Dallas, Texas: more to explore from culture to cowboys! We went to Dallas for the weekend, and what we love about returning to a city often is making new discoveries each time we visit. Having been to the more touristic sights on past visits, we wanted to delve a bit deeper on this trip to discover its culture, and yes, cowboys, and not The Dallas Cowboys on the football field, but rather the daring ones riding broncos and bulls.
As we were in Dallas to attend a wedding on the evening of Saturday, May 31, 2014, we had a limited amount of time to spend sightseeing on Friday night, and Saturday afternoon, and wanted to maximize our opportunities. Dallas is a very large city, it is the ninth largest city in the United States, and it is the third largest city in Texas with a population on 1,241,162 (Houston is Texas’ largest city with a population of 2,201,027, followed by San Antonio with a population of 1,326,539), so for this trip we wanted to focus on two facets of Dallas: culture and cowboys. Located 35 miles east of Forth Worth, 195 miles north of Austin, 245 miles northwest of Houston, and 275 miles north of San Antonio, there is always more to explore in the "Big-D!"
Culture
Art and culture abounds in Dallas, and we made new discoveries in the Dallas Arts District centrally located in the heart of downtown Dallas. The Dallas Arts District is a 19-block neighborhood that is home to several museums, visual and performing arts institutions, and the Klyde Warren Park. The Dallas Arts District provided us with the perfect opportunity to maximize our limited amount of time. We parked our car and then spent Saturday morning and early afternoon visiting three museums all within walking distance of one another, and spent time playing in the park as well.
Although we have been to Dallas many times over the years, and have been to many museums, the Dallas Arts District was a very worthwhile new discovery for us.
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas Museum of Art
Our first new discovery on this trip was the Dallas Museum of Art, established in 1903, which we found to be a treasure trove waiting to be discovered both inside the museum as well as outdoors in their sculpture garden. With its impressive size, collections, and programs, you can easily spend several hours, or an entire day, visiting the museum.
There is something for every interest with special exhibitions as well as diverse collections of African, American, Ancient American, Ancient Mediterranean, Asian, Contemporary, Decorative Arts and Graphics, European, and Pacific Islands Art. The museum is a hub of culture with concerts and performances, talks and tours, workshops, arts and letters, and films, and there is an excellent selection of family programs to engage and interest children of all ages.
"Genesis, The Gift of Life" by Miguel Covarrubias
Art begins outdoors at the main entrance to the museum with the stunning and colorful large-scale glass mosaic work entitled, "Genesis, The Gift of Life" (1954) by Miguel Covarrubias (1904 – 1957), measuring an impressive 144 x 770 inches, and features the elements of water, earth, fire, and air.
Inside the museum, one of the many highlights of our visit was seeing the quilt entitled "Prosperity is Just Around the Corner," created during the Depression years of 1930-1932 by Fannie B. Shaw (1894-1991)with its political slant inspired by President Herbert Hoover’s radio talks.
"Prosperity is Just Around the Corner"
This large scale work measuring 86 x 72 inches (2 meters 18.44 cm x 1 m 82.88 cm) appeals on both an artistic level as well as on a craftsmanship level with its intricate detail. The quilt has 30 squares with a repeated theme of people of all professions and walks of life looking around the corner, including a nurse, cowboy, doctor, house wife, ball player, preacher, druggist, bum, and others, along with a G.O.P. elephant, a Democratic donkey, and Uncle Sam, with a central square featuring a farmer plowing his field and whistling, with a theme of hope and the inscription, "The backbone of the nation goes on."
"The backbone of the nation goes on"
Art continues in the outdoor sculpture garden where one of the highlights of the collection was the Ellsworth Kelly (born in 1923) sculpture, "Untitled" (1982-1983) a large-scale stainless steel geometric sculpture measuring 120 x 228 x 201 inches.
Edward with "Untitled" by Ellsworth Kelly
The Dallas Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm with extended hours on Thursday until 9:00 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays. Visit the website www.DMA.org for additional information. There is free general admission and a charge for special exhibitions.
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
Telephone: +1-214-922-1247
Website: www.DMA.org
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DallasMuseumofArt
Nasher Sculpture Center
Next in our museum hopping, was a visit to the Nasher Sculpture Center, which opened in 2003 and "is home to one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary sculptures in the world, and the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, featuring more than 300 masterpieces by Calder, de Kooning, di Suvero, Giacometti, Hepworth, Kelly, Matisse, Miró, Moore, Picasso, Rodin, Serra and more. The longtime dream of the late Raymond and Patsy Nasher, the museum was designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano in collaboration with landscape architect Peter Walker."
"Moonbird" by Joan Miró
Located across the street from the Dallas Museum of Art we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Nasher Sculpture Center where we strolled through their beautiful 1.4 acre garden to see the large outdoor sculptures. There were many highlights including the sculpture entitled, "Bronze Crowd" (1990-1991) by the Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz featuring 36 life size headless figures in a double line, Moonbird (Oiseau lunaire), also called The Lunar Bird (cast 1967) by the Spanish artist Joan Miró’ (1893-1983), and the Dutch American artist Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) bronze, entitled "Seated Woman" (1969).
"Bronze Crowd" by Magdalena Abakanowicz
Indoors, there was an impressive exhibition of 12 works by the American artist Mark Grotjahn (born in 1968), (runs until August 17, 2014), and also the exhibition "Sightings" (runs until July 13, 2014) by the German artist Bettina Pousttchi (born in 1971) (runs until July 13, 2014).
Sculpture by Mark Grotjahn
Other indoor gallery highlights included seeing the Willem de Kooning plaster sculpture entitled "Clamdigger" (1972) and comparing it to his bronze "Seated Woman" sculpture.
"Clamdigger" by Willem de Kooning
Painting by Picasso
The Nasher Sculpture Center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm, and from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on the first Saturday of each month featured as a free Target First Saturday.
Admission: Adults – $10, Seniors: $7, Students – $5, and free for members and children 12 and under, and includes access to special exhibitions. Visit the website www.NasherSculptureCenter.org for additional program information.
Nasher Sculpture Center
2001 Flora Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
Telephone: +1-214-242-5100
Email: info@nashersculpturecenter.org
Website: www.NasherSculptureCenter.org
Crow Collection of Asian Art
The Crow Collection of Asian Art, located down the street from the Nasher Sculpture Center, opened in 1998 and is "Your passport to the art of Asia."
Crow Collection of Asian Art
The Collection of Asian Art actually begins outdoors at street level with its prominent sculptures positioned in front of a fountain, and as we walked up the steps there was a lovely garden just before the entrance of the museum.
However, entering through the museum door of the Crow Collection of Asian Art, we felt as if we had stepped into another world, one that was far removed from the heart of downtown Dallas, as we gazed upon the spectacular Mughal architectural Façade of Residence measuring 28 feet in length and 12 feet in height, and made of pierced red sandstone.
Mughal architectural Façade of Residence
Other highlights of our visit was seeing the exhibition of Shen Wei’s black and white compositions (runs until September 28, 2014), and The Jerry Lee Musselwhite Colleciton of Korean Art (runs until August 24, 2014), which is an exhibition of rare Korean ceramics and decorative arts.
Also of interest was the Jade Room, which is the largest collection of Qing dynasty jade in the United States and provided us with a very interesting and informative look at jade and how it has been used in China for nearly 7,000 years.
Crow Collection of Asian Art
The Crow Collection of Asian Art is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00 am – 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm, and Sunday from noon until 6:00 pm. The museum is closed on Monday. There is free admission, suggested donations are $7 for Adults, and $5 for Seniors. Visit the website www.CrowCollection.org for additional information on lectures and other programs.
Crow Collection of Asian Art
2010 Flora Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
Telephone: +1-214-979-6430
Fax: +1-214-979-6439
Website: www.CrowCollection.org
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/CrowCollection
Klyde Warren Park
Located directly across the street from the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center is the Klyde Warren Park, completed in 2012, that is a 5.2 acre public park, where the only limitation is your imagination. Fringed by food trucks on one side of the park and the Savor restaurant on the opposite side, the park is always a "happening," and is the perfect place to eat, relax, listen to music, people watch, or play.
Klyde Warren Park
The park has a diverse selection of games for visitors to play, or learn how to play, including petanque, croquet, chess, ping pong, and there is a putting green where we practiced our golf game with the complimentary use of putters and golf balls. In addition there are fitness classes, movie screenings, and on Thursdays there is a weekly music series featuring local musicians, DJs, Jazz, and more.
Debra and Edward practicing their putting
Families will appreciate the fun play areas for children, the reading and games room with books and magazines for all ages, and dog-lovers will enjoy My Best Friend’s Park, a special area for dogs where they can romp and rollick, make friends, and run through fountains.
Garden in Klyde Warren Park
There is also a Botanical Garden where we strolled admiring the pretty flowers, and before leaving the park, we posed between the large letters B and G, because, "Big Things Happen Here."
"Big Things Happen Here"
Klyde Warren Park is open daily from 6:00 am until 11:00 pm. Visit the website www.KlydeWarrenPark.org for additional program information.
Klyde Warren Park
2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75201
Telephone: +1-214-716-4500
Email: info@theparkdallas.org
Website: www.KlydeWarrenPark.org
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/KlydeWarrenParkDallas
Rodeo:
Cowboys (and Cowgirls) are a prominent part of the Dallas scene, and to experience the thrill of the rodeo we went to the Mesquite ProRodeo located on Rodeo Drive in Mesquite, Texas, just 12 minutes east of downtown Dallas, on their opening night of the rodeo season on Friday, May 30, 2014.
Rider Opens the Rodeo for the Evening
Founded in 1958, the Mesquite ProRodeo holds competitions every Friday and Saturday night from 7:30 pm until 9:30 pm during the 12- week rodeo season from the end of May through the third week in August in a climate-controlled, air-conditioned arena perfect for when the summer temperatures skyrocket.
Mesquite ProRodeo at its best
Rodeo categories include Roughstock events of Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, and Bull Riding, where the goal of the contestants is stay on the animal for 8 seconds. Although 8 seconds may not seem like a long time to you, for the contestants trying to hang on for points, 8 seconds must feel like a lifetime.
Bareback Riding
Timed events including Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Tie Down Roping, Steer Roping, and Barrel Racing have contestants competing against the clock to obtain the fastest time. If you have never experienced the excitement of watching a rodeo, you are in for a treat. Having read their Rodeo 101 informational fact sheet on their website we were ready for the action to begin, and action is exactly what we got! Yee haw!
Barrel Racing
The 2014 Mesquite ProRodeo schedule runs from May 30 until August 23. Visit their website www.MesquiteRodeo.com for information and ticket prices. Doors open at 6:30 pm, the rodeo starts at 7:30 pm and runs until 9:30 pm. Ticket Prices: Club Seats: Adults – $62, Kids (3-12 years) – $30, VIP Seats: Adults – $36, Kids – $18, Reserved Seats: Adults – $30, Seniors (60+ years) – $25, Kids – $15, and Roping Reserved Seats: Adults – $20, Seniors – $15, Kids – $10.
Yee-Haw – Let’s go Bullriding!!
Read more about our experience at the Mesquite ProRodeo in the Adventures section.
Mesquite ProRodeo
1818 Rodeo Drive
Mesquite, Texas 75149
USA
Telephone: +1-972-285-8777
Fax: +1-972-289-2999
Website: www.MesquiteRodeo.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MesquiteProRodeo
Culture and Cowboys are just a small sampling of what you can experience in the greater Dallas, Texas area. Come and discover for yourself why "everything is BIG in Dallas" and create your own memories.
For more information on Dallas, visit the website: www.VisitDallas.com.
Texas Motto – "Friendship"
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