N&D 2.5.25 // The Best Things to Do This Week, Starting with a (Very) Weird Wednesday

 Wednesday, February 5, 2025 

Wednesdays are weird. On that, we can all agree. Tonight is literally Weird Wednesday, when the Movie Mutant hosts the screening of a mystery movie at Southside Preservation Hall (1519 Lipscomb St, Fort Worth, 817-926-2800). This free event also includes a night market and a vintage video preshow to go with the Valentine’s Day-themed filmic offering. The festivities start at 5pm. There’s food on-site and free parking, and it’s BYOB. If you’re seeing this info too late to attend, come next month. It’s every first Wednesday.

The weirdness above is not the only unusual thing happening today. The voting research platform Vote In Or Out (@VoteInOrOut) says a coordinated series of protests dubbed 50 Protests in 50 States (or #50501) is planned to occur simultaneously at every state capitol at noon for the purpose of uniting likeminded participants in a collective demonstration against Project 2025, among other things. A quick search for “February 5 protests” will lead you to numerous event pages across every state. One of the top results is comedian Cliff Cash, who has a YouTube video and is very well-spoken about all of the above. The idea was initially proposed on Reddit, so you can also go to Reddit.com/r/50501/ for full details.

 Friday – Saturday, February 7-8, 2025 

At 7:30pm Fri-Sat, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra celebrates an American icon. As part of Tony Bennett: The Official Musical Celebration at Bass Performance Hall (525 Commerce St, Fort Worth, 817-212-4280), the FWSO, led by conductor Evan Roider, will perform so many of the great singer’s songs. Edward Miskie, Gina Milo, and Jeff Williams will perform on vocals alongside Jeremy Beck on piano. Expect to hear hits like “Because of You,” “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “Rags to Riches,” and more. Tickets start at $36 at FWSymphony.org. This concert is dedicated to American Airlines in memory of Flight 5342.

 Saturday, February 8, 2025 

At 7pm at The Grackle Art Gallery (4621 El Campo Av, Fort Worth, 817-615-0681), experience the works of five artists and hear music by four. Let’s start with Harry Hoggard, who’s doing both. Hoggard paints images of musicians in a graphic style. He will also be performing this evening along with Goat Yoga and Bill Sibley. Other featured artists include photographer Jim Goodin with pinhole photography and a drone/ambient music installation; Danny Owens, who does abstract reverse painting on acrylic; Travis Barnes, who makes graphic-style paintings of the natural world plus pop-culture and science-fiction motifs; and Linda Little, who explores the potential and limitations of paper pulp as an art medium.

 Sunday, February 9, 2025 

Now thru Sunday are the final days of Dutch Art in a Global Age at the Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-332-8451). Featuring paintings by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Gerrit Dou, Jacob van Ruisdael, Maria Schalcken, and many other celebrated Nederlanders, the show came to us from the renowned Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The Kimbell is open noon-5pm Sun and 10am-5pm Tue-Sat. Tickets are $18 at KimbellArt.org.

 Monday, February 10, 2025 

Today marks the beginning of a six-week series in the maker space at The Welman Project (3950 W Vickery Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-924-4000). An advanced woodworking course, Carve Diem will be weekly from 6pm to 8:30pm thru Mon, Mar 17. In this class, you will learn to cut wood skillfully and do advanced joinery and routing by making a chip/olive tray, a salt dish, and more. The course is $250, with 100% of the proceeds going to the organization’s mission of providing free supplies and support to thousands of local teachers. To register, visit My.TheWelmanProject.org/Adults.

 Tuesday, February 11, 2025 

Decolonizing the Music Room, a nonprofit working toward a more equitable future for minority voices in music education, research, and performance, will soon be hosting its Fifth Annual Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival. As a fundraiser for the upcoming 2025 event, the nonprofit is hosting Blues in the Night at Blank Space FW (6609 E Lancaster Av, Fort Worth, 682-301-3055) 6:30pm-8:30pm, with live music by EJ Mathews. To purchase pay-what-you-can-donation tickets, visit FWAAMFest.com.

 Tuesdays – Saturdays 

Now thru Sat, Mar 22, Tom Judd: American Sublime will be on exhibit at J. Peeler Howell Fine Art (3521 Locke Av Fort Worth, 817-386-0638). In his first solo show at the gallery, the Philadelphia-based contemporary artist presents icons of America in a selection of paintings in which he ponders the lore and myths of the modern dream and westward expansion. “His subjects are the finned convertibles of post-war prosperity, grain elevators, lone houses on wide prairies, and modernist homes with space-age rooflines, all promises of a better today,” says art historian E. Luanne McKinnon, adding that Judd’s “particular realism is punctuated by his craft of painting that reveals his hand at work, resulting in a type of American sublime.” The gallery is open 10am-5pm Tue-Fri and 11am-4pm Sat.