DENTON (UNT), Texas — The University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design will next month open ArtSpace Dallas, a gallery that will showcase works of CVAD’s students, faculty and renowned alumni, as well as exhibitions from the internationally acclaimed Texas Fashion Collection.
Located in downtown Dallas, the new gallery will connect the UNT and Dallas arts and civic communities, while providing a venue to promote acclaimed artists who have worked or studied at the university. Innovative in outlook, UNT Artspace Dallas will present experimental, pivotal and breakthrough projects.
The gallery opens to the public Dec. 5, with a grand opening in February.
“We envision this gallery becoming part of the downtown Dallas experience,” said Tracee Robertson, director of UNT Galleries. “Art brings us together and gives us so much to think about. We grow and learn through encounters with art, and this gallery will allow us to serve those who live and work in downtown.”
Formerly, the UNT Artspace Dallas facility housed Fashion on Main, which was the exhibit space for UNT’s Texas Fashion Collection. Officials from CVAD decided to expand the mission of the gallery and renovate the space, which will continue to feature pieces from the Texas Fashion Collection. The collection includes 18,000 pieces of historic fashion and accessories.
The inaugural exhibition of UNT Artspace Dallas will feature works created by four faculty fellows of the UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts. The program grants UNT faculty one semester off from teaching to focus on research and to work on projects that are capturing national attention, further raising the profile of UNT as a center for artistic excellence, research and education.
Featured artists will be: Dornith Doherty, photography professor; Vincent Falsetta, painting professor; Robert Jessup, painting professor; and Lesli Robertson, fibers senior lecturer.
The exhibition will run Dec. 5 through Jan. 11, 2014.
Robert Milnes, dean of the College of Visual Arts and Design, said UNT Artspace Dallas will host innovative and groundbreaking pieces, reflecting the work being produced at UNT. Gallery openings will be coordinated with the openings of the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas (CADD) galleries in nearby Deep Ellum.
“UNT Artspace Dallas will provide our artists and designers with a prime location in the flourishing Main Street area of downtown Dallas,” Milnes said. “And it will complement the offerings of CVAD’s four galleries and UNT on the Square in Denton, which already feature more than 100 exhibitions a year.”
UNT Artspace Dallas is on the first floor of University Center Building, 1901 Main Street. Hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Parking is available in the Elm Street Garage for a fee or in metered spots along Main Street.