Now in its 11th year, the Dallas Art Fair opens Friday by welcoming almost 100 exhibitors from 30 cities spread on five continents around the world. But it took care of its own on Thursday by announcing, for the fourth straight year, its annual selection of works designated for the permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art.
It's part of the Dallas Art Fair Foundation Acquisition Program, which has allocated $450,000 for such works, with $150,000 earmarked for the 2019 selections.
The eight artists named Thursday, with the birthplace of each in parentheses, are: Sheila Hicks (Hastings, Neb.), Don Dudley (Los Angeles), Arcmanoro Niles (Washington, D.C.), Samuel Levi Jones (Marion, Ind.), Emmanuel Van der Auwera (Belgium), Maja Ruznic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Nobutaka Aozaki (Kagoshima, Japan) and Dike Blair (New Castle, Pa.).
"The program has created a strong relationship between the fair and the museum," said Kelly Cornell, director of the Dallas Art Fair.
Embrace your self worth, not your net worth.
Agustín Arteaga, Eugene McDermott director of the Dallas Museum of Art, and Dallas Art Fair director Kelly Cornell listen to speakers during the announcement of the fourth annual Dallas Art Fair Foundation Acquisition Program, on April 11, 2019 at the Fashion Industry Gallery in downtown Dallas.
Agustín Arteaga, director of the Dallas Museum of Art, was among those making the final decisions that led to the eight selections. He and Cornell spoke at a press conference held Thursday at Fashion Industry Gallery, where the fair will run through Sunday. There will be a private gala tonight before the fair opens to the public Friday morning.
"The fair," Arteaga said, "provides this great opportunity of making visible these fabulous artists of our time."
Arteaga said he valued the chance to "bring to the forefront" the works of contemporary artists showcased at the fair.
Anna Katherine Brodbeck, the DMA's senior curator of contemporary art, who assisted Arteaga and others in making the selections, said the artists whose works were chosen "exemplify the historical strengths of our collection as well as our commitment to inclusivity across categories of nationality, race, gender and medium."
Arteaga noted that the chosen works include two paintings, two "objects of sculpture," two works of fabric and one work of paper, created by artists that range in age from their 30s to their late 80s.
Brodbeck lauded the selections for their ability "to tell the story of what we can do today with art."