Welcome to “The Program”, a new video art event that we hope will become part of the cultural landscape of Dallas. For years we have been screening video art at the Dallas Video Festival, along with others in town who have been including video in their exhibition schedule from the Dallas Museum of Art to the And/or Gallery and everything in between. In putting together “The Program”, we have tried to convey a sense of where video artists are working today. We have been very lucky to get an extraordinary collection of artists for you to see. They work in different genres, come from varied aesthetic approaches and have budgets all over the place.  Galleries and museums have certainly joined in our festival’s celebration of video art through the years, but I don’t know of any event quite like this one. After 20 years of doing the video festival the way we have done it, it is time to evolve the platform.

My fellow curators have traveled far and wide to obtain some really amazing work. I want to thank Carolyn Sortor and Dee Mitchell, whom I both respect and admire for their dedication, as much as for their expertise. I have learned so much from working with them.  I am not used to curating by committee, but this has worked so well. Our separate visions of where this might go, though at times divergent and at times in line, has pushed this program to a deeper and richer level.

While the heart of “The Program” will be at the Conduit Gallery (and a big thanks to Nancy and Danette), we will also present two satellite programs. First off, the panel at the DMA will help put “the Program” in perspective.  We have scheduled this presentation towards the middle of the event, after you have had a chance to see some of the videos, but with enough time to see the remaining ones in a new light. Secondly, the Dallas Video Festival is very excited to bring the “The Program” to Fort Worth. After many attempts to move where the west begins, we are finally screening compilations at the Fort Worth Modern, how great is that!

Again I want to thank Carolyn Sortor and Dee Mitchell, their vision and persistence have enabled this at every step.  I also want to thank the Video Association’s new managing director A.C. Abbott, who has brought energy, and clarity to the job.  When I found out my show master Scott Sura could not make it for this event, we were lucky to get Chris Cave to help keep the electrons flowing. I also want to thank Chuck Johnson, Rob Wilson, Mark Perkins and Sullivan Perkins who created an amazing poster.

I hope what you see over the course of these five evenings will inspire you. Remember if you ever miss an opening or want to show a friend something you liked, the installations will be up at the Conduit during the week following their opening. Even works from the compilation screenings will be available to watch there upon request.

You can’t scratch video off your to-do list yet. Pull out your Iphone and plug in the dates for the 21st Annual Dallas Video Festival (Oct. 3-5).

Thank you for playing a part in our launch of  “The Program” (BW)