A slender silhouette with long dark hair and a firm handshake, Melanie Little Gomez Smith greets me warmly, with her husband Des Smith just behind her as we sit down to talk at the bar in West Oak on a breezy evening. Kambucha, their drink of choice, was their one precondition for our meeting spot.
Artists at their heart, the duo have seemingly explored it all, and are still -with only slight exhaustion but still enthusiasm -exploring it all. They do a diversity of art projects and mediums including photography, sculpting, mural painting, album art, music videos and more.
Most recently, within the span of two days the couple painted a mural that is funny, dark, thought-inducing all at the same time. A porpoise, a white rhino and other endangered, majestic species sit around table at LSA restaurant, coming together to resolve and discuss their looming fate of on-coming extinction.
Read MoreLocal Buzz is our new quick and easy guide to the many different breweries and distilleries both in and around Denton County. Let’s be honest: When it comes to breweries, we’re a little spoiled. Sure, we may not yet have the name recognition that a lot of those Dallas gastropubs have, but the beer scene in Denton continues to flow with cool creativity thanks to a crop of longtime dedicated Denton denizens. This spring saw the arrival of two new breweries, which means it’s past time to round up all of the local spots where you can wet your whistle and sample some of the finest brew creations in and around Denton.
Read MoreSummer is slippin’ away, but thank John B. Denton’s Ghost for these dang nice cooler temperatures and a little rain. Never curse rain in Texas, y’all. Time to revisit your summer bucket list and get to seein’ and doin’ that stuff your May self promised your September self would get done. Here’s our top #DEN10 events this week that’ll make your September self glad you got out-and-about town.
Read MoreThe U.S. may be behind in the eco-friendly lifestyle compared to other European countries, but we just took one more step in a positive direction.
This September, one of the first American companies to make Danish-style Cargo Bikes, Urban Tribe Cargo Bicycles, will ship out their first round of bikes from our very own city of Denton. The group, founded by Dentonite Aaron Powell, already have their wheels in motion. Read on for more info and to find out how you can get your own Urban Tribe Cargo Bike with a steep discount!
Read MoreWhat We Did is our weekly roundup of a few of the best photos that have been tagged with #WDDI in the past week on Instagram. Together, these images showcase the wide-variety of what people are up to in Denton. This week, we've got images from people doing their best with the Texas summer heat, our favorite new radio station, Rose Costumes, and much more.
If you'd like to be included in What We Did, tag your images with #WDDI on Instagram, and check back here next Monday. Search the hashtag #WDDI and check out all of the other photos that we were unable to include this week.
Got a question about What We Did? Send it to will@wedentondoit.com.
Read MorePursuing the music and arts as a career has never been known to be a financially easy or smooth path. Denton, a hot hub for budding artists and musicians is experiencing a population explosion says Nic Bagherpour. The problem this presents? Starving artists and musicians may find it more difficult to afford living here. Founders of the the new local nonprofit, the Denton Music and Arts Collaborative, have set out to combat that issue, starting with subsidizing health care for artists and musicians.
Read MoreDenton's co-working space and entrepreneurial center, Stoke, held a celebration in honor of their first birthday earlier this week. We were there of course (who can resist free cupcakes?) and took a few photos. Check out a few photos of the event by WDDI-er, Danielle Marie Longueville, below. You
Read MoreWeather is forecast to be cooler than usual after sunset this week, so don’t miss this opportunity to squeeze in more shenanigans onto your summertime bucket list! And – boy oh boy, believe us – Denton always has more than its fair share of shenanigans.
Read MoreSadly, another Denton icon has fallen. Due to the cruel whims of fate and physics, the much-beloved pedestrian bridge that has helped visually define the Texas Woman’s University campus was demolished on Wednesday, June 21st. It may have come as a shock to some of us, and with the re-opening of Bell Ave. some are just now noticing the bridge's absence, but the TWU crew offered a thoughtfully dignified farewell to this campus landmark that has offered safe passage to generations of students since back in the day.
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