With Bated Breath: Experiencing the Bates exhibit

This April marks Leon’s 50th trip around the sun and to celebrate, he took the Team to the David Bates exhibit at the Nasher Sculpture Center. We appreciate his making sure we get a regular dose of culture and some time out of the office. The exhibit is part of a first-time collaboration between the Nasher and The Modern in Fort Worth, where the two museums are simultaneously featuring the same artist but with emphasis on different works: Dallas has more sculpture and works on paper; Fort Worth has more paintings. 

If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s really wonderful. We were all completely fascinated by how convincingly many of Bates’ sculptures appear to be constructed out of various materials other than what they are — bronze. Even under the closest scrutiny, many appear to be made from scrap corrugate and pieces of wood. Add to that the inclusion of some pieces that actually are wood, and it made for a fun guessing game. Equally intriguing was the comparison and contrast of his three-dimensional interpretation of an object versus his painting, and seeing just how beautifully it translated from one medium to the other.

After all that art gazing, we of course had worked up a thirst and appetite, so we ventured over to St. Ann Restaurant and Bar for a lovely evening on the patio with cocktails and appetizers. Here’s to Leon having more birthdays!

— Kris Murphy, Senior Designer

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Trash Talk: Our New Client Stash Design

There’s something to be said about that old adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Especially in the hands of the creative minds at Stash Design, our newest clients. At a time with recycling is top of mind, they take it to a whole new level: upcycling — where discarded items from fence posts to metal scraps find new life and new purpose as unique and artistic furniture, fixtures and finish-out.  

If you’ve ever set foot in Bishop Arts hot spots Oddfellows or Bar Belmont, you’ve seen their work. Details from the door handles to seating and lighting and even the bar tops, floors and signage are the inspired touches of Stash designers Gary Buckner and Kim Linder. Not far from there, at The Foundry Bar on Fort Worth Avenue, they unexpectedly transformed re-purposed wood pallets into a spectacular outdoor stage — and next door at Chicken Scratch, you’ll find reclaimed wood used for the tables and quirky light fixtures made from old milk crates. Everywhere you look, there are layers of visual surprises. And Stash is keeping it local, with several other Dallas businesses having them to thank for their amazing interiors, each with its own flavor. You can see photos of all of them on the Stash Design site.  

So, all this is to say, we had a field day visiting their retail space on Lower Greenville to research (shop) the types of finished pieces they offer. That was followed by an excursion to their workshop in Oak Cliff, to peruse the endless raw materials they have collected from scrap yards and trash piles and to see where it all comes together. It was quite impressive. Now, with our newfound understanding of what Stash Design has to offer, we’ll go to work on helping them repackage their branding and marketing materials. Our first step will be to succinctly communicate exactly what they do in a positioning line — which will be fun but challenging. Keep your eyes out for a future blog to see the results of our own renovation project as we refresh their printed materials (on recycled paper, of course) and web site.

– Kris Murphy, Senior Designer

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The Perot Museum: An Inside Outing

Leon Banowetz graciously treated the Team to a day at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and to see the current exhibit of Animal Inside Out. If you aren’t familiar with the exhibit, it’s an absolutely amazing (albeit somewhat freaky, slightly disturbing) collection of skinned animals that have been filled with clear plastic. It’s a rare opportunity to see what lies beneath all the hair and fur up close and personal. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a full-sized giraffe towering over you, in a sense, naked. The process used (Plastination) and the attention to detail are remarkable. It certainly had us awed, despite the inevitable jokes and goofing off that occurs when you get the group of us together off the clock.

While waiting for our turn to see Animal Inside Out, we had to opportunity to explore the rest of the museum (or most of it), which was a first for some of us. Admittedly, it was even more impressive than I expected and it really warranted an entire day to completely take in all of the displays and factoids. An absolute favorite for several of us was the Lyda Hill Gems and Minerals Hall, where the sheer color, geometry and design of some of the various crystals as found in nature was breathtaking. And of course, riding the great big escalator in the glass tube was pretty cool, too. Something about science museums just brings out the kid in everyone — even if they’re kids with achy feet and backs. 

After working up an appetite, we relocated to Savor, the gastropub at Klyde Warren Park, for drinks and appetizers where we enjoyed the view of downtown, deviled eggs and a few good laughs before calling it a night. All in all, it was a great outing. I am already looking forward to a return trip to the Perot Museum (this time in tennies), and I’d like to try the patio at Savor when the weather isn’t sub thirty. But it’s nice to live in a city that offers so many great options for a field trip, and to have co-workers that make taking a field trip so much fun. 

– Kris Murphy, Senior Designer