BACK TO THE HOTEL: “Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy” has been up for a few weeks now at the Dallas Museum of Art. The show has collected most of the art items that were in the first couple”s Fort Worth hotel room the night before heading to Dallas. So with 50 years of perspective, what does this group of objects say about the North Texas of 1963? Peter Simek writes that the inclusion of a Pablo Picasso sculpture says a lot, considering a Picasso exhibition staged at the DMA a few years before the Kennedy”s visit sparked opposition from locals who considered the artist a Communist. “As with all exhibitions of this sort, the selection of the work says much about those doing the selecting,” he writes on Front Row. “Culture has always been a means by which we try to assert—or deny—an aspect of our civic identity, and while these efforts can sometimes appear to be naive or crass and feverish attempts to claim cultural status, in the case of the “Hotel Texas” exhibition, the works represent a standing of ground. It is born of a spirit that cuts in sharp contrast against the image of the city that was projected throughout the nation in the years following November 22, 1963.”

THE BIG 3-0: Undermain Theatre celebrates its 30th birthday with its 2013-14 season. And now we know the shows that will make up the season. Kicking things off Sept. 12-Oct. 12 will be Sylvan Oswald”s Profanity, a comedy receiving its world premiere. It”s followed by another world premiere – Abraham Zobell”s Home Movie: Final Reel…, which will be staged at City Performance Hall. Then, in March, comes maybe the longest title of any of the new seasons: We are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South-West Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915. Details on each show are on .

ART TO THE RESCUE: Eleven St. Mark’s School of Texas photography students have put together a show of their work. But when the 100 prints are sold, the proceeds won”t be going to fund any summer vacations. Instead, the students are donating the proceeds from the show to Habitat for Humanity of Hood County to help rebuilt the area hit hard by tornadoes in May. “It’s perfect with all these tornadoes over the past month,” St. Marks senior Riley Graham tells dallasnews.com. “We’re doing the thing we love for the community by showcasing our photography to benefit a great cause.”