Fort Worth Avenue Development Group will host the 2012 Spare Parts fundraiser on Sept. 22 at the soon-to-be-opened Four Corners Brewery on Singleton Boulevard.

The fundraiser will sell donated works of art, created from discarded and found objects, alongside live music, food, and local micro brews.

The funds from Spare Parts goes to fund a public art installation along Fort Worth Avenue — Erik Glissmann and Nicole Horn’s recently planted Möbius Bench was the flagship installation out of this movement.

I know we all have a dormant art gene in your body so if you want to submit a piece, the group is accepting art pieces until Sept. 15.  at David Lyles Photography studio, 2318 Beatrice St. Dallas, 75208

All contributing artists will receive a ticket to the event at the micro brewery.

Gabriel Koller goes to the Behavior Exchange; Zachary Koller attends Dallas North Montessori School.

As you can see from the photos above, I have first-hand knowledge of how difficult it is to take a good first-day-of-school picture. So I appreciate all of the parents and school administrators who sent us pictures for our spread in this week’s paper. The campuses represented include Bishop Dunne Catholic School, the J. Erik Jonsson Community School, the Kessler School, the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School, Harry Stone Montessori Academy, Tyler Street Christian Academy, and the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Grammy-award winning singer John Legend will meet with Stockard Middle School students Sept. 10. Photo credit: soulculture.co.uk

As a part of his work on the Teach For America national board of directors, John Legend will make an appearance at L.V. Stockard Middle School on September 10.

According to a press release, the Grammy-award winning singer “will meet with students to discuss the value of education and observe Teach For America corps members in action.”

Legend’s and the TFA’s vist comes together with jcpenney as donations received in stores be given to the Stockard’s music program. All patrons have to do is round up their store purchases to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to Teach For America.

The Dallas Morning News has more here.

I just returned to the office after attending the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Education Update, where one of the speakers was state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-East Kessler Park. This was the first time I’d heard Anchia address a crowd from a podium, and two things struck me about his speaking style.

1. He can whip out a momentary Latino accent that would make Gloria Campos’ corazon swell with pride.

2. He has a habit of dropping the names of certain audience members into the middle of sentences that have nothing to do with them. For example, he’ll say, “The real problem with school finance, Dan Koller, is that a district like El Paso …”

I made up that example, because mine was not one of the names he used. But it is an effective way of holding an audience’s attention. Because he might have called me out by name, I didn’t look at my phone during his speech nearly as much as I would have otherwise.

Despite the time I spent fiddling with my phone, I’ll have a full wrap-up of points made by Anchia and DISD Superintendent Mike Miles in next week’s paper.

Heads up, Winnetka Heights. Kessler Theater owner Edwin Cabaniss announced this morning that the inaugural Oak Cliff Music Festival has been scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. On that day, two outdoor stages will feature music by Joe Ely, Carolyn Wonderland, and Alejandro Escovedo. Other acts will be announced.

General admission will be $12 in advance, $20 day of; VIP tickets are $25 in advance, $35 day of. Kids younger than 10 will get in for free.

Proceeds will benefit the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association.

“The Oak Cliff Music Festival will be a great event for our neighborhood,” neighborhood association president Lee Ruiz said in a press release. “Winnetka Heights will get to welcome some of the best bands in Texas while showcasing what a beautiful, fun, and vibrant neighborhood we have here.”

Have you been standing all day? Great.

Then be sure to take a seat and rest your legs on Erik Glissmann and Nicole Horn’s Möbius Bench tonight  as they “christen” their structural masterpiece at 7 p.m. in front of Chicken Scratch and The Foundry on Fort Worth Avenue.

The small ceremony to celebrate the two artists countless hours of work — more than an entire week of solid construction — and is the culminating event for the piece they started nearly two months ago.

Just know that everything you’re sitting on was found somewhere by this duo. Scrap yards, construction sites, massive piles of blatantly discarded fencing — you name it, they probably looked.

If you’re heading out there tonight, stop and check out the history behind the bench with the links below.

Building. Finishing. Planting.

Or you can try and snag a copy of the August 3 edition of Oak Cliff People.