For his first museum commission and solo museum presentation, Dallas-native artist Chris Schanck is creating a contemporary work inspired by the late-19th century Martelé dressing table in the DMA’s collection. Made of found objects from the immediate neighborhood of the artist’s Detroit studio, Schanck’s dressing table “Alley Vanity” will be coated in resin and aluminum foil—a reference to the Dallas aluminum factory where, along with his father, Schanck worked when he was young. The two dressing tables will be presented together to form a conversation about craftsmanship, material, and the vanity that drives them.
