June 28 — July 26, 2014
Longitude/Latitude Part I
Joan Winter, Michael Tole, Ludwig Schwarz, Jeff Baker, Matt Clark, Annabel Daou, Billy Hassell, Vincent Falsetta, Heyd Fontenot, Lance Letscher, Susan Kae Grant, Ted Larsen, Steven J. Miller, Roberto Munguia, Susie Phillips, Dr. Fahamu Pecou, Ellen Berman, Susan Barnett
OPENING: SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2014 6-8PM
Celebrating 30 years since its inception, Conduit Gallery is pleased to present Longitude/Latitude, an exhibition in two parts that will highlight art works, past and present, of gallery artists.
Longitude/Latitude is designed to be a pathway for viewers to experience a visual record of the oeuvres of gallery artists. The exhibitions will also illustrate some of the ideas and concepts presented during the 30 years of Conduit Gallery’s programming.
Over the course of three months, Nancy Whitenack and Danette Dufilho made numerous studio visits with the explicit mission to curate shows that placed past works such as studio treasures and works held in private collections along side new works by the same artist. The end result is a surprising and wonderful opportunity to celebrate the work of a remarkable group of artists, with the opportunity to look back as well as focus on new explorations.
A History of Conduit Gallery: Conduit Gallery began in a store front space which opened to the public on March 17, 1984. The gallery was filled to the brim with smokers and drinkers who christened the 2814 Elm Street space. The inaugural exhibition was work by sculptor Shep Miers, an MFA graduate of The University of Dallas. The gallery shared a wall with the Video Bar, a Bart Weiss concept serving drinks and video into the night, with crashing, ear-banging music shared unhappily by the gallery owner. Motorcycle shops, resident panhandlers and stray cats were the predominate themes in this Deep Ellum neighborhood of the 80’s, along with artists’ studios and start-up art galleries.
In 1991, the gallery moved to the 3200 Main Street building, home to Undermain Theater, and formerly Michelle Herling and DW galleries. The first exhibition was a solo show of Tom Orr, who because he made large, heavy work, treated the new gallery walls to large holes left to be patched at the end of the show. This ushered in a “no holes barred,” “anything goes” attitude by the gallery staff. It has served the gallery well, as the gallery mission has been to show exciting, innovative and challenging work, which sometimes involves major alterations to the physical space.
In 2001, negotiations started for a space in the Dallas Design District, and the first show opened in the current location at1626 Hi Line Drive, on May 11, 2002, with a group show of works by James Sullivan, Annabel Daou, Lance Letscher and Johnny Robertson. It was a great move for the gallery, tripling the amount of exhibition space and business. Subsequently, an influx of contemporary art galleries have moved into the area, creating a thriving gallery district which has greatly enhanced contemporary arts in the city.
Danette Dufilho has been with the gallery since 2001, rewarding the gallery with 13 years of uncompromising dedication to the gallery and its artists. She has grown from a fledgling to a director extraordinaire, with a commanding knowledge of contemporary art, and a deep understanding and connection to the artists represented by Conduit. She has been the curator of the Project Room since the move to the Design District and has cast a wide net in consideration of the exhibitions she chooses for the space. She is nonpareil.