Maura Sheffler – 20 Under 40

The Arts Community Alliance
37 | SMU

Maura Sheffler started at The Arts Community Alliance 10 years ago as its community relations manager.

Now, she serves as the organization’s executive director, a role she was promoted to in 2023.

“I have studied music since age 6, but when I was living in NYC in 2007, I realized arts management might be a more suitable calling for me,” Sheffler said.

Sheffler says the pandemic impacted her approach to community involvement as TACA raised and distributed more than $500,000 in six months and curated workshops for the arts community.

“We also now know that the pandemic had a profound impact on how people consume and participate in the arts,” Sheffler said. “Attendance patterns and preferences have since changed, and our traditional revenue models are strained.”

The arts community needs a future that accounts for these changes, she said.

“This set of challenges has made me more committed and motivated than ever to making our arts community a thriving, sustainable one,” Sheffler said.

Sheffler also volunteers as a grant reviewer for the Houston Arts Alliance, is an inaugural member of the Meadows 2050 Council, and is a board member of the Dallas Arts District.

Her advice for other young professionals: “The world is changing rapidly, so it’s important to try new things, learn new skills, and meet people who are different from you.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Whether I’m still leading TACA or in another role, I want to make a real difference for the arts in Dallas — that means ensuring artists and arts organizations have access to the support they need to thrive. I truly believe the arts are an important contributor to making our region stronger for the economy, for tourism, and, of course, for those who call this area home.

What would you tell an 18-year-old you?

• Don’t limit yourself to one path. What you’re meant to do may be different than what you envision right now.
• Believe in your instincts and do what you think is right.
• Explore and be curious — always!

If someone made a movie about your life, what would it be called, and who would play you?

It would be called Controlled Chaos, and I would love for Tina Fey to play me because she is a level of funny that I aspire to.

What (or who) motivated you to get involved in the community?

Though I was already deeply involved in the community through my role at TACA, the pandemic had a tremendous impact on my approach to community involvement and my perspective on my work.

I am so proud of the quick work we did at TACA to provide flexible support to our arts community in record time. We worked with our donors to release restrictions on funding for our grantees, we raised and distributed over $500,000 in less than 6 months, and we curated workshops that gave our community real-time, up-to-date information on COVID-19 so they could re-open faster.

We also now know that the pandemic had a profound impact on how people consume and participate in the arts. Attendance patterns and preferences have since changed, our traditional revenue models are strained, and we need to vision a future that accounts for those things. This set of challenges has made me more committed and motivated than ever to making our arts community a thriving, sustainable one.

What was your first job and what did you learn from it?

My first job was as a freelance musician as a student in the Washington, D.C. area. Learnings: It’s hard to make a living as an artist; you have to hustle 24/7. You work hard for little compensation, and a lot of the time you don’t feel like a valuable contributor. I also learned that that is how most musicians make a living — there aren’t nearly enough institutions that are able to offer a living wage. I learned that I felt strongly that that dynamic should change — that our talented artists deserve an ecosystem that works better.

Where do you see yourself and/or your career 10 years from now?

Whether I’m still leading TACA or in another role, I want to make a real difference for the arts in Dallas — that means ensuring artists and arts organizations have access to the support they need to thrive. I truly believe the arts are an important contributor to making our region stronger — for the economy, for tourism, and of course, those who call this area home.

What is your favorite local restaurant or shop?

I love coffee and am a frequent customer at Civil Pour. They have fabulous coffee and locally sourced pastries. It’s also centrally located between my home, downtown Dallas, Preston Hollow, and the Park Cities where many of our supporters live.

What’s on your bucket list?

Travel. I spent a lot of time in Europe when I was in graduate school, particularly in Northern/Central Italy, but I’d love to travel soon to southern Italy and Scotland.

Who’s your biggest inspiration and why?

Zannie Voss, Director of SMU DataArts, is a huge inspiration for me. She was the director of the arts management graduate program when I was a student and her thoughtful, holistic, data-driven approach to all she does has had a deep impact on how I approach my work. After graduation, I had the privilege of working with her in my role at TACA, where she was a board member and longtime moderator of TACA Perforum, our annual arts community gathering that examines challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

What was your “lightbulb moment” that led you to your career?

I don’t think there was one moment. But there were a series of them across my years as a music student. During that era, I found myself feeling like there were other things I should be doing, that I could be doing, that would be more meaningful to me than spending hours alone in a practice room on my own craft. There are so many amazing, talented musicians who are fully fulfilled artistically by their music, and I realized that I might have a different calling — one that could support those incredible artists an arts leader and voice for the arts.

How do you motivate yourself and others?

I talk about the future — the future I hope to see for the arts. One that is entrepreneurial, dynamic, and that looks like the communities we live in. One where there is art that speaks to everyone, artists and art-making are valued by the many as opposed to the few, a bridge for building understanding among those from different perspectives and backgrounds.

What’s a fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you?

I love science fiction — both movies and particularly books. I’m deep into reading the Wheel of Time series and I am irrationally excited about the second Dune movie.

What advice do you have for other young professionals?

The world is changing rapidly, so it’s so important to try new things, learn new skills, and meet people who are different from you. You never know when those people or that knowledge will come in handy.

Is there anything else you think we should know about you?

I’m a wife, mother of two small kids, and proud arts leader who’s bullish on living in Dallas, meeting interesting people each day, and making our city a world-class arts destination.