Due to light pollution in major cities, an estimated one billion bird deaths occur every year from collisions with buildings and structures. In an effort to protect these migrating birds, the Museum has partnered with the following members of the Cultural District to turn off all non-essential lights during the critical peak spring migration period from April 19 – May 7.*

Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Arts Council of Fort Worth | Fort Worth Community Arts Center
Cattle Raisers Museum
Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Kimbell Art Museum
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame
Performing Arts Fort Worth | Bass Performance Hall | Maddox Administration Building
Will Rodgers Memorial Center

“Birds are a vital part of our ecosystem and migration is an especially vulnerable time for them,” said Dr. Morgan Rehnberg, Chief Scientist at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. “When something as simple as turning off the lights can make a difference, it’s a no-brainer. It’s wonderful that so many organizations and families in North Texas are pitching in to help.”

Image created by Tim Wallace
Photo courtesy of FWMSH

The Lights Out Texas effort is led by a coalition of partners including conservation non-profits, universities, governmental organizations, and Texans dedicated to the conservation of birds.

Bird collisions can occur at any point during the full spring migration of March 1 – June 15. This spring, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and their partners in the Cultural District will prioritize the window of April 19 – May 7 when half of the total spring bird migration traffic passes through Texas. As an added bonus, turning off non-essential lights also saves energy for cities, local businesses, and homeowners.

Rural, residential, and commercial buildings are all encouraged to participate, particularly businesses and residences with non-essential and decorative lighting near the tops of buildings.

To learn more about Lights Out Texas and the Spring bird migration, visit the Lights Out Texas website.

Lights Out Texas represents one piece of the Museum’s annual Earth Week celebration (April 19 – April 25). To learn more about Earth Week programming, visit the Museum’s website.

The post Cultural District Turns Off the Lights first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Housed in an innovative and beautiful building designed by Louis I. Kahn with the Renzo Piano Pavilion completing the campus, the world-class collection includes works by Michaelangelo, El Greco, Braque, and Picasso and is a jewel in the Cultural District. The museum hosts events that educate and inspire all members of our community. And now, the Kimbell is among the 30 finalists for the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, recognized for its innovative approach to providing an inclusive museum experience.

Photo courtesy of the Kimbell Art Museum

For the last 25 years, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has given the National Medal to celebrate institutions that demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service, thereby making a difference in their communities.

According to IMLS director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew, the finalists all “showcase the tremendous ability of libraries and museums to serve as vital community resources… We congratulate them on the work they are doing across the United States.”

Building on its history of outstanding educational programming, the Kimbell consuls with accessibility experts to provide services such as American Sign Language interpretation, Braille versions of brochures, closed captioning, and hearing loops, as well as hosting free programs for adults with Alzheimer’s and/or dementia and intellectual, behavioral, or developmental disabilities. Such work makes the museum experience accessible to all.

Photo courtesy of the Kimbell Art Museum

Because finalists for the National Medal were chosen for their contributions to their communities, IMLS is encouraging all who have visited the Kimbell to share their story on social media. To share your story, please visit www.facebook.com/USIMLS or www.twitter.com/us_imls and use #IMLSmedals.

National Medal winners will be announced later this spring. Stay tuned to see if our hometown gem wins!

The post The Kimbell Is an IMLS National Medal Finalist first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

There’s something for everyone in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. The outdoor spaces, especially between the Kimbell’s Renzo Piano Pavilion and Louis Kahn Building, are exquisite, meditative spaces that every local should know about. Within walking distance of these cultural gems are several fine dining spots: Blue Sushi Sake Grill, Hanabi Ramen & Izakaya, and Cafe Modern. Keeping up with the newest exhibits can be a task, so here’s an overview.

Arguably one of the hottest contemporary art shows in the United States just opened at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.  KAWS: Where the End Starts, the first retrospective by Brooklyn-based artists Brian Donnelly (a.k.a. KAWS), runs through January 22. The exhibit has a high entertainment factor. Massive cartoonish statues embracing, references to popular cartoon characters of yesteryear, and artistically vandalized fashion posters from the mid-’90s are just a few of the colorful pieces on display. While it’s easy to get caught up in the macabre images of a deceased, dancing Snoopy or decapitated Homer Simpson, the artist himself said at a recent event that he’s not concerned with each cartoon’s history but rather with the shapes and colors cartoonists employ. The Calvin Klein and Gap posters in the rear of the museum are originals that Donnelly pulled, painted, and re-posted in Brooklyn nearly 20 years ago.

Nearby Kimbell Art Museum has a blockbuster of its own, albeit in a decidedly more Impressionistic vain. Monet: The Early Years, through January 29, is the first-ever exhibit devoted to the early years (1858 until 1872) of Claude Monet. The exhibit follows his development from a more traditional artist into the Impressionist force that he became.

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art pulls from photographer Richard Misrach and composer Guillermo Galindo to present Border Cantos through December 31. Translated to “Border Songs,” the title is an apt description of the Texas/Mexican border landscape that fills many of Misrach’s images and Galindo’s soundscapes. Galindo has built a reputation parsing together instruments from commonly-found items. For Border Cantos, many of the instrumental works played throughout the exhibit were recorded on discarded items found just north of the border. What struck me most about this exhibit was the neutral political stance the images and sounds created. Questions are posed but left unanswered.

Anyone who’s seen a Kids Who Care show is familiar with the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. Besides being home to W.E. Scott Theater, the center hosts dozens of (mostly free) art shows a year that feature local, regional, and national artists. Through December 22, visitors can see works by North Texas-native Lael Burns, whose works “contrasts imagery from nature with various man-made aspects of our contemporary world to express her interest with the tensions between spiritual and material aspects of life.”

Fort Worth is fortunate to have an astounding array of world-class culture all in concentrated a walkable area. It may take several trips, but make time for the other Cultural District destinations like the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Will Rogers Memorial Center, and Casa Mañana.

Edward Brown writes about music, arts and news for a variety of publications. He’s an award-winning writer for the Fort Worth Weekly and blogger for Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has published articles in Musical Opinion (U.K.), Canadian Music Educators Journal, and Clavier Companion,among others. When Brown isn’t writing about music, he’s actively involved in the local music scene as an educator, performer, lecturer, and judge for student music competitions. His professional affiliations include the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, where he volunteers as education director, and the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, where he serves on the board and artistic committee. Brown was born in Bowling Green, Ohio in 1982. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas and currently resides in Fort Worth. His favorite leisure time activities include local music concerts and perusing Fort Worth’s growing gastropub scene.

The post Cultural District Roundup first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.