If you look at Danny Hurley’s Instagram, you won’t see your average phone photos but crisp, clear shots that tell a story of a person with Dallas as the backdrop. In fact, he can capture any person and any city fairly well, which is probably why he’s photographed for D Magazine, Texas Monthly, the Dallas Observer, Southwest Airlines, CBS, NBC, and more.
But when he was spending time in Deep Ellum in the 1980s and ‘90s, he was painting 35-millimeter slides he’d project onto walls, ceilings, and any other space he could transform. Well before Aurora, Danny was bringing large spaces to life with color and art.
“I made my own Kodalith list slides – Kodakolith is back in the old news days, when we used print, you actually had to expose it, which is pure, clear or black cellophane used for newspapers and magazines,” he says. “So, I took that approach with the unintended purpose to make these really cool black and white images out of them, playing them, then I would project them, and I would bring five and ten projectors into a location, turn off all the lights, and just project art on everything.”
Danny graduated from East Texas State (now East Texas A&M University) in 1986, about 65 miles northeast of Dallas. He made his way to Deep Ellum thanks to his brother, who was in a band called the Shitty Beatles, who played at the Theater Gallery – the 1980s punk destination at 2808 Commerce St.
“Deep Ellum was extremely run-down and a little sketchy. Nobody went down there from North Dallas unless they were fools like myself,” he says. “But Jeffrey Liles’ Theater Gallery was a rebirth of Deep Ellum for the music scene.”
It wasn’t the only place where creatives found their space, but it was welcoming all the great punk and new-age bands. So, of course, a band with a name like the Shitty Beatles would be playing there. And it was easy enough for the projection artist to find some inspiration.
“My projection art is what I’d call analog on acid. I would project on tracing paper everywhere,” Danny says. “I became popular, I called it DEA (a nod to President Reagan’s DEA), Danny’s Excellent Adventure.”
This traveling art exhibit of sorts went on for three or four years, filling the clubs, official businesses, and not, it was the 1980s in Deep Ellum.
“So, Deep Ellum became my second home,” he says. “From there, I got the notice of D Magazine. I started shooting fashion for them, and Deep Ellum was often the location.
He then went on to work in film, working for the art department of the 1996 movie Bottle Rocket at the future home of Deep Ellum Art Company. He worked on dozens of commercials set in Deep Ellum, and he was a regular in the art department of the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger.
”I met my wife at the Art Bar, 30 years ago, so DE really holds a special place for me.”
He kept photographing, staying particular to those who paid well, until the noted journalist Robert Wilonsky reminded him, “It’s not about the pay, it’s about the play,” which convinced Danny to go to the Dallas Observer.
“He was so right because all of a sudden, I’m shooting every weekend. I was shooting bands at concerts, motorcycle rallies, burlesque shows, and honestly 90% of them took place in Deep Ellum because that’s their demographic,” he says. “So I found myself back down there and then feeling young again and just having a great time.”
After a while, his work also led to photographing protests for the paper. He’s still shooting protests with over 800,000 views on his social channels today.
You can also see Danny’s photography in Deep Ellum today, such as at Kettle Art Gallery’s 20th anniversary exhibit.
When he’s not behind a lens, Danny has taught photography and design at The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas A&M, and Collin College, and he’s on the board of Collin College’s photography program. He now teaches the next generation of artists at the Winston School, which he calls the best job he’s ever had.
“Instead of museum field trips, we study the murals in Deep Ellum. It’s the most popular field trip in the school,” he says.
The school also holds a mural painting class led by artist IZK Davies at Danny’s former home, Deep Ellum Art Co, which, by the way, is owned by two former Winston teachers, Kari and John LaRue.
“As a photographer, or as a writer, often we sell our soul, and we’ll do whatever it is to make a buck, and so at Winston, I’m not only teaching kids for a career,” he says. “I’m training kids and teaching them how to be artists for art’s sake.”
