Last year, the Arts Access team covered the arts in North Texas through the lens of access and equity.
We reported on stories about underrepresented artists, arts and the economy, and trends in the art scene. We also talked to the community about stories they would like to see from us. We learned a lot from our reporting last year and look forward to continuing our work in 2024. Here are some of the things we will be covering in the new year.
Chitose Suzuki/Staff Photographer
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Moving beyond Dallas
While North Texas is a large and diverse community, much of the arts coverage focuses on the Dallas area. We want to expand our coverage to include artists from different cities and communities in North Texas. We want more stories about folks in places such as Denton, DeSoto, Arlington and more.While North Texas is a large and diverse community, much of the arts coverage focuses on the Dallas area. We want to expand our coverage to include artists from different cities and communities in North Texas. We want more stories about folks in places such as Denton, DeSoto, Arlington and more.
Rebecca Slezak/Staff Photographer
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Live music and Live Nation
In September, Live Nationlaunched On The Road Again, a program aimed at supporting touring musicians and crew members. Since then, Live Nation has eliminated merchandise fees and given traveling stipends to touring artists. House of Blues and the Echo Lounge and Music Hall in Dallas are two club venues participating in this program.
But some are skeptical about these new initiatives given Live Nation’s history. The launch came after a lawsuit that Live Nation shareholders joined that says the company allegedly charged bloated fees, bundled services and retaliated against venues that chose a different ticketing service provider aside from Ticketmaster, Live Nation’s sister company. We’ll be keeping an eye on how this program is going and talking to musicians about whether they are benefiting from it.
Our previous reporting also looked into the well-being of the local music scene in North Texas. Many musicians, and even fans, spoke to us about the lack of venues because of closures or performance limitations. With more closures happening in cities like Dallas and Fort Worth, we’re looking into how musicians are coping and recovering.
How LGBTQ artists are being affected by Texas politics
LGBTQ artists have long fought for equal access and visibility in the arts. This ongoing struggle faced a new obstacle when last June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that restricted “sexual oriented performances” in businesses, public property and in the presence of anyone younger than 18. Businesses that host drag shows would have been required to pay additional taxes and face licensing restrictions. Drag performers in North Texas feared this would affect their source of income, but a federal judge in Texas declared the bill unconstitutional months later. There hasn’t been much word on whether Texas politicians will continue to pursue bills targeting the LBGTQ community, so we’ll be on the lookout for any new developments that could affect artists and how the community is responding back.
Arts education
We spoke to a few artists in the community who also are educators. Whether it’s in a classroom setting or a workshop, we know that art and education can go hand in hand. We want to see how educators are growing the arts community, but also how they’re thriving despite school district changes. We also want to look into how arts education is being affected by Senate Bill 17, which bans DEI work. Universities and public colleges have closed diversity, equity and inclusion offices due to the bill being signed into law by Abbott in June. How has the bill impacted the creative space, which has been making efforts to diversify and become more equitable.
Arts and the economy
Arts organizations are still recovering from the pandemic. This year, major organizations including the Dallas Theater Center and the Dallas Museum of Art had layoffs. Plus, arts organizations in Dallas have been lobbying the city for more money to be allocated to cultural centers from the bond package. We’ll be following the money and looking into how these organizations are doing financially, where their funding comes from and what it will take for the arts to fully recover.
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.
