This weekend’s A Touch of Nilsson & Newman in the Night marks the first festival at Arts Fifth Avenue since last week’s landmark 25th anniversary. It will feature live music and a movie screening. But first, the backstory, and, oh, what a (bug’s) life it’s been!
On Sep 11, 2001, a new Fort Worth arts organization, Arts Fifth Avenue, opened its doors and held its first classes.
“Every year since that infamous day, we have honored our anniversary with a solemn heart and a hope for the future,” said founder and artistic director Gracie Tune. “As we reflect on the past 25 years and ready ourselves to begin another year of classes and events, we will always remember how our world changed and honor the thousands of lives lost.”
When we spoke with Tune on the eve of her nonprofit’s 20th anniversary (“Hittin’ the Fort at Arts Fifth,” Sep 18, 2021), she gave us some insight into how it all started. The origin story begins earlier in 2001, when Peggy Bott Kirby — a Fort Worth performance artist, actor, singer, musical director, and longtime arts educator with deep roots in the city’s experimental theater community — approached her with an idea.
Tune recalls Kirby telling her that percussionist Eddie Dunlap and his Mondo Drummers were losing their space on the East Side, “and you’re the tap dancer — wouldn’t it be great for you and Eddie to come together and have a space for tapping and drums?”
Tune had already been running a nonprofit arts organization focused on tap dance in Fort Worth called Arts on Tap, so the idea resonated with her. She met up with Ralph Watterson, who owned property in the neighborhood, and asked if he had a space they could use. He brought them to the building on Fifth Avenue, and, as Tune recalls, “We said, oh, this is it. It’s on 5th Avenue, like Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.”
Its name, a playful nod to the famous retailer, was chosen to anchor its location and invite curiosity — and people came.
And so, Mondo Drummers and Arts on Tap came together under the Arts Fifth Avenue umbrella. What began as a space for tapping and drums has since grown into a multidisciplinary arts center.
“It’s grown to a gallery space,” Tune said. “There’s live music. There’s theater.”
As artistic director, Tune has brought legendary talent to Fort Worth over the years, hosting international icons such as the groundbreaking Savion Glover, Parisian tap master Sara Petronio, Broadway’s Ron Young, and her internationally recognized brother, Tommy Tune. Arts Fifth Avenue is also home to several popular annual events, including the Django Reinhardt Festival, the Remembering James Clay tribute concert, and the upcoming Nilsson/Newman festival.
A Touch of Nilsson & Newman in the Night, celebrating the music of Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman, is happening at Arts Fifth Avenue (1628 5th Ave, Fort Worth, 817-923-9500) this Sat, Sep 19, at 7pm. The evening starts with a screening of 1998’s A Bug’s Life, which features a soundtrack by Newman, followed by live music from the WillieNatra project (pianist Bob Francis, bassist, Steve McGinnis, vocalist Charles Schneider, guitarist/vocalist Paul Warren) and other special guests. Tickets are $20 at ArtsFifthAvenue.org.
