community in Dallas and making art accessible. Felicella hopes their efforts are helping to grow patronage of the arts in North Texan galleries both small and large.

From Felicella's view, ArtCon is now "funneling these types of ideas into the places so that the young and aspiring artists and next generation of artists can see what their art community is really doing."