HAPPENINGS

Kimbell Art Museum

Queen Nefertari’s Egypt
Dec. 6-March 14

It’s a major exhibition of girl power centered around Queen Nefertari, the favorite wife of Ramesses II, whose reign historians consider the pinnacle of art and culture in ancient Egypt. The lives of Nefertari and other wives of pharaohs during the New Kingdom period (ca. 1539-1075 BCE) are reflected in this exhibit drawn from the extensive collection at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy. Along with objects emblematic of royalty, there are items used in everyday life: Look for paintbrushes and pottery along with exquisite jewelry, painted wood coffins, papyrus manuscripts and more. Nefertari’s highly decorated tomb reflected her status, and objects found inside her looted tomb, such as a pair of woven palm-leaf sandals, are included in the exhibition. Mummified knees are thought to be her only surviving remains.

3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817-332-8451, kimbellart.org

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Mitch Epstein: Property Rights
Dec. 22-Feb. 8

The Carter hosts the first museum exhibition of the American photographer’s large-format series documenting protest sites across America, from Standing Rock to the Texas border. (Fort Worth is the third stop for the show, which previously was exhibited at galleries in New York and Germany in 2019.) Epstein helped pioneer fine-art color photography in the ’70s. The 21 photographs in this exhibition were made during the two years Epstein traveled the country capturing images of places caught up in conflict over public and private rights. His work can be found in major museums including New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the Tate Modern in London.

Mythmakers: The Art of Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington
Dec. 22-Feb. 8

One was a landscape painter known best for his seascapes and related marine subjects; the other painted and sculpted his vision of the West. They captured their subjects in natural settings, be it the rolling waves of the ocean or dusty ranch land in the American West. This exhibition features Remingtons from the Carter’s permanent collection and links the two icons, exploring their themes, technical prowess and artistic approach to their subjects. The “mythmaking” refers to not only the artists themselves, but also the traditions they created and perpetuated about masculinity and their vision of the American frontier.

3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817-738-1933, cartermuseum.org

Gotta Dance

Some holiday traditions will continue. Ballet Frontier plans a production of The Nutcracker this month at Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, albeit with a few tweaks. The Nutcracker: Kingdom of Sweets includes a shortened version of the holiday classic and, yes, there will be snow. Think of the staging as a best of show with bonuses. Additional performances include Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, which made its debut last fall in Dallas; Moldau by artistic director Chung-Lin Tseng; and White Swan Pas de Deux with live musical accompaniment from Fort Worth Symphony concertmaster and first violinist Swang Lin. Dancers also will perform Come Together and Oh Darling! featuring music by the Beatles, and Butterfly Lovers and Andante & Finale choreographed by Tseng.

Details Performances of The Nutcracker: Kingdom of Sweets are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5; and 2 p.m. Dec. 6. Tickets are available at balletfrontier.org.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Prohibition: A New Year’s Eve Celebration
Dec. 31

Ring in 2021 with a gala concert that promises a journey through 1920s New York, Paris, Berlin and Atlantic City. Speakeasies of the time promise intrigue, danger and romance. The orchestra, with William Waldrop conducting, performs with vocalists Bronson Norris Murphy, a stalwart of Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera; Madison Claire Parks, a veteran of musical theater; and Parisian-born Myra Maud, whose influences include jazz and gospel.

Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium,  3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth.
Parking can be purchased in advance; call the FWSO box office, 817-665-6000. Purchase tickets and get more information at fwsymphony.org.

The Texas Ballet Theater canceled its Dallas and Fort Worth performances of The Nutcracker due to COVID-19, but TBT has come up with some alternative programs.

Dec. 14-26 Log into the company’s website to see a full-length filmed production of The Nutcracker directed by Ben Stevenson. Digital tickets are $30, and you get a bonus: a new, 30-minute version of The Nutty Nutcracker, the popular spoof of the holiday favorite. (Tickets typically sold out quickly for the
one-night performance, so more people get to see it for the almost two-week run of the film.) TBT also is offering tickets to school districts to replace the canceled matinees held for students.

Details Tickets are priced per household; purchase through the website’s box office at texasballettheater.org or by calling 877-828-9200, option 1.