​On Saturday night, the inside perimeter of a sweeping gray West Dallas warehouse building at 511 West Commerce Street was temporary tiled with rows of square works of art — all the same size (18×18 inch square boards) and all created locally, but each incredibly unique, from a colorful woman fashioned from yarn and paint, to a somber and bold American flag with silver action figure amputees arranged across it.

It was the 7th annual Art Conspiracy, an event which has a few basic principles: Local artists create a piece of work in 24 hours, which is then auctioned off to benefit a local art-centered charity. This year, the event benefits Musical Angels, a local nonprofit that provides piano lessons to hospitalized children. Before Saturday, Art Conspiracy had already raised $110,000 for local charities since its founding seven years ago.

All photos by Sara Kerens

Rob McCollum doing some live-auctioning

​Artists of differing levels of experience with individual preferences of medium and style were arranged side-by-side, as polished older folks with deep pockets rubbed shoulders with skinny jean-clad 20-somethings enjoying the art. A cast of auctioneers, including Rob McCollum, Rob Shearer, Rawlins Gilliland, Reid Robinson, Jason Roberts and Dave Hickmott, bantered with the crowd as prices climbed, many pieces selling for several hundreds of dollars. The place was packed; Saturday was a good day for the local art scene.

All photos by Sara Kerens

About halfway through the night, an upright piano rolled onto the stage. The image of a giant orange octopus, painted by Kevin Obregon, covered the entire instrument, with the sea-creature’s tentacles stretching over the keys in curls that nearly reached the floor. It was a piano like no other — a “Pianoctopus” as described on the Art Conpiracy Facebook page – and it now belongs to a lucky member of the crowd who won it in an on-stage heads-or-tails competition.

With perfect weather, hundreds of unique works of art, and music from Datahowler, The Hope Trust and J. Charles and the Trainrobbers, Art Conspiracy drew such a huge crowd that the bar nearly ran out of booze. Observer editorial operations manager and trusty ArtCon bartender, Jesse Hughey, to make a wine-run to restock before the night was over. While we await the final total of money raised for Musical Angels, it’s fair to say the night was a success — artistically, financially, culturally — even organizationally and meteorologically.

More in the slideshow: Scenes from Art Con 7

Photos by Justin Terveen

Art Conspiracy Details:
Date: 7:00 – 11:30 p.m., Saturday, November 12th

Not in the area?  You can purchase a ticket and ticket sale will help fund the art conspiracy cause.

Purchase link: http://www.prekindle.com/promo/id/22058230578448943

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Art Con 7 Artist Lottery from Erica Felicella on Vimeo.

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

good cause and a good time

September 26, 2011 – DALLAS – The roar of an approving crowd! Art of all stripes! A stage packed with musical talent! These are all hallmarks of Art Conspiracy and it’s time, once again, to mark this one-of-a-kind Dallas event on your calendar.

On Saturday, November 12, Art Conspiracy 7 will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at 511 West Commerce in Dallas. Original works from over 150 artists will be auctioned live in a fun, animated, 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.

Local bands Datahowler, The Hope Trust and J. Charles and the Trainrobbers will provide musical entertainment and the Art Conspiracy stage will be transformed into a Tetris-inspired multi-media installation created with video mapping technology by artist, Edward Ruiz.

“Art Conspiracy brings artists on-site to create artwork,” says Erik Glissmann, Executive Director, Art Conspiracy. “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 7 will benefit Musical Angels, a Dallas nonprofit that provides free piano lessons to hospitalized children. Musical Angels offers lessons at Baylor Hospital and Children’s Medical Center and hopes to use the monies raised by Art Conspiracy to extend its reach and provide music lessons to children in additional area hospitals.

“I am very touched and beyond grateful that Art Conspiracy selected Musical Angels,” says Dr. Gustavo Tolosa, founder, Musical Angels. “Their generosity will make a positive imprint on the lives of many hospitalized children through the healing power of music.”

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 atandseek.org. This year Art&Seek volunteers will be at Art Conspiracy offering all co-conspirators a chance to flex their creative muscles by creating a piece for the Art&Seek Con Artist Gallery.

Since 2005, Art Conspiracy has raised over $110,000 for groups including:

• Today Marks the Beginning’s MasterPEACE program
• Resolana, a group that provides rehabilitative arts programming for women in the Dallas County Jail
• Preservation LINK, an organization that teaches audio and visual media to students in South Dallas and Fair Park
•  La Reunion TX, an artist residency in the making in Dallas
• St. Anthony Community Center, a center that offers visual art, music and dance to more than 800 children in South Dallas

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. For more information and/or Art Conspiracy artwork, please contact Cari Weinberg at

cari@artconspiracy.org or call 214-794-3510.

Art Conspiracy Details:

Date: 7:00 p.m., Saturday, November 12

Location: 511 W. Commerce, Dallas, TX 75208

Participants: 150 Dallas Artists, 3 Bands

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

Benefiting: Musical Angels

Featured pieces above were contributed by Dave Harrel, Bianca Elise, Paul Semrad and Corey Godfrey

Poster Design: Paul Semrad

Photos: Travis Williams and Nicole Cullum Horn