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News & Announcements From OAC

City of Dallas / Cultural Venues / Front Page / NewsSeptember 24, 2019
Dallas awarded $500,000 grant to preserve African American civil rights historyDallas–Juanita Craft House Museum, home of local Civil Rights activist Dallas, Texas – The City of Dallas was awarded a National Park Service (NPS) Grant in the amount of $500,000 to preserve African American civil rights history. This funding will support major renovations of the Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House. The African American Civil Rights Grant Program awarded $12.2M and is funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Through this nationally recognized award, NPS seeks to support efforts nationwide to preserve resources, places and stories which tell defining parts of our nation’s history and the African American experience and civil rights movement. “As Mayor, I truly believe that the Juanita J. Craft House tells a piece of our City’s history that has been long ignored,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. “Telling the full history of Dallas and highlighting the leadership of those who helped advance our City through the Civil Rights Era is vitally important as we continue to address our contemporary challenges. I was heartened that the City Council included $250,000 in next year’s budget for this project, and I am elated to receive this generous grant so we can properly honor Juanita Craft’s legacy and inspire generations to come. I am eager to visit the restored Craft House — and to take my children with me.” The 1,300 square foot, one-story frame home is located at 2618 Warren Ave. in the Phyllis Wheatley Historic District of South Dallas. This was the home of Juanita J. Craft, one of Dallas’ most significant civil rights figures and only the second African American woman to serve on the Dallas city council. Juanita J. Craft lived in this house for 50 years and both Lyndon B. Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr., visited her there to discuss the future of the civil rights movement. Craft played a crucial role in integrating two universities, the 1954 Texas State Fair, Dallas theaters, restaurants and served the NAACP for 50 years helping to establish 182 chapters across the state of Texas. “The Office of Arts and Culture is honored to receive this monumental investment in the Craft House by the National Park Service,” said Jennifer Scripps, director of the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Cultural. “Juanita Craft’s legacy of serving her community, advocating for civil rights and mentoring young people will now be able to be appropriately honored in the home once it is restored and re-opened.” In May of 2018 a major flood occurred resulting in major damage to the home, resulting in its closure to the public. In June 2019, the City of Dallas Arts and Culture Advisory Commission adopted the first-ever Historic Structures Report, a document with a complete assessment of the home, its historic significance and recommendations for how to improve it going forward. Efforts to engage the community in conversation about their collective vision for the home and to raise funds for its restoration and exhibits and programming for future audiences are currently underway. The entire budget for this project is just over $1M, and the City of Dallas 2019-2020 budget includes $250,000 in capital funds for this project. “I am thrilled that the National Park Service will grant $500,000 towards the Craft House,” said Councilman Adam Bazaldua. “South Dallas has always recognized the legacy of Juanita Craft in our community, but this high level of support by our nation’s Historic Preservation Fund signifies that her work and inspiration is valued and recognized nationally. Juanita Craft’s legacy carries on in the fight for equity in District 7 and throughout Southern Dallas. It is my hope that preserving and reopening the Juanita Craft House will draw perspective, inspiration and vision from across Dallas – and our country, to spark civic engagement, inspire activism and bring together allies in our continued fight for equity.” Renovations for the Craft house are scheduled to begin in 2020 and anticipated to conclude by the end of 2021. To learn more about the Craft House visit: https://dallasculture.org/cultural-venues/juanita-craft-house/... Read more...
Front Page / NewsSeptember 18, 2019
Dallas City Council changes OCA’s name to Office of Arts and CultureToday the Dallas City Council approved an ordinance changing the name of the Office of Cultural Affairs to Office of Arts and Culture, effective October 1, 2019. The name change is inspired by the Dallas Cultural Plan 2018, unanimously adopted by the City Council in November 2018, and is a collective vision for the future of Dallas arts and culture. During the Cultural Plan process, we learned that many residents and artists: did not know that the Office of Cultural Affairs exists, or the extent of the functions of our office; and wanted a broader definition of arts and culture and more access. Changing the name of the department to the Office of Arts and Culture is one way to advance communication and accessibility for Dallasites. Other initiatives that the Office of Arts and Culture are undertaking to increase access include marketing campaigns and partnerships, “On The Go” events in neighborhoods to meet residents, and increased neighborhood cultural programming, particularly in under served areas. Artists and organizations working with OCA are encouraged to update their printed materials that refer to the old Office of Culture Affairs name. The new Office of Arts and Culture logo and style guide is linked below. Logo and Style Guide... Read more...
Front Page / NewsMay 24, 2019
Multiple Dallas museums offer free admission to military personnel and their familiesBeginning Memorial Day weekend, four Dallas museums will join museums nationwide to participate in the 10th summer of Blue Star Museums, a program which provides free admission to our nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families this summer. The 2019 program runs through Labor Day on Monday, September 2, 2019. The four Dallas museums participating in Blue Star Museums are: Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance Frontiers of Flight Museum Museum of Geometric & MADI Art Nasher Sculpture Center In addition, military personnel and their families may also obtain free admission to the following four Dallas museums, which offer free general admission throughout the year to all visitors: African American Museum Dallas Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas At Dallas Dallas Contemporary Dallas Museum of Art “We are grateful to our service members and military families and so proud of the many Dallas museums who support them through free admission,” said Jennifer Scripps, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs. “Dallas’ museums participation in the Blue Star Museums initiative aligns with many priorities in the recently adopted 2018 Dallas Cultural Plan, which sets forth the people of Dallas’ vision for arts and culture as crucial to an equitable, diverse and connected community.” The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard as well as members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum. Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums nationwide. Military can find the list of all participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums... Read more...
Cultural Venues / Front Page / NewsMay 23, 2019
Meyerson Symphony Center – Management Transition and Lease approved by City CouncilDallas Symphony Association and City of Dallas Announce Transition of Management of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Effective July 1, 2019 Dallas, Texas (May 22, 2019) – The Dallas Symphony Association (DSA) and the City of Dallas (City) today announce the agreement for transition of management of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center from the City to the DSA. The Dallas City Council voted in favor of moving the day-to-day administration and overall upkeep of the building to the DSA via a 99-year lease. “We are thrilled with the opportunity for a long-term management agreement for the Meyerson, which is an iconic building in Dallas and one of the top concert halls in America,” said Kim Noltemy, President & CEO of the DSA. “We are grateful to the City of Dallas and the Office of Cultural Affairs, as well as our arts colleagues, for the collaboration that has enabled this agreement to move forward. The DSA is committed to taking care of this incredible asset, and we understand our responsibility to ensure the building is fully utilized. We want all Dallas citizens to feel that it is their concert hall.” “The Meyerson is one of the ten best symphony halls in the world, and the DSA is honored that the City is entrusting us with its care,” said Sanjiv Yajnik, Chairman of the DSA Board of Governors. “The arts – including music – are vital in creating vibrant communities, and we look forward to building upon the Meyerson’s long-standing reputation as a home for the very best classically trained musicians.” “The City of Dallas is very optimistic and enthusiastic about the opportunity that the DSA’s management of the Meyerson presents. Given Kim Noltemy’s leadership, and the support of their board, I believe that the Dallas Symphony is prepared to take on this role and optimize the utilization of the hall,” said Jennifer Scripps, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs. “The DSA is committing to both continuing and bolstering their multi-generational support for this iconic venue, and the City of Dallas will do everything in its power to ensure a smooth transition as we work to address deferred maintenance and handover operations.” The new agreement is a 99-year lease of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center effective July 1, 2019. The DSA will become responsible for all operations and annual maintenance costs of the building. The City of Dallas commits to expending dedicated capital funds for deferred maintenance approved by voters in the 2006 and 2017 bond programs. The DSA is pleased to work directly with the resident organizations to continue to provide a space for wonderful concerts with Dallas’s finest performing arts groups. Grandfathered not-for-profit users – including The Black Academy of Arts and Letters’s MLK Celebration, Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas, Dallas-based public high school graduations, Dallas Bach Society, Dallas Winds, Fine Arts Chamber Players, Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and Turtle Creek Chorale – will have a preferred rent rate. The DSA is committed to renting the venue when the DSO and the resident organizations are not performing, making sure the Meyerson is utilized and enjoyed as much as possible. The DSA is also dedicated to education and access, as demonstrated through the annual Free Parks Concert Series performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the distribution of thousands of free tickets to Dallas students and a myriad of free education programs serving more than 20,000 Dallas children each year. As part of this, the DSA recently launched a new Southern Dallas Residency which will provide further opportunities in the area, including instruments and music lessons free of charge. “When we set out to design this hall, I committed to lead the charge to secure the very best, in terms of acoustics and design, for Dallas,” said Morton Meyerson. “I believe that we accomplished that, and with this management transfer, we are able to maintain that level of quality for future concertgoers, students and community members.”... Read more...

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