The malls and stores are jammed packed with late holiday shoppers. Avoid those places and the headaches that come with them and head out to the museums, galleries, theaters and venues near you. Here’s a list of items that the Art&Seek team thinks are worth your time during this busy time of year.

Wednesday

“The Fisherman” by George Bellows – Fort Worth’s Amon Carter Museum has just acquired one of its most significant works in the last decade. It’s titled “The Fisherman” by the acclaimed American realist painter George Bellows. See it unveiled today.

The Book of Mormon – The Tony Award winning musical comedy “The Book of Mormon” is making a return to Dallas’ Winspear Opera House. This religious satire – crafted by the creators of “South Park” – pokes fun at the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Travel to Uganda with two Mormon missionaries as they attempt to share their scriptures with the inhabitants and laugh along as they learn that the townspeople have more pressing issues.

Thursday

Art and Nature in the Middle Ages – The Dallas Museum of Art has a new exhibition that explores the diverse modes of expression and variety of representations of nature in European medieval art. The exhibition is on view exclusively at the DMA in the United States and it showcases more than 100 extraordinary objects that have been rarely before seen in the U.S.. The works reflect the wide range of styles, techniques, and iconography that flourished between the 13th and 16th century.

Friday

Ro2ooth Gift Grab – The holidays are here and if you’re anything like us at Art&Seek, then there’s a chance you’re scrambling for a last minute gift that doesn’t seem too generic. That’s where Dallas’ Ro2 Art and Art Tooth, a new Fort Worth-based hybrid gallery project, can help out. They’re co-producing a group exhibition featuring affordably priced works by more than 50 North Texas artists. The event kicks off this Friday at 7 p.m. and will feature a DJ set by local musician Ronnie Heart.

The Hip Hop Nutcracker – Tired of the same old Christmas music blaring out of speakers in stores? What about the holiday claymation movies of yesteryear? Well, here’s something that’s sure to put a new spin on the traditional holiday classics – “The Hip Hop Nutcracker! The Eisenmann Center gives a whole new beat to a holiday classic with a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ and violinist. See it at the Eisemann Center in Richardson.

Saturday

2014 Tuba Christmas – Fort Worth
Photo: .flickr.com/photos/30791749@N07/

North Texas Tuba Christmas – Tuba Christmas events have been happening worldwide for 43 years and have a storied history in North Texas. This year approximately 60 players will put on a free show  that’s sure to make your holidays bright. The performance will take place at UNT’s Willis Library. If you’re interested in participating registration is 9 a.m. and rehearsal begins 10:15 a.m.

Gloria – The Dallas Theater Center gives the local premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s critically acclaimed play, “Gloria.” The show is about the cutthroat world of the magazine industry in which one must fight to survive. The play follows a group of editorial assistants at a Manhattan magazine when an average day suddenly takes a shocking and unexpected turn and the stakes to tell stories get even higher.

Monday

KAWS WHERE THE END STARTS – There’s no holiday hangover at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The museum and its café are open on Monday, so check out the major exhibition “KAWS WHERE THE END STARTS” before it closes in January. Want to know more about the exhibition? Check out Art&Seek’s Jerome Weeks’ review – “KAWS And His Very Big Little Toys At The Modern.”

“The Sleeping Beauty” – Theatre Britain presents “The Sleeping Beauty.” The company’s take on this fairy tale is fun for all ages. They encourage audience participation, so don’t miss your chance to hiss at the villains.

Tuesday

Ecology In The Age of Inner Turmoil – This exhibition at Beefhaus in Dallas explores our current culture’s fascination with technology and our social media feeds and how that interferes with our desire to hold onto something real.  The works in this show are made up of objects that work with one directly and indirectly to point out the turmoil of living in the digital age.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude – There are only days left to see the Tyler Museum of Art’s collection of art by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The exhibition reveals the process behind artists’ famous environmental works of art. View collages, photographs, drawings and objects that show off their legendary career.