TACA Unscripted

TACA Unscripted comes to the Dallas Museum of Art on Tuesday, October 13, for a morning of conversation about the role and future of the arts in our communities. It's a talk rather than a performance, so it's more about listening and thinking than watching a show. The whole thing kicks off at 9:30 AM, and the museum is at 1717 N Harwood St in the Arts District.

Erin Harkey, CEO of Americans for the Arts, takes the keynote. She's spent more than 20 years in arts leadership, cultural policy, and community development, so she's coming at this from a national perspective. After her talk, the conversation shifts to a panel of Dallas arts and cultural leaders who'll dig into why the arts matter, how they help build healthy and connected communities, and the kind of support and infrastructure arts and cultural organizations need to actually thrive. It's a chance to hear how the big-picture policy Harkey works with plays out on the ground here in Dallas.

Joining the panel are Nico Leone, president and CEO of KERA, and Margie J. Reese, principal consultant at MJR Partners. Clyde Valentín moderates the discussion, keeping the conversation moving between the keynote and the panel. Between Leone's role at one of the city's biggest public media outlets and Reese's work in consulting, you've got a couple of people who see the Dallas cultural landscape from the inside.

If you're interested in how the arts fit into the city's broader life—and what it takes to keep those institutions running—this is exactly the kind of room you want to be in. It starts at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, October 13, at the Dallas Museum of Art.