Local Artists' Showcase Returns
By Stephanie Hancock

Art in the Hood Artists' Studio Tour returns for its second year from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, showcasing the work of 19 artists in 8 studios in the Southeast area of Dallas. The self-guided tour is free and opens to the public the homes and working studios of artists, so that people can see art in the various stages of creation. Included on the tour are metal sculptures, jewelry, photography, paintings, glass, ceramics, fiber arts and bath products.

Valery Guignon, fiber artist and sculptor, is one of the tour's veterans. She is excited to be back on the tour because of everyone's reactions last year.

"While the neighborhood itself is a jewel to discover, the art also is refreshingly different," she said.

The tour's name came from the collection of artists joking about the misconceptions people have about the area they live and work in. "Most people I've talked to are literally panicked by the idea of driving South of I-30," said Russ Sharek of The Morpheus Company, participating artist and tour coordinator. "People who took the tour last year were amazed at how nice an area this is."

Tour visitors find what the artists have always known -- The area is a full of established neighborhoods with tall trees and affordable housing and business space.

Photographer and metal worker Roy Cirigliana moved into the Piedmont District of Pleasant Grove in 1981 because of the affordable housing and the area's rural feel. Even at that time, the neighborhood had an undeserved reputation.

"Talking with people who grew up here in the 50's, Pleasant Grove was one of the roughest area in Dallas, but it wasn't like that when I moved over here. But that reputation carries over," he explained. "It's like Oak Cliff. It gets a bad rap."

Also on the tour is Clayworks Studio and the home of Mark Epstein, who's lived in the area for more than 20 years.

"I am constantly amazed at how many people, locals, have stopped in during our sales not sure what they were going to find at the house with all the pots and sculptures in the yard," he says. "We've really enjoyed growing up in this neighborhood."

That sentiment was echoed by all of the artists. Whether they came for affordable leases or wooded landscapes, all of the artists agreed that there was nowhere in Dallas like their neighborhood, and they are inviting everyone to put aside their misconceptions and give Southeast Dallas a fresh look.

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