New & Noteworthy

Daily Dose

"WALK with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerul, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the CLOUDS and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a FIRE within you to leave this world better than when you found it."
- Peterson

Walk?? I say RUN! Life's too short!
-Alana ;)

The Future of Publishing...is here.

Everyone in the blogospheres can't get enough of "Lonny". A new e-zine aimed at replacing shelter magazines such as Domino that have fallen flat with the rest of the economy. Lonny features in detail articles with simple point and click features that will take you right to advertisers and products that have been uesed in designs - thus saving time and paper, perhaps not money since we are an instant gratification kind of group, us Americans, and will surely be spending more of it since all of this great design is so readily accessible to the masses. Well, upside...at least we can get the economy going again.

Also the beautiful point is that the group that got this going started with nothing, just had a passion and knew that they could fulfill a growing need to interior design addicts while making money....I am sure we will be hearing alot about Lonny and new e-zines in the next couple of years.

ART/architecture - Dallas Performing Arts Center

In many ways Fort Worth has cast a shadow over the Dallas Arts and Performing Arts scene, with its world class Bass Performance Hall, the Kimball and the Modern Art Musuem, among others. Now Dallas finally has it's chance to step up with the opening of the Dallas Arts District this month, showcasing the best in theater, opera, contemporary dance, ballet, music and other events.

The district will include more than 5 new venues - The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Dee and Charles Wyly Theater, Annette Strauss Artist Square, Margaret McDerrmott Performance Hall & Performance Park. Some of the highlights for the inagural week will include performances by Billy Crystal, Hillary Swank, Jose Carereras and others.

Above is the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House designed by Foster + Partners under Pritker Prize architect Norman Foster, in the 21st reinterperation of the "horseshoe" opera house, it will seat more than 2200 people. (This is the building we have all been trying not to get into wrecks while oogling the red glass panels that look like sails while on Woodall Rodgers.) Be sure not to miss the Dallas Opera season with the opening of Otello October 23rd, also to include performances of Cosi Fan Tutte, Don Pasquale, Moby Dick and one of my all time favorites, Madame Butterfly.

HIGHLIGHTS OF OPENING WEEK:

• OCT 12 8AM DEDICATION CEREMONY
• OCT 15 4PM FREE ARCHITECTURE FORUM WITH REM KOOLHAAS
• OCT 16 10:30AM FREE ARCHITECTURE FORUM WITH NORMAN FOSTER
• OCT16 4PM FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT WITH DAVID SANBORN
• OCT 18 100AM - 8PM SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY - FREE TOURS AND SPOTLIGHT PERFORMACE IN THE OPERA HOUSE AND SAMMONS PARK AND A FREE, BY-RESERVATION DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFOMANCE OF BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY CONDUCTED BY JAPP VAN ZWEDEN AT THE MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER

*Most grand opening events are free and open to the public. For a complete list click here.

Dallas AIA Tour of Homes

All architecture buffs and those just wanting to appreciate some innovative designs are welcome to purchase tickets for the upcoming AIA Dallas Tour of Homes, showcasing some of the finest modern residential architecture in Dallas - all by Texas based architects - including Jim Manning, mitchell/garman architects, and Ron Womack among others. This will be the third annual self-guided tour for the AIA society hosted by Papercity, Corgan and TKO. Tickets can be purchased here...

WHEN: Saturday November 7 & Sunday November 8 10AM - 5PM

**Premier Party Thursday November 5 6PM-8PM

COST: $25 Per Ticket - Or $10 For Individual Homes (Tickets can only be purchase online until October 21st - after that they can be purchased from the AIA Dallas Chapter Office or at the door during the tour (Cash Only)

Helping Hands

This weekend I had the honor to help sponsor an event with Baylor Health Care Systems to help honor and raise money for the Jeff Allen Education Fund, to help fund the education for his 5 children that he left behind this past year, all under the age of 18. A man that I have never met, however can see what a wonderful person he was and all of the lives that he touched, as even after his passing brought both smiles and tears to the faces and eyes of all present.

A special thank you to Lauren Law who chaired the event and did a fantastic job of bringing everyone together and making the daunting task of organizing an event such as this to be effortless. Also to Rick Smotherman of Precision Delivery Services who provided some of the furnishings and donated free delivery services for the event. Precision Delivery Services specialize in local and long distance delivery, home relocations, and hi-end furniture transport all while providing excellent customer care and white glove service. I also want to thank Lauren for introducing me to Rick Whittlesey, Executive Director of GO Nigeria - a Dallas based non-profit organization that provides humanitarian, eduacational, and chairtable support to orphans, widows, lepers and the blind living in extreme pverty in Nigeria.

Rick explained to me that the average life expectancy for a male is 45 years old, when this man dies he often leaves a widow and children. This widow has never been schooled or taught any trades in which to support her family, so the children are taken from her and go to the husband's living family members, however unimaginable it may be to live day to day not knowing where your next meal is coming from, but to have your children taken would be worse than any famine or disease.

Rick has started this organization to help these women learn trades, one of which they learn basic sewing skills and sells their bags that they make on his website. A mere 10 cents provides a meal for these people. You can also sponsor one of these orphans for $50 a month, providing food, water, medicine, care by staff, clothes and other basic needs. That is you basically taking a brown sack to lunch once a week instead of eating out - giving a child their livliehood. I always think that we can not help where and who we were born too, that by chance I was born in America, that if the stars were aligned some other way or by Someone's wishes I could be them, and vice versa. In the end we are all human beings - we all breathe the same air. Please take a look at his website and also his beautiful artwork and make a contribution, however large or small. Even one dollar will provide 10 meals...

Robert Allen/Sherwin Williams Host Colormix 2010

Interior designers are invited to Robert Allen and Sherwin Williams Colorcast 2010 where Jackie Jordan, CMG Director of Color Marketing for Sherwin-Williams will be exploring the key drivers of the color and design trends for the months ahead. This presentation will account for .1 CEU credit.

Thurday October 1, 2009 2-4

Robert Allen/Beacon Hill Showroom Dallas Design Center

Refreshments will be served

RSVP by September 28 to dallasevents@robertallendesign.com or call 214.741.5454 ext. 113