Art Conspiracy 8 moves from the West Dallas warehouse where it’s been held the last couple years to new digs in the Design District.  So mark your calendars for Nov. 10 and get ready for the party at 960 Dragon Street, formerly a Good Year Tire retread plant.

The auction, featuring works created the day before by 150  local artists, always includes great music and this year is no exception.

The Burning Hotels headline, with Blackstone Rangers and Daniel Hart.  Admission is $10 and opening bids for art are $20.

As always, ArtCon is raising money to benefit small arts groups. This year’s beneficiaries are Girls Rock Dallas, which uses music education to promote self-esteem and confidence in girls, and the W.T. White Academy of Visual and Performing Arts ceramics program, which allows 300 students a  year, many of them at-risk,  the opportunity to express themselves through clay.

Of course, Art&Seek will be there, offering you an opportunity to express yourself through art. We’re switching things up a bit this year – you can make your mark  on an on-site mural.

Still to come: details about the annual call for artists to create work for the auction. Stay tuned.

Press release after the jump.

­FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Art Conspiracy 8 on Sat., Nov. 10th

Event to unite hundreds of artists, thousands of attendees to conspire for a

good cause and a good time

October 1, 2012 – DALLAS – Art Conspiracy is at it again, bringing their signature artist antics, local music, ruckus live auction and thousands of fellow conspirators to a warehouse near you.

On Saturday, November 10,Art Con 8 will invade 960 Dragon Street from 7pm to midnight. More than 150 artists converge on a warehouse-turned-art studio to create unique works of art on Art Con’s signature 18×18-inch plywood boards that will be auctioned live in a fun, free-for-all format. Art Conspiracy events are designed to be affordable and offer everyone a chance to purchase original artwork with opening bids starting at $20.

In between crazy art auctions, local bands Blackstone Rangers, Daniel Hart, and headliner Burning Hotels will play the Art Con 8-bit pixelated, digitized, CMYK stage designed by Conspirator and visual artist, Edward Ruiz.

“Art Conspiracy brings artists on-site to create artwork,” says Erik Glissmann, Executive Director. “We bring the artist community and audience involvement together for a unique style of fundraising. The event serves as an annual showcase of emerging visual artists and musicians. The all-volunteer Art Conspiracy team transforms the venue into a pop-up gallery/concert hall with a fresh look every year.”

Art Conspiracy was formed to create awareness for the arts, and to bring artists and musicians together to “conspire” for the benefit of a local nonprofit arts organization. Nonprofits with an annual budget of less than $400,000 that offer creative programming in the form of art or music that gives back to youth, families, and citizens within the Dallas city limits are considered to be chosen as the Art Conspiracy’s annual beneficiary.

This year Art Conspiracy is proud to announce two beneficiaries will receive funds:

Girls Rock Dallas is dedicated to empowering girls and women through the use of music education to promote self-esteem and confidence. They provide girls in the Dallas area a safe female-oriented place to fully express themselves without the worries of negative peer pressures or judgment. Their programs allow girls and women to have access to music education, thereby cultivating their creative side.

W. T. White Academy of Visual and Performing Arts – Ceramics Programis dedicated to helping students succeed, regardless of socioeconomic status, physical, mental, or language limitations, or lack of previous education. The Ceramics Program is funded from donations and/or student sponsorships.It serves 300+ students per year, allowing them opportunity to express themselves through clay.

Since 2005, Art Conspiracy has raised over $140,000 for groups including:

• Musical Angels, a program that teaches hospitalized children to make music with their own hands and hearts.
• Today Marks the Beginning’s MasterPEACE program which uses art to impact awareness of social issues and teach children about non-violence.
• Resolana, a community-based nonprofit organization that provides holistic, gender-sensitive, rehabilitative programming for incarcerated women.
• Preservation LINK, an organization that teaches audio and visual media to students in South Dallas and Fair Park.
• La Reunion TX, an arts residency in the making on a 35 acre urban forest engaged as outdoor studio space and gallery.
• St. Anthony Community Center, a center that offers visual art, music and dance to more than 800 children in South Dallas.

Art Conspiracy is proud to partner with Art&Seek, which brings coverage of North Texas arts and culture to KERA FM, KERA television, KXT 91.7 FM and to the web at artandseek.org. This year Art&Seek volunteers will be at Art Conspiracy offering all co-conspirators a chance to flex their creative muscles by creating an 8-bit graffiti installation.

Art Conspiracy is street level philanthropy. Members of the creative community in North Texas pool their talents to create bi-annual fundraising events that support other nonprofit arts programs. Art Conspiracy events are designed to be affordable and offer everyone a chance to purchase original artwork at a reasonable level. Art Conspiracy is a 501c3 organization with IRS nonprofit status (so your donations are tax deductible!) More information is available at www.artconspiracy.org

Media Info:

Art Conspiracy organizers, musicians, and artists are available for interviews. Additional press imagery and graphics are available upon request. For more information, please contact Meagan Dahl at [email protected] or call 214-864-8730.

Art Conspiracy Details:

Date: 7:00 p.m., Saturday, November 10

Location: 960 Dragon Street, Dallas, TX 75207

Participants: 150 Dallas Artists, 3 Bands

Admission: $10, opening bid for art is $20

Benefiting: Girls Rock Dallas and W. T. White Academy of Visual and Performing Arts – Ceramics Program