Things to Do

The Carter Museum to Host Free 60th Birthday Bash

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is turning 60 in September. The Carter celebrates their 60th Birthday Bash on September 25, 2021, with six hours of art-inspired activities and live music. The free party runs from 4-10 p.m. on Saturday.

DJ Ronnie Heart kicks off the live music sets at 6:30 p.m. He is followed by Americana musician Shakey Graves at 8 p.m. The Austin musician’s music combines blues, folk, country, and rock. His debut album, Roll the Bones, gained him national attention upon its release ten years ago. He has toured with such artists as Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe, and Old Crow Medicine Show. Graves received the Best Emerging Artist Award at the American Music Awards in 2015. The live entertainment ends with a spectacular fireworks show on the Carter’s lawn.

A variety of free creative experiences are offered during the event. Hands-on activities and gallery tours are led by Carter Community Artists. Visitors can learn about the Carter’s 60 years of art with the Art Discovery Guide, contribute to the community family photo album, sign the giant 60th birthday card, or create 3D paper artworks of their own.

Two New Exhibitions

The Carter Museum to Host Free 60th Birthday Bash

Photo: Shakey Graves photo by Magen Buse

The Carter also invites visitors to explore two new exhibitions that open September 25. “Imagined Realism: Scott and Stuart Gentling,” highlights the work of the two Fort Worth artists and runs through January 9, 2022. Featuring over 150 works and archival objects, the exhibition is part of a multi-year initiative to further the scholarship and research on these two artists. The project began in conjunction with the establishment of the Gentling Study Center at the Carter in 2019. Imagined Realism demonstrates the Carter’s longstanding work with Texas artists to contextualize the practices of local and regional art within the American canon. The exhibition is grounded by the museum’s extensive archival collection, which is dedicated to preserving artistic legacies.

“Anila Quayyum Agha: A Beautiful Despair” features sculptural installations and related drawings by the multidisciplinary Pakistani-American artist, runs through January 9, 2022. Using metal armatures of open geometric and curvilinear designs to encase a single light source, Agha will produce a meditative space filled with ornate patterns of light and shadow. Bridging modern and traditional materials with historic and contemporary meanings, her installation at the Carter will be accompanied by a new series of drawings that incorporate textile processes like wax, dyes and embroidery to reposition practices of traditional domestic servitude as a fine art form. The exhibition continues the museum’s history of telling the complex stories and identities that have defined American art history as well as supporting artists who are reinventing traditional modes of works on paper.

Free 60th Birthday Bash

The Carter Museum to Host Free 60th Birthday Bash

Photo: The Carter

“The Carter is thrilled to celebrate our 60th anniversary with a free, fun event with our community, who have played such a vital role on the past six decades of the Carter,” said Andrew J. Walker, the museum’s Executive Director. “With an evening of art, activities, and live music from the talented Shakey Graves, we know it will be a night to remember ending with the biggest birthday candles we could find—a fireworks show overlooking downtown Fort Worth from our lawn.”

Local food trucks will be on-site offering a variety of dining options for visitors to purchase. Carter museum members receive access to a VIP area with free drinks and lite bites. Pan Ector is back by popular demand with Fort Worth-themed T-shirts that are screen printed on-site.

Free tickets are available online beginning July 1. Tickets are required for all ages, including infants and toddlers. Free parking is available at the UNT Health Science Center lot and east garage on Clifton Street (north of the museum). Additional paid parking is also available at the Eastern Heritage Garage on Gendy Street and other parking lots at the Will Rogers Memorial Center.

The Carter Museum

The Carter Museum to Host Free 60th Birthday Bash

Photo: Shakey Graves photo by Magen Buse

For more information about the Carter’s 60th Birthday Bash, parking and accessibility, call 817.738.1933 or email [email protected]. Visit the museum’s website and follow Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates. Will Rogers Road will be closed between Lancaster Avenue and Camp Bowie Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the day of the event. No pets or outside food and drink are allowed at the event.

Presenting Sponsor is Meador Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, with additional support by Luther King Capital Management, The Projects Group, William E. Scott Foundation, and the Board of Trustees and the Ambassador Council of the Carter.