A R T

Relics that Confront the Museum

Michael Rakowitz, the 2020 Nasher Prize recipient, takes us through his projects from The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist in Art21’s Extended Play series.

His artwork addresses the Western perceptions, associations, and censorship towards Iraq. Ancient Iraqi relics have been stolen and placed within museums, as well as destroyed on location. Rakowitz uses reclaimed materials to rebuild these structures as their afterlives. If you’re in Dallas, you have until April 2021 to view a selection of his works at the Nasher. Tickets are available here.

D E S I G N

Illusionist Design

I want a wallpaper from Bradley L Bowers for every room in my home! I’m captivated by his designs inspired by optical illusions. Below is Striae Wallpaper / Brass, Ripple Wallpaper / Fuji, and Melange Wallpaper / Tundra, image source: Bradley L Bowers website.

L I T E R A T U R E

Collect Responsibly

Curator, advisor, collector, and gallerist Destinee Ross-Sutton wrote an amazing article, How to Responsibly Collect the Work of Black Artists published by Artsy. The major takeaways are; In the U.S. there are no legal obligations for resale royalties for visual artists. Also, most galleries have no terms or conditions other than mandating payment. Collecting art is an investment and responsibility. You really shouldn’t buy art to resale at a profit, don’t do that. If you have to sell your purchased work, communicate with the artist or gallery and give it 3-5 years. Obviously, take a look at the article it's important stuff to know as artists, collectors, and generally speaking!

L O C A L

Uri’s Affect on Texans

Acknowledging those who showed up during this time & featured ways to keep helping:

Unfortunately, lives were lost during the winter storm, some because of a lack of experience of what to when trying to keep warm. From Afiya Center’s resource guide I learned to; never use a gas range oven for heating, never sit in your car with the engine running and the garage closed, never burn charcoal, use a portable gas camp stove or use a generator indoors.

In relation, it’s not okay to make fun of or judge Texans right now. Also, the comparisons to states that regularly experience frigid temperatures aren’t valid. Instead, imagine no snowplows, salted roads, winter clothes, and add houses built to keep you cool, a corrupt faulty power grid, and little to no experience of walking or driving on ice.

Eastside Gems, a small vintage furniture business took initiative before the temperatures dropped. They were able to raise over $30,000 to secure hotel rooms for homeless neighbors along with food, clothes, bus passes, and new supplies. Donations are exceeding the emergency needs of the storm to continue to help the community.

Feed the People Dallas supplied water, food, and other items damaged by the storm. Let's continue to donate to small and involved organizations like this. If you’re not local to Dallas, show support through with cash here.

Camp Rhonda is a Dallas-based autonomous encampment organized by the Dallas Houseless Committee, a collective of unhoused neighbors, mutual aid organizations, and DSE members. They’re still in need of supplies ruined by the storm and for their abrupt relocation. For guidance on how to help, check their Instagram.

While helping our community, the following shelters in DFW experienced severe flood damage Jonathan’s Place, Mosaic Services, and OurCalling are accepting cash and goods donations.

Knowing why the power outages were so severe:

I encourage us all to do the research but in short, to avoid federal regulations, most of Texas runs on its own power grid called ERCOT.

From the ERCOT website:

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers -- representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 680+ generation units. It also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for 8 million premises in competitive choice areas. ERCOT is a membership-based 501 (c) (4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature. Its members include consumers, cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities, transmission and distribution providers and municipally owned electric utilities.

The president of ERCOT said we were minutes away from month-long blackouts. Let's contact the following people with questions, concerns, and comments.

• DeAnn T. Walker Public Utility Commission of Texas appointed by Governor Greg Abbott

  chairmanwalker@puc.texas.gov

• Arthur C. D’Andrea Commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas appointed by Governor Greg Abbott

  commissionerDAndrea@puc.texas.gov

• Woody Rickerson Vice President, Grid Planning and Operations

  “Mr. Rickerson oversees transmission planning, generator interconnection activities, training, and electric grid operations for the ERCOT region”

  wrickerson@ercot.com

  512-248-650

• Bill Magness President and CEO of ERCOT

  bmagness@ercot.com

  512-225-7076

• Chad Seely Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

  “Mr. Seely oversees state and federal regulatory and litigation issues related to the ERCOT region, including market, operational, planning, and compliance matters”

  chad.seely@ercot.com

  512-225-7035