Dallas Arts District Foundation Awards Nine Local Artists With Financial Refuge Among Crisis
It’s been a rough 18 months – 40,000 residents in Dallas County have died due to COVID-19, local businesses file for bankruptcy, Texas breaks winter weather records and resources are stretched thin.
Nonetheless, the Dallas Arts District Foundation (DAFD) maintains that artistic culture can, and must, flourish in times of crisis.
DADF is a nonprofit that supports the city’s artistic, educational and commercial endeavors through its donations and design programs.
Over the past 30 years, the foundation has awarded more than 450 grants, totaling $1.2 million, to Dallas arts and culture organizations. This year should be no different, according to the DADF website, because “reinvesting in the performing and visual arts is critical now more than ever.”
This year, DADF announced the nine local arts and cultural organizations receiving a total of $24,000.00 for innovative projects.
These 2021 recipients support the mission of the Dallas Arts District (DAD). DAD aims to enhance Dallas’s creative and economic life. Now, DADF is needed more than ever because the pandemic created a financial chasm in the arts community by affecting nonprofit arts organizations. This year’s awardees have found innovative ways to engage with their audiences and reimagine the creative process.
The executive director of Dallas Arts District, Lily Weiss, said her organization hoped to endorse the adaptability of local creatives for their virtual performances, exhibits, panel discussions and interactive experiences.
“Dallas arts organizations continue to fill your homes with the beauty of the arts,” Wiess said. “We know our audiences yearn for live cultural experiences.”
The 2021 grants are awarded for multidisciplinary programs that will be produced through a live or virtual experience within the Dallas Arts District and represent dance, music, theater and arts education.
“Dallas Arts District Foundation is committed to investing in our city’s cultural landscape because the arts contribute to the economic recovery of our communities,” Wiess said.
If North Texans are in the market for locally funded cultural experiences, DADF is awarding the following nine performances that span from January to August. In chronological order, the awardees are:
- Texas Ballet Theater
“Dallas Arts District Community Performances,” from Jan. 1 to June 30.
2. Bruce Wood Dance
“Esperanza,” from March 1 to June 30.
3. Bombshell Dance Project
“The Great 30,” from March 25 to March 27.
4. The Women’s Chorus of Dallas
“Voices of Women VII,” on March 28.
5. Ballet North Texas
“Cinderella – A Sensory Friendly Performance,” from May 7 to May 8.
6. Lone Star Wind Orchestra
“Celebrating American Spirit and Strength of Diversity,” on April 25.
7. Arts Vision
“Performing and Visual Arts Summer Camp,” from June 4 to Aug. 31.
8. Junior Players
“Awoken,” June 17 to June 19.
9. Prism Movement Theater
“Lucha Teotl,” from July 7 to July 17.
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