Patron Magazine

Meet PATRON’s 2026 Art Influencers.
Across sculpture, sound, literature, performance, music, publishing, and community practice, this year’s honorees are expanding the ways Dallas encounters art and culture.
Read the full feature in PATRON’s June/July issue.

Photographed by Victoria Gomez

Meet PATRON’s 2026 Art Influencers.
Featured in the current issue are Jay Sullivan, whose multimedia practice and decades of teaching have inspired generations; Courtney Brown, whose Sinosaur Choir reimagines the sounds of prehistoric life; Will Evans, founder of Deep Vellum and champion of the written word; Kamica King, whose message music uplifts and inspires; Empire of Dirt’s Xxavier Carter and Tabatha Trolli, known for their experimental, multidisciplinary installations; and Ra Kazadi and Rob Grass, who create immersive art experiences through Nostalgia and Noise.

At the Nasher Sculpture Center, Chief Curator Jed Morse brings these conversations into focus through internationally acclaimed exhibitions, including Nic Nicosia: Everyday Surreal, featured in this issue.
Together, PATRON’s 2026 Art Influencers remind us that creativity flourishes where disciplines overlap, communities connect, and daring ideas take shape.

In order on our cover:
Row 1: , ,
Row 2: , , Jed Morse
Row 3: , , and Courtney Brown
Photographed by Victoria Gomez

Big leadership news at Dallas Contemporary: newly appointed interim executive director and COO John McBride will lead the institution alongside former Nasher Sculpture Center director Jeremy Strick, who joins as strategic advisor. “John McBride is the strategic and steadying force we need in this moment,” said DC Board Co-Presidents Ann McReynolds and Rod Sager. McBride called Dallas Contemporary “an essential part of the cultural landscape of our community,” while Strick pointed to the institution’s “long history of ambitious and thought-provoking programming featuring contemporary artists from our community and around the world.” The pair will guide Dallas Contemporary through a multi-year planning period focused on shaping its next chapter.

(Left) John McBride, photo by Jersean Golatt; (Right) Jeremy Strick, photo by Allison V. Smith

The Dallas Art Fair and the Dallas Museum of Art have announced five new acquisitions for the DMA’s permanent collection, marking the 10th anniversary of the Dallas Art Fair Foundation + DMA Acquisition Fund. This year’s selections include works by Nicole Eisenman, Gloria Klein, Caroline Monnet, and Raymond Saunders, spanning painting, textile, collage, and relief from the 1970s to the present.

Selected by a group of DMA curators and leadership, the works reflect an ongoing commitment to artists across Indigenous, LGBTQ, women, and African diaspora perspectives, while reinforcing the fair’s role in bringing museum-quality work into a public collection.
Since launching in 2016, the Acquisition Fund has contributed more than $1 million and facilitated the placement of 77 works into the DMA, underscoring the long-term impact of the initiative on the city’s cultural landscape.

Images:

 Nicole Eisenman
Foghorn, 2018
Wooden relief, stained and in a custom artist frame
Image Dimensions: 24 x 20 x 1/4 inches (61 x 50.8 x 0.6 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 29 x 25 x 1 3/4 inches (73.7 x 63.5 x 4.4 cm)
Acquired from Anton Kern Gallery

Gloria Klein
Untitled, 1974
Acrylic on canvas 
50 x 30 inches
Acquired from Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles / New York

Caroline Monnet
Kingdom, 2026
Roof underlayment, polyester thread
28.25 x 57.5 in
Acquired from Blouin Division

Hasani Sahlehe
My Prayer, 2025
Acrylic gel and airbrush on canvas
96 x 78 in
Acquired from CANADA

Raymond Saunders 
Untitled, 1990-2000
Acrylic and pencil on paper
25.625 x 19.75 in
Acquired from Andrew Kreps Gallery

Raymond Saunders 
HK 83, no date
Mixed media and collage on paper
25.5 x 19.75 in
Acquired from Andrew Kreps Gallery

Join Dallas Art Fair on April 16 for the 18th Annual Preview Benefit, held from 5 to 9 p.m. at Fashion Industry Gallery. The evening supports the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Dallas Contemporary, while offering an early look at works by emerging and internationally recognized artists before the fair opens to the public. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Dallas Art Fair Foundation and the Dallas Museum of Art Acquisition Fund. Tickets are on sale now at DallasArtFair.com

Join us TONIGHT, from 5:30-8 p.m., our Editor-in-Chief, Terri Provencal will host a conversation with Conduit Gallery artists David Canright, James Sullivan and Mark Dineen at KD BIEL.

When the Texas redbuds burst into bloom, the city’s art scene comes alive. Among other events, the Dallas Art Fair galvanizes the arts community, pro-pelling the acquisition of contemporary art by local collectors.
Fresh off the easel, Dominic Chambers’ Thoughts and Inversions #1, 2026, commands our cover, heralding the Dallas Art Fair’s return. In Cultural Currency we spotlight works by Chambers alongside artists showing within 10 booths by exhibitors from across the globe.
Next, in History Rewired, Adam Jasienski examines the monumental show for Dallas-based artist Francisco Moreno at Dallas Contemporary, while Matthew Bourbon’s The Democracy of Materials investigates Rauschenberg Sculpture on view at the Nasher Sculpture Center. And, at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Ben Lima turns his attention to the fourth installment of the Dallas Invitational in Invitation Only.
Two design features include outstanding art collections beautifully integrat-ed with elevated interiors. In Opposites Collect, Rob Brinkley takes in a project seamlessly shaped by contrasting artistic sensibilities, designed by Ten Plus Three’s Gonzalo Bueno. Next, A House Full of Statements sees Samantha Fisher Studio’s work with collector and art advisor Lisa Brown.
The brilliance and longevity of the arts rest in the hands of those who cham-pion them. In Silver Stars, Lee Cullum reveals the hidden layers of the shining talents of Nancy Carlson and Andy Smith, this year’s TACA Silver Cup Award honorees.
In Openings, two bold showings from The Warehouse and The Power Station add oomph to the Dallas Arts Month lineup. At The Warehouse, as explored by Eve Hill-Agnus in Yosh*taka Amano’s Expanding Universe, an expansive dual show of the Japanese artist’s work maps a career spent shattering boundaries and conjuring entire worlds. In Fragments & Fins, Danielle Avram writes of two shows opening at The Power Station: Body Fragments combines antiquity with contemporary art, and Feel Good Hit of the Summer by Picnic Curatorial Projects defies categorization: part exhibition, part collaboration, part surf shop...Read More in the April/May Issue!

Kelly Cornell, director of the Dallas Art Fair since 2016, has been named director of The Aspen Art Fair ahead of its third edition this summer. The boutique fair returns to Hotel Jerome July 29–August 1 with an expanded leadership team that now includes Christine Mack, founder of Mack Art Foundation, who joins the board alongside co-founder Bob Chase, John Sughrue, and Jeremy Buonamici. International galleries including Albertz Benda, Perrotin, and Southern Guild are among the first wave of confirmed exhibitors.

Images: Kelly Cornell, photography by

Bob Chase, photography by Tony Prikryl

Christine Mack, photography by .wells

Jeremy Buonamici, photography courtesy of the Aspen Art Fair

John Sughrue, photography courtesy of

New issue release!
Our cover celebrates the universal language of art, highlighting the Meadows/ARCO Artist Spotlight which signals Spaniard Rubén Guerrero’s Dallas arrival and exhibition in February.

The Dallas art scene thrives on a mix of storied collectors and emerging enthusiasts, a blend that keeps the market vibrant and full of surprises. In Early Access we visited five local art collectors—Marlo and Jeff Melucci, Nadia Dabbakeh Friedman and Jason Friedman, and Travis Vandergriff—to get a glimpse of their standout collections and gather their insights ahead of the upcoming . We also check in with new Dallas Art Fair exhibitor with interior designer
In Mapping the Unexpected, Eve Hill-Agnus guides readers through the bold, sculptural forms in the DMA’s exhibition Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry curated by
Sara Hignite teamed up with the Green Family Art Foundation to curate Fields of Vision: Dallas Collects culled from 40 local patrons. Darryl Ratcliff previews the show opening February 7 in Curating Backward.

In Dressed for Cocktails and Conversation, Rob Brinkley peeks inside and Kessler Park home, a seamless blend of modern and classic elements and a passion-driven art collection.
RIchard Patterson, an original figure of the Young British Artists movement, brings a singularly rigorous painterly voice to the local arts scene. Brandon Kennedy discusses the artist’s practice in Still Chasing the Frame Before it Vanishes.

Turning our attention to the stage, we join the Centerstage Gala chairs, a dynamic cohort spanning the past decade, in Together for Theater.
Lastly, we remember the life and legacy of Charles Dee Mitchell, who left behind an art, photography, and book collection headed to and in A Kindred Spirit in Art and Books. In life, Dee shared it freely with all who crossed his path.

The has released its 2026 exhibitor list. (Swipe to see full list)
 
Returning April 16–19 to Fashion Industry Gallery, the 18th edition brings together more than 90 galleries from over a dozen countries, with several returning participants expanding their presentations alongside new exhibitors entering the fair for the first time.
 
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Dallas Art Fair Foundation’s Acquisition Fund, which has facilitated more than 75 works entering the Dallas Museum of Art’s permanent collection.
 
The VIP Preview, benefiting the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Dallas Contemporary, takes place Thursday, April 16, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at dallasartfair.com

Photography by