DMA HIRES CURATOR: The Dallas Museum of Art has named Gabriel Ritter the Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. Ritter begins work May 14, but before then, he’s got a couple of loose ends to tie up. Namely, completing his Ph.D. in art history at UCLA and finishing up a doctoral fellowship at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. At the DMA, Ritter will work alongside Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art Jeffrey Grove.

RETURN OF ZAPPA: Last week a University of North Texas class got a blast from the past when a couple of former members of Frank Zappa’s band came to campus to discuss some of the most intricate music ever heard on the radio. Tommy Mars and Arthur Barrow – a UNT grad – discuss in a dallasnews.com video how working with Zappa improved them as musicians and why it’s important to retain his legacy.

THE DAY AT DIFF: Looking for something to see tonight at the Dallas International Film Festival? At 7:30, there’s a centerpiece screening of the Korean epic My Way. But if you’re not feeling a war movie tonight, maybe you’ll head to the Angelika at 7:30 for Andrew Bird: Fever Year. If you’re a KXT listener, you’ve certainly heard Bird’s music on the station. This film digs into Bird’s creative process and details his development as one of the more creative pop musicians working today. I’ll be introducing the movie and conducing a Q&A with director Xan Aranda following the movie. Hopefully I’ll see ya out there.