This April marks Leon’s 50th trip around the sun and to celebrate, he took the Team to the David Bates exhibit at the Nasher Sculpture Center. We appreciate his making sure we get a regular dose of culture and some time out of the office. The exhibit is part of a first-time collaboration between the Nasher and The Modern in Fort Worth, where the two museums are simultaneously featuring the same artist but with emphasis on different works: Dallas has more sculpture and works on paper; Fort Worth has more paintings.

If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s really wonderful. We were all completely fascinated by how convincingly many of Bates’ sculptures appear to be constructed out of various materials other than what they are — bronze. Even under the closest scrutiny, many appear to be made from scrap corrugate and pieces of wood. Add to that the inclusion of some pieces that actually are wood, and it made for a fun guessing game. Equally intriguing was the comparison and contrast of his three-dimensional interpretation of an object versus his painting, and seeing just how beautifully it translated from one medium to the other.

After all that art gazing, we of course had worked up a thirst and appetite, so we ventured over to St. Ann Restaurant and Bar for a lovely evening on the patio with cocktails and appetizers. Here’s to Leon having more birthdays!

— Kris Murphy, Senior Designer