“He’s the real deal,” a friend said about Tom Orr, the renowned Dallas artist with two shows starting this month, at Barry Whistler Gallery and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Born in Dallas, Orr shipped off to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970 and bounced around Austin and Georgia before returning to his hometown, where he’s built a formidable career, with work in America as well as Japan. He’s married to sculptor Frances Bagley, making them something of a Dallas arts power couple.
Even if you don’t know Orr’s name, you may be familiar with his work, which is deeply geometric and optically elegant. His installations have transformed parts of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and Love Field, as well as UT Southwestern Medical Center, where his Forest of Light (a collaboration with Bagley) glows like an LED thicket of acrylic tubes in alternating colors.
We spoke with Orr about how the Dallas arts community is unique, the challenge of a Texas summer and the upside of building a creative life in the city.
You moved away from Dallas but came back. Why?
My parents were getting older, and I wanted to be nearby. That was the ‘80s, when studio space was available and affordable. Even now, the resources in Dallas are such that an artist can get just about anything they need.
What bothers you about Dallas?
The heat in August.
Tex-Mex or BBQ, and where?
Neither. Traditional Mexican, Meso Maya, in East Dallas on Abrams.
What represents Dallas at its best?
The people, especially the Dallas art community, who are strong and supportive of each other, which is somewhat unusual. My wife and I are close friends with many artists, art professionals and collectors who have enriched our lives.
If Dallas were a famous piece of art, what would it be?
Composition with Red Blue and Yellow, by Piet Mondrian. The original sign at Love Field was very Mondrian-esque. It made you feel like Dallas was progressive.
More details: “In Balance,” a show of recent sculpture at Barry Whistler Gallery, April 12-May 31. Atlas, an installation at the Nasher Sculpture Center, April 23-July 20.
