The Mark Bradford show at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was open for just five days before COVID-19 struck.

If you missed it, you’re in luck.  A video from the show will be the first offering from the museum’s new, free program MODERN TV.

Every other Saturday at 7 p.m. screenings by leading contemporary artists will be available. Alison Hearst, associate curator and co-curator of MODERN TV, said she wanted to continue serving the public with a unique platform.

“Our mission at the museum is to serve the public and to share our collection and exhibitions with the public, so we thought of this idea to screen videos from our collection online,” Hearst said. “And it’s something that not only our local visitors can enjoy but audiences beyond Dallas-Fort Worth.”

Imagae from “Dancing in the Street, 2019”.  By Mark Bradford. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

“Dancing in the Street,” a video by Bradford, is a part of the exhibition and shows a performance of the 1964 song of the same title by Martha and the Vandellas projected onto Los Angeles buildings and fences at night. In 1965, the song was used as a civil rights anthem and call to action during the Watts riots.

The film will be the first to screen on MODERN TV. It shows continuously from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“We were really sad the exhibition had to close, so we wanted to keep the excitement and momentum about Bradford going,” said Lee Hallman, co-curator of MODERN TV. “This is actually our most recent acquisition into the collection.”

Image from “The Schlieren Plot,” by Mario García Torres.  

On May 20, a cinematic narrative based video by Mario García Torres called “The Schlieren Plot, n.d.” will be the next screening on MODERN TV.  García Torres mixes fact and fiction and centers around a gardener in Houston who follows American artist Robert Smithson’s path across the state. The soundtrack, composed of country and gospel style songs, was composed by García Torres.

Hearst said MODERN TV is planned for the foreseeable future, as The Modern does not know when it will open due to health concerns.

To learn more about upcoming programs at The Modern, visit their website.

Got a tip? Email Mia Estrada at [email protected]. You can follow her on Twitter @miaaestrada.

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