Want a little shot of culture to go with that latte? No need to travel to the downtown arts’ district or to
With its red-brick Georgian architecture and signature dome-topped Dallas Hall, the building has long served as an identifying feature of Southern Methodist University. But, if Edmund “Ted” Pillsbury and the staff at the
Though open nearly 40 years, the museum’s recent expansion into its new digs on
has not attracted the acclaim that a cultural attraction of this caliber should. A year into his directorship of the nearly 40-year-old collection, Pillsbury intends to change that benevolent neglect with a schedule of traveling exhibits, gallery talks, evening lectures, film screenings, and concerts against a backdrop that includes, according to their website, “some of the world’s greatest painters, Renaissance altarpieces, monumental Baroque canvases, Impressionist landscapes, modernist abstractions and a select group of sculptures by major 20th-century masters.”
The museum opened in 1965. Before that, Algur Meadows was a prominent
Santiago Calatrava’s outdoor sculpture “The Wave” greets museum visitors with slender bands of steel rising and falling like synchronized xylophone keys. This playful outdoor installation introduces visitors to the masterpieces waiting within this jewel-box of a museum situated in the heart of the Park Cities. And now, visitors can begin their experience of the wealth and breadth of Algur Meadows’ personal collection from the moment they enter the museum. Pillsbury has repositioned sculpture and paintings from the second floor to the first-floor corridors, which transforms those empty halls into intimate, welcoming galleries.
Upcoming and current traveling exhibitions include, “Painting a New World: Mexican Art and Life 1521-1821,” from the
Docents are available to lead tours of 10-30 people, and the event schedule this fall includes a series of “Artful Thursday Evenings” that feature a discussion group in Spanish and a book club meeting in English on works with connections to the museum. And, in an effort to increase community attendance, the museum stays open late three evenings a week and maintains weekend hours as well. Check out current museum exhibits and activities on the Web site, meadowsmuseumdallas.org. Parking is easy and convenient in the garage, situated underneath the museum. And an entrance fee of $8 for adults ($5 after 4 p.m.; children under 12 free) makes this European art excursion the most reasonable bargain you’ll ever experience.