Taylor White and Sage Thomas
Couple create ‘Met GAYla’ to highlight local artists, performers, designers
TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com
There are a lot of talented artists in all fields who live their lives undiscovered. Even in this day of social media and “influencers,” it can be hard to get your name out there and get your work seen — especially since every other person is using those same outlets to promote themselves and their work.
Taylor White says she has seen that first hand. And she wants to do something about it.
White is one of the managers at JR.’s Bar and Grill. She said this week that she has seen many of her coworkers who are creatives working in the service industry to make ends meet struggle to get attention for their creative endeavors.
The same goes for her partner, Sage Thomas. “Music has always been a main focus in my life, and from music I branched out into other kinds of art, painting and drawing,” Thomas explained. “I love music and art, so this is very important to me. And Taylor supports me in this, so it is important to her, too.”
Succeeding as an artist, White said, “is all about knowing people.”
So she and Thomas put their heads together to come up with an idea: the Met GAYla, a combination fashion and art and live entertainment event that will give local artists a chance to have their work seen.
The idea, the women explained, is to bring together the creatives with the people who can help them move their careers to the next level, while providing Dallas’ LGBTQ community the chance to participate in a “high-end, black-tie event for an affordable price.”
“Everyone likes to get dressed up fancy for a black-tie affair, but not everybody can afford to attend most events like that,” White said. “But for this event, maybe they can’t afford a custom suit or dress, but they can go get a masquerade mask at the dollar store, and that is just fine.”
AND, the women added, the event will raise money for a worthy cause, the Pride in Dallas Parade.
“We want to call in ALL the artists,” White said. “When people think about the Met Gala, they think about fashion. But this is for people who have a love for art, a love for design of all kinds.”
Thomas added, “We’re looking for fashion designers, musicians, dancers, painters, sculptors — artists of all kinds. We want them to have an opportunity to promote themselves. And, speaking as a board member for Pride in Dallas, we want to show our love for people supporting Pride in Dallas by supporting them, too, and giving them this opportunity.”
Caven Enterprises, which owns JR.’s and S4, is sponsoring the event, White said. It will include a fashion show with dance performances and musical performances. But there will also be a silent auction featuring the work of local artists in all different areas — from fashion design and custom clothing and accessories to painting and drawing to sculpture and photography and digital art and more.
“Our main focus right now is that we want this to be community- and locally-based,” White said. “We want to support the folks who are not big-time designers or big-time artists and get them some big time focus. We want them to have the opportunity to shine, and to speak to who they are as individuals and as artists.”
The deadline for fashion designers, musicians and performance artists to apply is Aug. 1, to give organizers time to arrange and create the fashion show side of the event. The deadline for other artists who want work included in the silent auction is Aug. 15.
Artists, designers and performers interested in participating can visit EventCreate.com/e/pride-in-dallas-met-gayla.
The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 2, from 5-9 p.m. at S4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road. Proceeds will benefit the second Pride in Dallas Parade, happening Sunday, Sept. 17, on Cedar Springs Road. Tickets will be available starting July 1 at PartyAtTheBlock.com. There will be more expensive VIP packages available, White said, but most tickets will be “very affordable, because we want everyone who wants to attend to be able to attend.”