Fort Worth mourns the passing of Matt Sacks. Along with his kindness and creativity, the multi-disciplinary artist may have been best known for the Grackle Art Gallery. A venue for all manner of creative expression, the Arlington Heights space hosted everything from jazz to pop, landscapes to abstract-expressionism, and all points in between. Uniting each style, though, was an experimental sensibility. Close friends said Sacks had been battling assorted cancers for the past two years. He was 72.
“We’ve had a 5-year-old child’s work all the way up to a 102-year-old,” said Grackle Co-Director Linda Little. “We even had Leon Bridges play here before.”
Little said Sacks’ arthouse, which was also his living quarters, was inspired by two close friends. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art’s Paul Leicht and artist/graphic designer Billy Hayes helped Sacks open the Grackle.
“I started organizing art and music shows in Fort Worth that ultimately didn’t last more than two years,” Leicht said. “When that went under, [Sacks] didn’t want the community and scene to end, so he started to organize shows at his home, which turned into the Grackle Art Gallery.”
Leicht added that Sacks wanted the art to be as loud and annoying as a grackle.
When Americana artist Ivan Dillard first came to Fort Worth after living in Dallas before the pandemic, he said he was somewhat of a stranger trying to book gigs. “Matt saw me perform at an open-mic and invited me to the Grackle, and that was my start of everything. I was blown away by the environment, the energy, the quality of the artwork and music. To see great art in an intimate environment and meeting others definitely make it a hub.”
Photo by Juan R. Govea
Singer-songwriter Clint Niosi was the first performer at the Grackle when it opened. “Matt was one of the most generous and genuine people I’ve ever met. He had no agenda or motives beyond giving people a place to express themselves. He was never cynical. His living room became one of the best listening rooms in town, and musicians always took home 100% of any money collected.”
Little and Grackle Music Director Kavin Allenson plan to continue Sacks’ mission.
Sacks, Allenson said, has “made arrangements for us to have this place as a meeting area for musicians and artists to display their talents as long as we can and it’s feasible for us.”
That mission includes art exhibits every second Saturday of the month and songwriters’ circles on the last Sunday.
The Grackle will celebrate Sacks’ life on Sunday, Dec. 1. Some of his paintings will be for sale for a donation. Sacks leaves behind several close friends and sister Margaret Araujo.
“It wasn’t just Matt,” Little and Allenson said in a joint statement. “We want to thank everyone who has come out here to the Grackle and participated. We couldn’t have done this without the artists and everyone involved. It’s not just us. It’s the community.”
Matt Sacks Life Celebration and Gathering
3-9pm Sun, Dec 1, at the Grackle Art Gallery
4621 El Campo Av, Fort Worth. 817-615-0681.
