The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth announces Modern by Moonlight: Otsukimi Festival

In recognition of the rich heritage of Tadao Ando, the architect of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth building, our community is invited to celebrate Otsukimi, the annual Japanese festival that honors the autumn moon and the season ahead.

To begin this special evening, guests are invited to cast a lantern into the reflecting pond to create an ethereal glow and stunning event backdrop. In addition to the Modern’s special exhibitions, Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting and Jammie Holmes: Make the Revolution Irresistible, the event features live entertainment by Dondoko Taiko, Nik Parr and The Selfless Lovers, and The Dirty Shirts. Japanese-inspired food and beverages crafted by Café Modern will be available throughout the evening.

7 pm Doors Open

Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting and Jammie Holmes: Make the Revolution Irresistible galleries openOn-site custom T-shirt screenprinting by Pan Ector IndustriesLantern Launch in the Reflecting PondShodo Japanese Calligraphy

7–7:30 pm

Performance by the Fort Worth Japanese Society’s Dondoko Taiko

7:30–8 pm

Live musical performance by: Nik Parr and The Selfless Lovers

8:30–10 pm

Live musical performance by: The Dirty Shirts

TICKET PRICES

$25: General admission (Adult event; no children under age 16)

$15: Modern members at the Friend and Associate levels

Modern members at the Advocate level ($240) and above receive free admission for two adults.

Tickets are nonrefundable.

NEW for 2023: Pre-purchase a drink package add-on and avoid waiting in line to tab out. Simply show your wristband at any bar throughout the event to receive complimentary beverages all evening, including beer, wine, and a specialty cocktail. Drink packages are $42 (includes tax). Must be at least 21 years old to purchase this item. Valid government-issued ID required.

Japanese-inspired bites will be available for purchase.

Pre-order a bento box dinner to enhance your experience. Order deadline is Thursday, September 7, and purchases are nonrefundable. Available for Otsukimi Festival ticketholders. Purchase bento box dinners here: themodern.org/program/modern-moonlight-otsukimi-festival-2023

Bento box dinners for two are $62 (includes tax). Only available for pre-order. Pick up at Cafe Modern 7–8 pm, Saturday, September 16.

Otsukimi, or “moon-viewing,” is a Japanese practice believed to have begun in the Heian Period (794–1185) that refers to the tradition of viewing and honoring the annual harvest moon. Historically, Otsukimi was an opportunity to express gratitude for a good harvest and share hope for similar bounty in the future. A full moon is considered auspicious and a clear symbol of abundance.

On Otsukimi, it is traditional to gather in a place where the moon can be seen clearly, usually on a date in September, which historic Japanese writings identify as the time of year with the best opportunity to see the moon at its brightest.

Pop, alternative, and glam rock updated with a vibrant spirit of celebration: A salvo of hook-heavy singles, stylized videos, and ambitious cross-country touring introduces The Dirty Shirts, an exuberant new band from Dallas, Texas.

Debuting in 2021 but born of the pandemic, The Dirty Shirts, fronted by lead singer and songwriter Nick Santa Maria, hit the ground running with shows as soon as vaccines would allow and released their debut album, In The Get Up From The Get Go, in 2022. National radio airplay for singles “Detonator” and “Please Me” (featuring Remy Reilly) served as an engaging introduction to an indelible musical signature as the band played for expanding audiences nationwide, including a national showcase at Cleveland’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, New York City’s storied Rockwood Music Hall, and a relentless schedule of dates in their home state.

“Gin & Roses,” the new single and a ‘spiritual’ sequel, according to Santa Maria, to their incendiary 2020 release “Gin & Tonic,” showcases the breadth of the band’s range, with soaring vocals melodies and chiming synths set against an undeniably dancey alternative pop background. With timeless Bowie-and-Bolan 1970s influences, recast in the present tense for fans of Gorillaz, Foals, and The Weeknd, The Dirty Shirts are a formidable, hard-hitting live experience that seamlessly translates their recorded work into an unforgettable show, with Santa Maria joined by a cast of Dallas’s best musicians.

Nik Parr’s original music is a high-energy, piano-driven rock n’ roll endeavor with strong soul, funk, and blues influences. Parr’s band is built around his piano-playing and singing, with an ear for catchy, danceable, and widely appealing new songs. The show is made even more unique as Nik switches seamlessly between the saxophone and the piano while singing, working the crowd, and directing his band – he even plays the two instruments at the same time!

Nik Parr and his band, The Selfless Lovers, have toured the country for five years playing over 150 shows annually. The band has released two full length albums The Selfless Lovers and When The Bars Close, and will be releasing their highly anticipated “Promised Land” in 2023.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

3200 Darnell Street

Fort Worth, Texas 76107

Telephone 817.738.9215

Toll-Free 1.866.824.5566

www.themodern.org

*Although this is an OUTDOOR festival, weather permitting, it will take place rain or shine. In case of rain, all programs will move indoors.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is a leader in collecting, showing, and interpreting art from the 1940s to the present. Situated in the heart of the Cultural District, the creative center of the city, the Modern has been housed since 2002 in an elegant concrete, glass, and steel building designed by the renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

In addition to 53,000 square feet of soaring, light-filled gallery space and landscaped grounds with outdoor sculptures, the museum features a reflecting pond, theater, education center, gift shop, and café, creating a thriving hub for our community and beyond.

Founded in 1892, the Modern is the oldest museum in Texas; however, our mission has changed over the years. Today, we strive to connect audiences of all ages and backgrounds with the most compelling art and ideas of our time. Showcasing the work of historically significant, mid-career, and emerging artists, the Modern is known for its evolving collection, which is international in scope. The Museum’s holdings include influential artists from Pablo Picasso, Philip Guston, Anselm Kiefer, Martin Puryear, and Agnes Martin to Mark Bradford, Teresita Fernández, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and Kehinde Wiley. We have a long history of close relationships with the living artists we show and collect, many of whom visit the museum regularly to give talks and lead workshops.

The Modern is a center of lifelong learning and exchange. Our programs include tours, lectures by leading figures in the art world, youth and adult classes, art camps, workshops, and a range of small-group studio and gallery programs led by the Museum’s educators, docents, and community artists. We also present critically acclaimed first-run films and partner with other local arts organizations to offer music, dance, and theater.