Artistic reputation set for double boost

Latino Cultural Center and Nasher Sculpture Center set to bring added prestige -- and visitors -- to downtown

Lisa Tanner
Senior writer

Dallas' reputation as an arts destination is gaining strength.

The city has long boasted its share of prestigious visual- and performing-arts venues. But downtown Dallas, in particular, is set to assume a more significant role nationally and internationally, with two major new arts attractions getting ready to open.

The Latino Cultural Center and Nasher Sculpture Center will "increase the importance of Dallas on the international cultural map," said Betty Switzer, director of the city of Dallas' office of cultural affairs.

"I sense a great energy right now in the community about all the different buildings and the potential for what is coming online," she said. "We're on the edge of some incredible things happening, and there has already been a lot of activity. There is a renewed enthusiasm and interest in further development of the arts in the downtown area."

The two newcomers join a downtown that already includes the Dallas Museum of Art, the Annette Strauss Artist's Square, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art and much more.

First up is the Latino Cultural Center, a cultural, performance and educational complex which will open Sept. 16 and celebrate with a week of festivities.

The $9.7 million center was created to serve as the regional catalyst for the preservation, development and promotion of Latino arts and culture. It was funded with a public/private partnership that included the city of Dallas, donors and patrons such as The Meadows Foundation Inc., which provided the lead gift.

Designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, known for his use of color and light, the facility is expected to draw attention for its architectural design alone. It is located on the corner of Good-Latimer Expressway and Live Oak Street in Dallas.

But it also has a 300-seat theater, gallery, artist work spaces, teaching areas and a "grand plaza" for festivals and other events. The idea for the center has been around since 1992, but no bond money was available for the project for several more years.

The center incorporates all Latino cultures and encourages a sharing of cultures, said John Watts Nieto, interim manager and cultural programs coordinator for the center.

"It's very interesting to see how cultures can come together as one," he said. The center, designed to welcome not only Latinos but all visitors, offers opportunities for education and experience in visual, literary, media and traditional arts.

In October comes the much-anticipated opening of the Nasher Sculpture Center, which will occupy a city block in the heart of the downtown Arts District.

Included are works by Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas and Paul Gauguin. Contemporary artists include Richard Serra and Mark di Suvero. More comprehensive representations of individual artists' work include seven sculptures by Pablo Picasso, 11 sculptures by Henri Matisse, 13 by Alberto Giacometti, eight by Henry Moore, four by Joan Miró and eight by David Smith. Also in the collection are works by Medardo Rosso, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and Willem de Kooning.

The center's creation was founded on the goals of Nasher and his late wife, Patsy, to support the public enjoyment and study of sculpture.

Nearby, the Dallas Museum of Art already has removed a wall to open its space visually to the adjacent Nasher Sculpture Center, which will complement its modern and contemporary art holdings.

Also planned in downtown are expansions of the nearby Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and a theater addition to the Dallas Center for Performing Arts.

The overall goal is to create different spaces around downtown where visual and performing arts can mesh, said Councilwoman Veletta Forsythe Lill, who chairs the city's arts, education and libraries committee.

"It's been a long time coming," Lill said, "But seeing a revitalized downtown is the dream of every Dallasite."

In the past, much of Dallas' redevelopment activity has occurred outside the city core, in Uptown, Deep Ellum or The Cedars, she said. But the new additions to the arts scene are helping bring about the critical mass that will make downtown Dallas an attractive area for businesses and residences.

And, with the unveiling of the Nasher Sculpture Center, "everyone in the art world around the country is envious of Dallas," Lill said.

Contact DBJ writer Lisa Tanner at ltanner@bizjournals.com or (214) 706-7117.