By Sam Iannuzzi
Mellow Wanderer Contributor
Only in Texas can one purchase tickets to an Audio Art Tour to gawk at world-class contemporary works of art at… a football stadium.
AT&T Stadium, also known as Cowboys Stadium before the phone giant threw a bunch of money on the table, is that rare football venue with an art gallery of sorts where visitors can view paintings, mixed media, and sculptures while heading up an escalator to get a beer and some popcorn.
Inside “Jerry’s World,” as in erstwhile oil baron and current billionaire Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, chief promoter of himself, there’s a mash-up of equal parts art museum, sports arena, and Las Vegas glitz, including ten full alcohol “clubs.” Not to mention one of the biggest HD TVs in the world hanging over the playing field like a moored Zeppelin.
Completed in the summer of 2009, the stadium cost over $1 billion to build and sits in Arlington, Texas, about a 20-minute drive from downtown Dallas.
Primarily the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium is becoming the venue of choice for some of the sporting world’s biggest events.
In addition to being the home of Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011, the stadium has hosted the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, the WBO welterweight championship fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottney on March 13, 2010 and the 2014 NCAA Final Four basketball tournament, to name a few.
“Jerry’s World” is also going to be the site of the first ever College Football Championship game on January 12, 2015.
If your travels take you to North Texas, AT&T Stadium is definitely worth a look. The massive structure dominates the landscape. With glistening glass panels and streamline design, the place is hard to miss.
If contemporary art is not your thing, regular stadium tours are available. But then again, here in Cowboys Country, perhaps the only work of art lately is away from the playing field on the ride up and down the escalators.
(PHOTOS COURTESY OF AT&T STADIUM)
One thought on “Dallas Cowboys: A Work Of Art Off The Field”