Ebony Lewis, one of the featured Blues Alley muralists, stands in front of her mural in Deep Ellum. Photo by Kathryn Williams
Behind the Music, a historical exhibition honoring the music of Deep Ellum, kicked off Oct. 2 at the Deep Ellum Community Center.
A press release called this exhibit, which features the stories of music venue owners, bookers, managers and artists, “most ambitious.” The exhibition will initially cover music spaces in the 1980s for three months before moving onto the 1990s and 2000s next year.
“The rebirth of Deep Ellum in the 1980s changed Dallas culture forever,” Theater Gallery and Prophet Bar founder Russell Hobbs said in the press release. “Theater Gallery, Prophet Bar and Club Clearview opened up the opportunity for artists all over the southwest to manifest their dreams and find their destiny. The Deep Ellum historic neighborhood is the soul of Dallas.”
Hobbs, Jeff Swaney, Jeff Yarbrough and their teams who led Club Clearview, Theater Gallery and Prophet Bar partnered with the Deep Ellum Foundation staff to curate some of the content in the exhibit, according to the press release. A timeline covering almost 50 years of music venues will also be featured.
“If you weren’t in Deep Ellum or even if you were to experience the magic and explosion of the scene in the ’80s and ’90s, you are encouraged to check out this incredible event,” Club Clearview founder Swaney said in the press release. “Kudos to the staff that put it together — excellent work!”
The exhibition is also interactive as visitors are encouraged to “share their own stories and Deep Ellum music collectables through one exhibition wall designated for guests to make their own mark,” according to the press release. These contributions will be recorded via the Deep Ellum Archive, which is provided by a partnership with the Dallas Public Library and has collected over 2,000 artifacts.
The opening of the exhibition will be followed by the second anniversary party for the Deep Ellum Community Center from 8-10:30 p.m.
