The 40th Annual ARTFEST will be held at Fair Park this weekend, May 22-24, 2009.

Tickets for ARTFEST 2009 are $5 in advance and are available at Tom Thumb stores. Tickets are $6 at the gate.

Saturday, May 23rd 10am – 7pm
Sunday, May 24th 10am – 6pm

A “WineStroll” Preview Party & Wine Tasting event is Friday from 6pm-9pm. Tickets for the Friday evening Winestroll are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate.

This weekend come see the last formal show at And/Or with our Austin favorite, Chad Hopper. His comical and peculiar work in every medium has had considerable influenced on my own artistic practice. This is Chad’s first solo show at the gallery, and we will have his sculpture, painting, college, and video work, in addition to some special archival prints.

A couple days ago I met local artist Carmen Menza. Her work will be featured this Friday, along with 16 other artists at Off the Grid, an old Power & Light substation that has been renovated for cool events like this one. The exhibit is one night only, open to the public, and 30% of all proceeds will benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Expect lots of new age art and chatter. Meet the artists and other enthusiasts. Or don’t meet anyone and just look at the art. The reception is from 7-10pm. Go. Support local artists. Have fun.

Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden will be having a garden party and reception tomorrow afternoon for the opening exhibition of America Works. America Works features American 20th Century and Contemporary Paintings, Drawings, Fine Prints, Photographs, and Sculpture of Americans at Work and Their Accomplishments. The exhibition will continue through June 6, 2009. Get the preview tomorrow (4/26) from 12:30-3:30pm.

On April 25, 2009, several art galleries and artist studios will open their doors for receptions and festivities in Oak Cliff. You are invited to visit each destination at your own pace between the hours of 4pm – 9pm. Artworks of all mediums will be on display. The event is free and a map of destinations will be provided at each venue.

The Dallas Art Dealers Association (DADA) will have its annual Spring Gallery Walk, panel discussions, and Scholarship show on Saturday, April 18th. From 2-8pm, art lovers (or the lovers of art lovers) will be able to view all exhibits for free. There are places all over the Metroplex, from Dallas to Irving and even into Arlington. For us in the Dallas area, you can knock out almost half of them if you start in Uptown area and then work your way over to the Design District (aka Dragon Street.)

ArtScape is the Dallas Arboretum’s fine art and craft show and sale. This weekend (March 21st and 22nd) is the two-day art fair featuring artists from around the country, wine tasting and food. The ArtScape Festival is during Dallas Blooms, the premier floral festival in the Soutwest and listed on MSNBC’s top ten things to do in American in the spring. Dallas Blooms is already in its third week and will run through April 14th.

HCG Gallery presents Floyd Newsum’s “Composition, Marks and Arrangements” exhibit, beginning on March 21st and running through April 11th. HCG invites you to welcome the internationally acclaimed Houston artist on March 21st from 5-8pm. The reception is open to the public. At the bottom of this post is a video of Newsum from the Houston PBS production, “Art is All Around Us.”

The Public Trust will exhibit the works of the late artist Charley Harper. The opening reception will be on Saturday, March 7th from 6-9pm. The exhibit will run through April 2009. The Public Trust is located at 2919-C Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75226. For more information call 214-760-7170 or visit them online at trustthepublic.com.

Many of the Dragon Street businesses will be extending their hours until 8pm every 1st Thursday of the month in celebration of the arts and community. Their hope is to get the word out about the art scene on Dragon Street – home to various art galleries, antique, imports and floral shops.