AUGUST EVENTS OPENERS

Naive Paintings From the National Gallery

For many art lovers, naive painting is an acquired taste. The awkward drawing, especially of the human figure, the severely flattened space, and the peculiar perspective that mark the work of the folk artist may make a painting valuable, but these traits hardly recommend it to eyes accustomed to the exact vision of the camera. And yet within the past fifty years, interest in naive painting has blossomed, thanks to the tastes of modern, abstract painters and a few enlightened collectors. Of all the collectors, none was more discerning or more aggressive in the search for this kind of work than Col. Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch of Pokety Farms, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The Garbisches sought out and bought the best examples of 19th-century naive art they could find and eventually presented more than 250 works from their collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It is from this treasury that the sixty works have been gathered for “American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art” at the Amon Carter Museum (which, itself, received thirteen works from the Garbisch collection).

The show includes “The Cat,” by an anonymous artist, and W.H. Brown’s “Bareback Riders,” and a version of Edward Hick’s wonderful religious allegory, “Peaceable Kingdom,” as well as that artist’s masterpiece, “The Cornell Farm.”

“American Naive Paintings from the National Gallery of Art” will run Aug 2-Sept 21 at the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. Tue 10-8, Wed-Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5:30. (817) 738-1933.

-Ken Barrow



Dallas Gilbert and Sullivan Society

August is the traditional vacation month for the classical music establishment: Beethoven, Bach, and Puccini rest on the shelf or retreat into the practice room while the practitioners of the art take a break from performing.

But for the Dallas Gilbert and Sullivan Society-a hearty group of volunteers including computer programmers, music teachers, and people from many other walks of life- August is the busiest month of the year.

This year, the ambitious operetta buffs turn to a less well-known work by this famous team, The Sorcerer.

Though the effort is entirely volunteer, many of those involved are music and theater professionals who have a special interest in Gilbert and Sullivan. But the underlying motive, as the company’s music director Chuck Adkins points out, is a good time: “We all like Gilbert and Sullivan and we decided to have a little fun,” he says.

People who want to watch the fun can see the production of The Sorcerer on Aug 1 & 2 at 8 pm and Aug 3 at 3 pm at Garland Center for the Performing Arts, 300 N 5th, Garland. Tickets $8 in advance and $9 at the door. 247-2645.

-Wayne Lee Gay



Summer’s End Picnic at the Dallas Arboretum

This Labor Day weekend, visitors to the Dallas Arboretum at White Rock Lake will be the first to view the newly restored DeGolyer Gardens. “Summer’s End” is a family picnic sponsored by the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden where everyone is invited to stroll through the forty-four-acre gardens. Guests can enjoy public tours and picnicking throughout the holiday weekend.

Originally built in 1940, The DeGolyer Gardens have been completely restored through a $750,000 grant from the Meadows Foundation. The gardens’ original beauty has been revived throughout the terraces, walkways, fountains, and promenades.

New features have been added, including a walled Mexican courtyard, complete with blooming summer and fall annuals and an octagonal Spanish gazebo with breathtaking views of White Rock Lake and East Dallas landmarks like Winfrey Point and H.L. Hunt’s Mount Vernon-both located on the lake shore. Also, the new walkway-part of a $55 million, four-part master plan-provides complete access for the physically impaired. This convenient path begins at the DeGolyer mansion and winds through the gardens, terraces, and lawns.

Known originally as “Rancho Encinal,” the DeGolyer estate was previously the site of a dairy farm. The thirteen-room, one-story mansion (designed by California architects Denman Scott and Burton Schutt, who also designed Dallas-based Rosewood Hotel’s Hotel Bel Air) was built in 1938 and 1939 by Texas oilman Everette DeGolyer and his wife Nell Goodrich.

Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children six through twelve, and free for children under six. Entrance to the gardens is at 8525 Garland Road. Trams are available for the elderly or physically handicapped. For information and directions call the arboretum at 327-8263.

-Jamie Holland

Art



Ancient Faces. Masks have been used in rituals and religious ceremonies in Mexico since prehistoric times, but the masks fashioned in the two centuries since the arrival of the Spanish, with their mixture of two cultures, are especially bizarre and colorful More than one hundred examples of this enduring folk art, depicting devils and saints, Moors and Christians, jaguars and birds, and even old man death, are included in “Ancient Faces: The Mask in Modern Mexico” at Fort Worth’s Museum of Science and History, 1501 Montgomery in Fort Worth. Mon-Thur 9 am-5 pm, Fri & Sat 9 am-8:30 pm. Sun noon-5 654-1356.

Arts Koutroulis. In his first show in the Dallas area, this veteran New York artist binds long strips of linen to canvas using a viscous mixture of acrylic paints. Through July 29 at Nimbus Gallery, 1135 Dragon St. Mon-Fri 10-5, Sat 11-4. 742-1348.

American Drawings. These eighty works, selected from the collection of the Arkansas Arts Center and including such artists as Andrew Wyeth, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jim Dine, survey 20th-century developments and attitudes. Through Aug 2 in the Meadows Gallery, Meadows School of the Arts, SMU. Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5. 692-3510.

Musée d’Orsay. This stunning collection of 19th-century paintings, sculpture, photographs, and decorative objects from Paris’s newest art museum is previewed before its opening later in the year in a restored Belle Epoch railroad station. Through Aug 3 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N Harwood. Tue, Wed. Fri, Sat 10-5; Thur 10-9; Sun noon-5. 922-0220.



The Texas Kid’s Life Cycle

Willard Watson and Dallas go back a long way together. He arrived here by train from Louisiana a quarter-century ago-a former cotton-picker, cook, plumber, upholsterer, and self-taught artist. His observant and imaginative sculptures and drawings eventually earned him a large following and a nickname, “The Texas Kid.” Earlier this year, a group of friends presented the Dallas Museum of Art a portfolio of twelve drawings called “Life Cycle,” in which the Kid has recorded his own history and that of the city he has come to call home. Through Aug 31 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Har-wood. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-5; Thur 10-9; Sun noon-5. 922-0220.

Texas Time Machine. A group of twenty-nine contemporary artists looks at 150 years of Texas history. Through Aug 4 in the Sheraton Gallery, Sheraton Dallas Hotel. 400 N Olive St. Daily 10-10. 922-8000.

Focus Dallas. Over a year ago, ten of the most imaginative photographers in town were asked to take a hard look at the city and its people; here’s what they saw. Through. Aug 6 in the Community Showcase, Central Public Library, 1515 Young St. Mon-Sat 9 am-5 pm, Sun 1 pm-5 pm, or by appointment. 749-4100.

Four Site Sculptors. Architecture, landscape design, and even industrial engineering all merge with sculpture in the works of Alice Aycock, Richard Fleischner, Mary Miss, and George Trakas. Through Aug 10 at the Dallas Museum of Art. 1717NHarwood. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-5; Thur 10-9; Sun noon-5.922-0220.

Aaron Siskind. This exhibit surveys a half century of work-evocative, poetic, lyrical, sometimes mystical- by this often-underrated American photographer. Through Aug 10 at the Dallas Museum of Art. 1717 N Harwood. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-5; Thur 10-9: Sun noon-5. 922-0220.

Kathleen Morris. Eerie and sometimes grotesque figures in garish colors dominate the oils and monotypes by this Santa Fe artist. Through Aug 22 at Beverly Gordon Gallery, 2702 McKinney, Suite 101. Mon-Fri 9:30-5:30. Sat 11-3. 741-9600.

Blood of Kings. Based on recent breakthroughs in Maya research, especially in reading the Mayan language, this exhibit penetrates the mind of the ancient people in a way few art exhibits ever attempt. Through Aug 24 at the Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun 11-5. (817) 332-8451.

Contemporary Texas. Sixteen photographers, commissioned by the Texas Historical Foundation, take a look at the state and its people. Through Aug 24 at the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. Tue 10-8, Wed-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5:30. (817) 738-1933.

French Impressionists. An exhibit of works by Monet, Pissarro, Cassatt, Degas, and their lesser-known followers marks the one hundredth anniversary of the eighth and last impressionist independent exhibition in Paris. Through Aug 30 at Hall Galleries, Inc., Suite 370 in the Crescent, 2200 Cedar Springs. Mon. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-6; Thur 10-7. 871-3400.

New Artists. This gallery introduces four new Texas artists: Mark Todd, who paints mysterious and disjointed symbols with gouache and conte crayon on paper; Cameron Schoepp. whose wood and plexiglass constructions incorporate fluorescent lights; and oil painters Kent Matricardi and Michael Wynne. Through Aug at Foster Goldstrom, 2722 Fairmont. Tue-Sat 10:30-5:30. 744-0711.

John Albok and Ferne Koch. Albok arrived in New York from Hungary in the Twenties and Koch arrived in Daleville, Alabama, in the Fifties, but both had cameras and a desire to record what they saw in their new homes. Through Aug 31 at Allen Street Gallery, 4101 Commerce St Wed-Fri noon-5, Sat 10-4. Sun 1-5. 821-8260.

Rembrandt. He lost his shirt trying to sell them, but the Dutch master’s etchings of “The Life of Christ” remain among his greatest, most compelling, and most revolutionary works. Through Aug 31 at the Biblical Arts Center, 7500 Park Lane. Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5. 691-4661.

Letters and Numbers. The second in a series of special summer shows for kids demonstrates how, in the hands of a Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Kurt Schwitters, or Andy Warhol, numerals and the alphabet can become a thing of elegance and beauty. Through Aug31 at the Fort Worth Art Museum, 1309 Montgomery St. Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun 1 -5. (817) 738-9215.

Hiroshige. One of the greatest print series ever made, the fifty-five woodblocks of “The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” by the great 17th-century Japanese master, Ichiryusai Hiroshige, are displayed as a group. Through Sept 28 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N Harwood. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-5; Thur 10-9; Sun noon-5. 922-0220.

Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. A special exhibit of works in black and white joins the regular collection of works by the two best-loved painters of the American West. Through Aug in the Sid Richardson Collection, 309 Main St in Fort Worth. Tue-Fri 10-5, Sat 11-6, Sun 1-5. (817)332-6554.



Enlightenment



China: 7,000 Years Of Discovery. Larger than the famed King Tut exhibit, this exhibit of the secrets of ancient China is at the Science Place at Fair Park. In addition to displays, eighteen Chinese artisans demonstrate the processes their ancestors used to invent many of the useful, often beautiful products of China such as paper making, silk weaving, printing, kite making, and embroidery. Through Dec 15 in the Science Place’s renovated facility, the former art museum building. Tue-Sun 9:30 am-6:30 pm. Closed Mon. Tickets available through Ticketron 640-7500.



Theater



Brighton Beach Memoirs. Baseball, girls, and writing are the passions of young Eugene, in this warm comedy that Neil Simon based on his own teenage experiences. Set in Brooklyn in 1937, the crowded household includes mom, dad, a worldly older brother named Stanley, plus dingy Aunt Blanche and her two daughters. The family weathers every crisis, from asthma to unemployment, with a combination of spirit and cynical wit… and Eugene records it all with great flourish in his diary. Aug 27-Sept 21 at Dallas Repertory Theatre, NorthPark Center (outside Joske’s), Park Lane at N Central Expwy. Tue-Sat 8:15 pm; Sun 3 pm & 7 pm. Tickets $16 Fri-Sat; $13 Sun; $14 Tue-Thur. 369-8966.

Casa Manana. Aug 4-16: “South Pacific” takes you to the tropics during WWII for a tale of two romances that cross cultural barriers, when visiting Yanks are attracted to residents of an exotic island on which they’re stationed. The 1949 hit is charmingly corny today, and features such famous Rodgers & Hammerstein tunes as “Some Enchanted Evening” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair!” Aug 18-30: “Camelot” is an enduring medieval legend brought to life by Noel Harrison in the role of King Arthur. It seems Arthur and his new queen Guenevere might live happily ever after. . . until the arrival of a new knight, Lancelot, at Arthur’s Round Table. The romantic rivalry is set to a sweet, timeless score by Frederick Loewe. 3101 W Lancaster, Fort Worth. Mon-Fri 8:15 pm; Sat 2 pm & 8:15 pm. $13 Mon; $14 Tue-Thur; $15 Fri-Sat; $11 Sat matinee. (817) 332-6221.

Cinderella. A musical version of the fairy tale classic about a lovely girl who triumphs over her dour step-mother with the help of a fairy godmother. Cinderella arrives at the lavish palace ball just in time to fall in love with handsome Prince Charming. . . but when she dashes out at the stroke of midnight, will he ever be able to find her again? Romance – and the music of Rodgers & Hammerstem – for young and old alike. Aug 8-10 at the Garland Center for Performing Arts, 300 N 5th at Austin, Garland Fri 10 am & 7:30 pm; Sat 7:30 pm; Sun 3 pm. Tickets $6 adults. $3 children. 272-9122.

Dallas Summer Musicals. Aug 5-17: “Stop the World. I Want to Get Off!” features talented Anthony Newley. the play’s co-author, in the leading role of Lit-tlechap. a man moving up the ladder of success without really noticing anyone but himself. Clown costumes and sensational songs (like “What Kind of Fool Am I?”) add an unusual perspective to Littlechap’s empty series of affairs and career moves. Aug 19-31: “Dream-girls” is loosely patterned after the Supremes and the Motown sounds that made them famous. The show won six Tony Awards when it first opened on Broadway in 1982. A national touring company cast performs. At Fair Park Music Hall. Tue-Sat 8:15 pm; Sun 2:30 pm and 8:15 pm. Tickets $5-$35 apiece. 787-2000.

Grimm Magician Players. Theatre Three’s Grimm Magician Players opens its eighth season of children’s theater in Dallas with the original Grimm Brothers’ version of “Cinderella.” at the Museum Auditorium, Dallas Museum of Art. 1717 N Harwood. July 26 at 11 am and Aug 2 a! 11 am & 1 pm. 871-3300.

Cabbages and Kings. Cabbages and Kings, the Professional Theatre for all Children, brings classical tales of light energy, and gravity to life in the free presentation of “Candle Power.” Aug 9,16, & 23 at 11 am at the Museum Auditorium, Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N Harwood. 922-0220.

Lies and Legends. “The musical stories of Harry Chapin were compiled by his brothers and former manager Ken Kragen (best known lately as organizer of “Hands Across America”). Chapin, who died in 1981, was as well known for his humanitarian pursuits as his musical genius-half of all his concerts were benefits, mostly to combat world hunger. “When in doubt, do something,” he was fond of saying. This musical revue mixes hits like “Taxi” and “W-O-L-D” with lesser known Chapin compositions. At Theatre Three in the Quadrangle, 2800 Routh. Tue-Sat 8:15 pm; Sun 2:30 pm and 7 pm. Tickets $14.50 Fri-Sat; $13.50 Sun; $12.50 Tue-Thur. 871-3300.

The Marriage of Bette and Boo. Who could survive wedded bliss with families like these? The play follows three decades of insanity, alcoholism, illness. . and amazingly enough, it’s a riot! Bette and Boo’s in-laws are either mean or unintelligible; the couple suffers a series of stillbirths, but one son survives to serve as narrator of this truly bizarre comedy. At Circle Theatre, 3460 Bluebonnet Circle, Fort Worth, through Aug 16. Thur-Sat 8:15 pm; Sun 3:15 pm. Tickets Thur & Sun $7.50; Fri-Sat $9. (817) 921-3040.



Music



Dallas Symphony Starfest. Aug 2: Peter, Paul and Mary. Aug 3: Air Supply. All concerts at 8:15 pm at Park Central, Coit at LBJ. Lawn tickets $14 ($12 with coupon in advance, $10.50 in groups of twenty or more, children under twelve free when accompanied by an adult) 692-0203.

Lyric Opera of Dallas. Eric Shilling stars as Sir Joseph Porter in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, with Gillian Knight as Buttercup, Jill Blalok as Josephine, Kenneth Wood as Ralph Rackstraw, Thomas Ham-mons as Dick Deadeye, and James Rensink as The Captain. John Burrows will conduct and Dugg McDon-ough directs this new production featuring authentic costumes on loan from the London Savoyards, with performances Aug 1 & 2 at 8 pm and Aug 3 at 2:30 pm and 6 pm at the Plaza Theatre. 6719 Snider Plaza. Tickets $26.50-$7. 522-5653.



Recreation



Roy Clark Easter Seals Benefit. A concert featuring Grammy award-winning performer Roy Clark will be held Sat, Aug 23 at 10 pm at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth. Proceeds will benefit Easter Seals societies in both Dallas and Tarrant counties. Tickets are $8 for general admission. Reserved tickets include a barbecue dinner, limited free drinks, and reserved seating for the evening. Reserved tickets are $50-$150. Patrons holding $150 tickets will also be able to enjoy a live bull riding exhibition and other benefits. (817) 336-8693 or (214)358-5261.

Weekend to Wipe Out Cancer. A second weekend of events benefiting children’s cancer research will begin at the Willow Bend Polo and Hunt Club Sat. Sept 6 at 8 am with a 10K run and a One Mile Fun Run. Entry fee $10 before Sept 2. $12 after. 369-0534. The benefit will continue at Willow Bend with a private pre-gala sponsor cocktail party and polo match at 6:30 pm Sept 6 followed by the “Weekend to Wipe Out Cancer” Gala featuring the People’s Choice Female Entertainer, country-western star Barbara Mandrell. Dinner, casino games, and dancing will be part of the festivities. 871 -9320. Wrapping up the weekend at Willow Bend will be a polo game, open to the public, Sept 7 from 5 pm-6:30 pm followed by a Dallas Symphony performance under the stars from 7 pm-8:30 pm. Admission $12 613-2004.



Sports



Texas Rangers. Arlington Stadium, Arlington. Tickets $8.50-$5 for reserved seats, $3.75 for general admission, $2.25 for children 13 and under; available at Rainbow-Ticketmaster outlets, Sears stores, and Arlington Stadium ticket office. Home games start at 7:35 pm unless otherwise noted. Metro 273-5100.

Aug 8-10 Toronto

12-14 Milwaukee

22-24 Chicago

25-27 Boston