BRINGING ART TO THE PEOPLE: AN INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE CUELLAR

  *This article was originally published in the local Dallas arts publication THRWD in July 2015.  

   There is no doubt that Dallas has a beautiful Arts District. In my own lifetime, I’ve seen it evolve from an intersection with a few museums and a symphony center, to a truly world class neighborhood where people live, work, and enjoy a variety of performing and visual art venues. 
   Even through this expansion, I have to wonder how the district has been successful in reaching out to the communities beyond its borders? We live in a diverse city with large, multi-ethnic, economically diverse neighborhoods with vibrant and ever growing networks of well and little known artists. But has the Art District’s growth been equal to its extended influence on our city at large?
   Are the venues creating cultural experiences and art education opportunities outside of the district? And, more importantly, how do people who can’t afford a membership to the museums gain access to the resources the Arts District has to offer? 
   I reached out to Catherine Cuellar, the CEO of the Dallas Arts District, a non-profit made up of the CEOs of all the Arts District’s stakeholders, to explore these questions about what the neighborhood has to offer the city at large.

First off, could you talk about the cultural history of the Arts District? What was here before the museums?
Cuellar: The geographic neighborhood itself spans to what was Little Mexico to the west, to what was Freedman’s Town to the east, where Booker T. Washington, St. Paul United Methodist and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre are still located. So we have more than a century of history as a multicultural and inclusive neighborhood, and just educating people about that and reclaiming that history is a big opportunity for us.

What’s the basic mission of your organization? 
Cuellar: We are part of the Communities Foundation of Texas, and our board of directors is made up of the CEOs of each of the stakeholders within the 20 square blocks of the Arts District. It’s our goal to stimulate and educate our city’s residents with artistic venues. So, in that sense, we function kind of like a neighborhood or homeowners association, and a chamber of commerce. We are also the Global Cultural Districts Network’s world headquarters. So that keeps us connected with cultural districts in cities the world over. 

How are the venues in the Arts District funded?
Cuellar: Over the last 40 years we’ve benefitted from more than a billion dollars of public investment that has been more than matched by the private sector. Everyone who pays taxes should feel ownership of, and personal investment in the arts district and its success.

What free events and programs does the Arts District offer Dallas residents?
Cuellar: We have initiatives that physically bring young people into the district, and enable anyone to enjoy these venues for free. The DMA offers free general admission, and free membership. Klyde Warren Park and the Crow Collection of Asian Art are also always free. DSO has DSO TO GO–a program of free performances at park and rec centers around the city, and one at Paul Quinn College.

We’ve streamed free simulcasts produced globally at the Winspear Opera House, the Perot Museum and Klyde Warren Park. The Dallas Theatre Center’s Project Discovery, which was recognized by first lady Michelle Obama, invests half a million dollars a season’s worth of free tickets for high school students all over the region. This covers bus transportation from their campuses to the Arts District for the performances. Like any ticket-buying audience member they have access to pre-show and post-show conversations with a cast member. The Dallas Theatre Center has actually hired alumni of Project Discovery to be theatre techs and other staff members. 

Have insights from these programs been used to further community outreach?
Cuellar: We’ve identified specific neighborhoods whose residents aren’t frequenting the museums or taking advantage of these programs. The insights have enabled the DMA to better understand why people visit, and to better target outreach efforts. We target our communications to those neighborhoods in the hope of getting people who aren’t coming into the district to visit. 

What is the Arts District doing to help promote and support unknown Dallas artists?
Cuellar: The Dallas City Performance Hall, which has only been around for a few years, was built by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs to allow small and mid-sized arts organizations that don’t have permanent homes in the Arts District to have a place to perform. They’ve had more than 80 organizations a year perform there, including Underman Theatre out of Deep Ellum, which did the regional premiere of Penelope and the world premiere of a play by Obie Award-winning playwright Len Jenkin. 
Bookert T. has a graduate named Jonathan Norton, who had a world premiere play staged there for MLK Day this year. The Dallas Chamber Symphony has commissioned a lot of world premiere original film scores to classic silent movies that the chamber symphony performs live, with the film playing.
So, world premiere dance, theatre and music have all been staged at the City Performance Hall since it opened about two and a half years ago. And that’s helping to bring lots of local arts organizations into the neighborhood. 

What is your organization doing to reach out to minority communities, specifically those who speak English as a second language?
Cuellar: The Mexican Consulate has translated literature for the Arts District Spring Break Kickoff. There is ultimately a goal to have bilingual signage throughout the district. That’s definitely an opportunity but it has a hard cost that we would have to fundraise for. But I do think that as a 40% Latino city, having signs in more than one language would be suited to the artists and the audiences that we attract. 
The Mexican Consulate also currently also has a temporary installation of sculptures by Jorge Marin. He is among the most celebrated and recognized living Mexican artists and his sculptures of winged angels are now in the Dallas Arts District. He actually came to the District during our Spring Break Kickoff to give a tour of his sculptures, which about 150 people attended.

What discussions might be going on to make the district more walkable?

Cuellar: From an urban planning standpoint, Arts District zoning was adopted in the pre-construction early 1980s and we are actively working to commission a replacement master plan for adoption into ordinances. Hopefully such a plan could be implemented over time since we have a number of projects either under construction, or in planning. We really need a set of ordinances that reflect our built environment and our evolved sensibility about harmonizing buildings and connecting people.

What residential projects are in the works?
Cuellar:Well actually, immediately north of Belo Mansion, the Atelier | Flora Lofts have just announced plans to bring in mixed-use development where there is currently a surface parking lot.  It will have underground parking, street level retail, several floors of affordable lofts for working artists and their families to be selected by La Reunion TX, and market rate apartments above.

For more information about the Dallas Arts District and its 20 square blocks of museums performance halls, parks and restaurants check out their site - www.thedallasartsdistrict.org.