Dallas Contemporary

Dallas Contemporary, founded in 1978, is a contemporary art museum located in the Design District of Dallas, Texas.DescriptionDallas Contemporary is a non-collecting art museum presenting new and challenging ideas from regional, national and international artists. The institution is committed to engaging the public through exhibitions, lectures, educational programs, and events. The range and level of Dallas Contemporary’s programs serve audiences in the metropolitan Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond.Dallas Contemporary attracts visitors from the entire Southwest. Modeled after the European kunsthalle or art hall, it is one of the few institutions of its type in the United States.HistoryFounded by Patricia Meadows in 1978, Dallas Contemporary hosted annual exhibitions of artwork created by its members and offered rental exhibition space to emerging artists. It later expanded its mission to include exhibitions by nonmember artists from Texas. Dallas Contemporary has expanded its scope to embrace the entire spectrum of contemporary art, placing Texas artists in a worldwide context. In doing so, it strives to follow the European model of the kunsthalle, or art hall, a welcoming exhibition site for art of the moment. The museum is a non-collecting arts institution that commissions the creation of new artwork by emerging national and international contemporary artists. In 2010, Dallas Contemporary relocated to a 37,000 square foot building in the Dallas Design District, an emerging neighborhood 1.5 miles north of downtown.