Scope and Contents 

Collection consists of plans and studies regarding a master plan for city-supported arts programs and facilities and subsidiary studies. The reports include city government involvement in a variety of arts organizations, including the Dallas Theater Center, the Dallas Symphony, the Dallas Museum of Art, Fair Park,  the Dallas Ballet, The Shakespeare Festival,  the Dallas Civic Opera, Dallas Summer Musicals, and Theatre Three.   The documents also explore various locations and costs associated with the plans.

The 1977 Comprehensive Arts Facilities Plan for Dallas, prepared by Carr, Lynch Associates, provides an overview of arts facilities operating in the City of Dallas and recommendations for next steps for action in local neighborhoods, including maintaining public support and funds for sustained cultural activity.  The 1984 Dallas Arts District Appendices by Theatre Projects Consultants, Inc. contains interview lists of various individuals from local arts organizations and other institutions, a list of materials and documents reviewed in the course of the study, summary of facilities and square footage making up the Arts District, a preliminary capital budget, a letter from Dallas Independent School District regarding the inclusion of DISD Arts Magnet High School site in the planning study, and a summary of recommendations from the Arts District Management Study prepared by the City of Dallas.

The Public Art Master Plan Advisory Committee was formed by the Park and Recreation Board in 1986 and charged with formulating a master plan for implementing a public art program for the city.  The Public Art Plan for the City report, completed in 1987, was the result of this project. It proposed a public art program and presented a new vision for the City of Dallas by discussing public art in the context of the city, the process of planning, and recommendations for the future.

Dallas' first public art object was the Confederate Monument, designed by Frank Teich and installed in City Park in 1896. It was moved to Pioneer Park Cemetery in 1961.  In 1903, the Dallas Art Association, a precursor to the Dallas Museum of Art, donated a core collection of artwork to the city.   Currently, the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs maintains 260 works of art in public spaces.

Organization

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Access

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives.  All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.

Citation

Dallas Public Art Planning Reports, 1977-1987 (Box <x>, Folder <y>), Dallas Municipal Archives

Related Material

1995-016 Arts District, 1984
1997-031 Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Park and Recreation, 1971
1997-034 Facility Needs of the Performing Arts in Dallas, 1972
1996-005 Majestic Theater, 1978-1992
1995-039 Memorials and Monuments, 1936, 1959-1982
1996-005 Majestic Theater, 1978-1992
2016-001 South Dallas Cultural Center

Index Terms

Dallas -- Texas -- History
Public art -- Texas -- Dallas

Container List