{"id":99722,"date":"2025-12-24T14:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T14:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/99722\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T14:50:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T14:50:10","slug":"new-book-inspired-by-kettle-art-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/99722\/","title":{"rendered":"New book inspired by Kettle Art gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Frank Campagna is sometimes called the \u201cGodfather of Deep Ellum<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the 1980s he was part of the neighborhood\u2019s punk scene. He transformed the warehouse he was renting into an unlicensed club where acts like H\u00fcsker D\u00fc and the Dead Kennedys would grace the stage. <\/p>\n

Instead of following others as the neighborhood started to empty out in the early 2000s, Campagna opened up Kettle Art Gallery<\/a>. <\/p>\n

His idea was to draw people back to the neighborhood by returning to its artistic roots. <\/p>\n

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It was important to Campagna that the space didn\u2019t feel stuffy, so he created something that was more like an artists\u2019 clubhouse than gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you sell a piece, we get our commission, and that\u2019s how you pay your dues to be part of this clubhouse,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo it\u2019s not quite as uptight. I\u2019m open to just about any idea, especially if it\u2019s original or completely off the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/p>\n

Frank Campagna sits in Kettle Art Gallery on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Deep Ellum in Dallas. He created the gallery to draw people back to the neighborhood by returning to its artistic roots. <\/p>\n

Yfat Yossifor<\/p>\n

Twenty years on, the clubhouse is still going<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, the gallery and the community that has sprung up around it are at the center of a new book by Jason Hensel called For the Love<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s named after a popular annual sale at the gallery that draws lines around the block. <\/p>\n

The clubhouse vibe was a draw for Hensel in the early 2000s \u2014 long before he would pitch this book.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends and I would go around to the different galleries and get the free wine and the free snacks, and we\u2019d always save Kettle for last because we knew it had really cool vibes,\u201d said Hensel. \u201cThat\u2019s where all the cool people hung out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kettle is known for taking risks and giving several up-and-coming-artists their first gallery shows. <\/p>\n

Kettle exhibited the work of Dallas graffiti crew Sour Grapes. It has also hosted weddings, film nights and a pop-up for the global icon Dua Lipa<\/a> on her Radical Optimism tour.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People walk past Frank Campagna’s mural in Deep Ellum on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Dallas. Campagna’s Kettle Art Gallery is celebrating its 20th anniversary.<\/p>\n

Yfat Yossifor<\/p>\n

For the Love includes a compilation of tributes from artists, journalists and art lovers. Here are a few notable excerpts: <\/p>\n

Judith Lea Perkins<\/a> \u2014 Dallas-based artist and muralist <\/p>\n

\u201cDeep Ellum is a treasure, and there is a sense of community for the people who live and work there. Kettle Art is a gallery where a beginning artist can go and be given a real chance to show their work. It is also a family and a beautiful place for fellowship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erica Felicella<\/a> \u2014 Multidisciplinary and performance artist<\/a> living in Dallas<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s going to let me do what Frank lets me do? Not many people. And Frank is always open. I don\u2019t have to sell him on it. And to make a defiant statement, it just feels right to do it there, too. So, the performances are not entirely designed for the space, but they are more about the ethos and the energy of the space because that\u2019s also very important to me when I perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark S. Nelson<\/a> \u2014 Painter and Texas native <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of Frank\u2019s big things is no egos, that indent of, \u201cWe\u2019re an inclusive space, just leave your ego at the door. This space isn\u2019t for that.\u201d Because of that, Kettle Art is a different vibe. It\u2019s a grassroots gallery that gives the average person who doesn\u2019t have an art career a place to show their work. At the same time, it allows artists, as they become established, to exhibit their pieces. What really stands out to me is that it\u2019s very inclusive and supports local artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details<\/p>\n

For the Love is available on kcopress.com<\/a> for $50. <\/p>\n

Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.<\/p>\n

This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access\u2019 journalism.<\/p>\n