Can sports-lovers be turned into art-lovers? True, they sometimes overlap, but the Dallas Museum of Art had conversion in mind, I think, when it organized Big New Field: Artists In the Cowboys Stadium Art Program. And tourism.
The exhibit, which opened Dec. 5, is keyed to the Super Bowl, which will take place in February at the Cowboys Stadium — a first for Dallas, and thus a big deal. Lucky for the museum — others have tried outreach to sports fans by pandering — the $1.2 billion stadium has an art program. It includes 21 large-scale, site-specific art works in all, by such artists as Olafur Eliasson (whose The outside of inside is at left), Teresita Fernandez, Doug Aitken, Annette Lawrence, Lawrence Weiner, and Franz Ackermann (his My “Ready Now” is below). It was started in 2009 by Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones and his wife, Gene.
The museum’s exhibition features about 20 works by the same artists from its collection and from local private collections. More details here in a press release.
There’s more: According to Dallas Art News, the museum and stadium are offering a joint ticket, an Art Tour at Cowboys Stadium and admission to the DMA, for $16. Regular adult admission to the museum is $10, but it’s unclear — judging from the website — whether the stadium offers art tours regularly at all. But a self-guided tour of the entire stadium costs $17.50; VIP escorted tours are a tenner more.
DMA has planned other related programs as well.
When the Dallas Morning News reviewed the exhibit on Monday, it focused, interestingly, on scale.
Pieces more than 100 feet long that hang over concession stands in Arlington have siblings that are scaled for the museum’s walls. Still big, they are petite compared to those that are painted in escalator lobbies or hang over the four stadium entrances. The tone is different, too – the museum pieces are more contemplative than the dynamic stadium creations…
Artists were chosen for their ability to create large-scale works, and they didn’t disappoint, which is a facet lost in the museum.
…The most compelling aspect of the exhibition comes from appreciating how environment plays such a pivotal role in appreciating the nuances of a piece.
It’s a worthy experiment for the DMA. I can’t wait to hear how it all turns out.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Dallas Museum of Art