City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture -

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News & Announcements From OAC

Cultural Programs / Front PageDecember 20, 2019
The Office of Arts & Culture announces a new Community Arts ManagerThe Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) is pleased to announce that following a national search, Rhonda Ivery has been selected as the first Community Arts Manager. This is a brand new position within the OAC and is a direct result of the 2018 Dallas Cultural Plan. The position will oversee Dallas’ development and implementation increased pop-up cultural programming service, that brings programming to underserved residential and non-traditional areas across Dallas. Rhonda currently serves as the Artist Resource Coordinator with OAC’s Cultural Programs Division, and oversees the Community Artist Program (CAP). CAP provides funding for a roster of artists to bring performances, workshops, classes and more at no cost to residents of Dallas upon request. She also serves as one of the OAC’s Values Ambassadors for the City to advance the four values of service, empathy, excellence, ethics and equity. Rhonda was appointed to her current position with OAC in February of 2017. She came to the OAC from the City’s Office of Special Events where she organized large-scale events as a Special Event Permit Coordinator for 12 years. Since beginning with the City, Rhonda has forged partnerships with many City departments and other organizations including the Dallas County Juvenile Department. Rhonda spearheaded the Arts & Rec Live! pilot with the Park and Recreation Department, Dallas Public Library, and Dallas Police Department, to bring socio-cultural programming to under-utilized parks throughout the city. Rhonda is originally from Panama City, Panama, by way of Riverside, California. She has called Dallas home since 2003. Her family is her pride and joy. Her husband, Randall, is the nephew of the late, great, jazz saxophonist, Marchel Ivery. She has two extremely talented children; her son is a Theater and Music Teacher, and her daughter is an accomplished singer/songwriter. The apple of Rhonda’s eye is her 5-year-old granddaughter who is an aspiring prima ballerina. — About the Cultural Programs Division: The Cultural Programs Division of the Office of Arts and Culture administers Dallas’ cultural support programs, which provides over $6 million to support the arts, cultural organizations and individual artists in Dallas. These programs are supported and advised by the Allocations Committee of the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission, which is a City Council-appointed body of artists, arts administrators, and interested community members. The division also assists with implementation of the new Cultural Plan for the City, identifying and supporting neighborhood arts programs within the City, growing a technical assistance program to help artists and arts organizations build capacity and strengthen their businesses, and implementing priorities identified by the Director of Arts and Culture and City management. The Community Arts Manager reports to OAC’s Business Operations Manager.... Read more...
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...

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