Archive for April 19th, 2009

I went back down to the Main Street Arts Fair to carry out my promise to shop, not just browse. I had my eye on a paperweight with pink threads of glass inside, from a booth right in the middle of Sundance Square.

I got my paperweight and checked over again the other booths, since I knew that I had to have missed something — and sure enough, I came across the Trinity River Vision stand. They had maps both large and small and a woman behind the table carefully explained to me how this huge new waterside section of town would be constructed. First, a causeway would be built to provide flood protection, and then available low land between downtown and the Stockyards will be changed into into a high rent district of European-style four story low-rises (shops and businesses below, housing above) cut through by canals and the river.

The first waterworks construction has begun; completing the system of channels and waterway will take about ten years. When finished, transportation for residents will be possible by foot, water taxi, and (hopefully) only one car per family.

As my husband and I walked away, he seemed quite impressed. “Too bad we don’t have any money to invest, looks like time to buy an apartment to me,” he said.

“Are you sure it won’t just turn into another EUR?’ I asked, referring to the Fascist area of suburban Rome where a huge development has to some degree stagnated due to unattractive architecture, layout and transportation options.

“No way,” he said. “This thing is in downtown Fort Worth. It’s going to be the hottest real estate around.”

I wondered. There are threats to the perfection of the idea — cheap modern construction and brackish waterways mostly — but overall I had to agree, it seemed like the very place for rapid real estate value growth.

Of course, as the value of the land races upward, the question is what cut will go to the developers, and what to the new owners of the properties?

At any rate, I personally think we should call it “Venice, Texas.” But perhaps there already is one of those.

From the Fort Worth Opera, a press release:

FORT WORTH- As Fort Worth Opera prepares for its 2009 Festival, it will also be gearing up to tackle
the question of how and if the arts can lead the way in affecting social change. Fort Worth Opera joins
Southern Methodist University (SMU) and The Dallas Opera in bringing the influential author of the
Pulitzer Prize-winning book Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the
United States, Sister Helen Prejean, to contribute in a panel discussion entitled, “Arts, Social Change,
and Human Rights”, on April 23, 2009 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., at SMU’s Hughes-Trigg Student Center
Theatre located at 3140 Dyer Street Dallas, Texas 75275. Jake Heggie, acclaimed composer of the
modern epic opera derived from her book, Dead Man Walking, will also participate in the discussion.

Sister Helen Prejean, a former teacher from Louisiana, joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille at a
young age and soon after began dedicating her life to the poor of New Orleans. She began a prison
ministry in 1981 and became a pen pal and spiritual advisor to many convicted felons which led her to
share her experiences with America through Dead Man Walking.

The other panelists will include Darren K. Woods (General Director of Fort Worth Opera), and
Jonathan Pell (Artistic Director for The Dallas Opera). Rick Halperin (Director of the SMU’s Human
Rights Education Program) will serve as the moderator. Dead Man Walking, which was created into a
major motion picture in 1996 and later into an opera by Heggie, sparked an interest on the topic of arts
and social change. The discussion will highlight examples of how the arts, have changed and positively impacted communities and changed behavior patterns. It will also draw attention to the importance of social change related to human rights and emphasize the importance of integrating the arts more into our social change work.

The event will preview the two upcoming operas by Jake Heggie that will be presented in the
Metroplex area over the next year: Dead Man Walking (Fort Worth Opera, opening May 2009) and
Moby Dick (The Dallas Opera, premiering 2010). It will also feature special musical experts from Dead
Man Walking and other Jake Heggie works. Many of the same works will also be featured on April 25,
2009 when the Cliburn at the Modern presents Jake Heggie, also in Fort Worth.

The arts and social change panel at SMU is free and a reception will follow the discussion. Seating is
limited and RSVP required. Call 214-443-1044 to RSVP or email amici@dallasopera.org.

ABOUT FORT WORTH OPERA: Fort Worth Opera was founded in 1946 and is the oldest, continually
performing opera company in Texas and one of the 14 oldest opera companies in the United States. In
recent years, under the leadership of Darren Keith Woods, the company has gained national attention
from critics and audiences alike for its artistic quality and willingness to take risks. In 2007, the
company completely changed its fall/winter schedule to a condensed one-month long Festival in the
spring. The 2007 season also featured the company’s first major world premiere, Frau Margot by
composer Thomas Pasatieri. Darren Keith Woods, who began his operatic career in 1982 as a
character tenor, joined Fort Worth Opera as General Director in 2001.

More information about the panel discussion, Fort Worth Opera, and the Fort Worth Opera Festival,
including press materials, interviews, and photos (call 817.269.9795 for photo password), can be found
on the website: www.fwopera.org.