I can hear you now. “The Weekly’s selling out, brah!” And, indeed, you’d have every right to be startled by our fancy cover. But slow your roll, kemosabe. First of all, this is not the first time an advertiser has purchased our front page. (Thanks, Shiner Brewery.) Secondly, if by “selling out” you mean “producing quality journalism in exchange for money,” then hells to the yeah! We’ll sell out every time, “brah”! (And if you have any problems with the quality of Absolut vodka, you can go tweet them to the wind.)
Lastly, devoting an entire issue to the visual arts in Fort Worth is not out of character for us, considering we constitute the only viable critical opinion on Tarrant County visual art –– like most daily papers, the Star-T is more concerned with educating readers than offering criticism.
The visual arts in Fort Worth are at a critical juncture. Walls of galleries and many nontraditional spaces are filling up with often groundbreaking work. However, a distinct lack of institutional support may mean that the artists behind those brilliant moments may have to satisfy their muses in Austin or New York City or L.A., leaving us with … with what, exactly? A colorless, flavorless, diversity-free backwater. That’s what.
The timing of our inaugural Art Issue corresponds with Fall Gallery Night, a blast for art lovers and for people who just like to eat their weight in free cheese cubes and guzzle free beer and wine. This Saturday’s citywide event is shaping up to be the craziest ever. Since the booze and noshes are free –– and since Uber has made getting to and from local destinations super-cheap –– you’ll finally be able to show your support of the arts the old-fashioned way: with greenbacks. –– Anthony Mariani
