Terry Loftis’ calendar is full of art events for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s a welcome sign of the resilience of the Dallas arts industry to TACA president and executive director Donna Wilhelm Familia.
As of February 2021, a survey by TACA (The Arts Community Alliance), the Dallas Arts District and the Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition found that 70 arts organizations in Dallas experienced financial losses of more than $95 million, with 3,145,209 missed or delayed attendances. including and more than 1,000 jobs have been lost.
“That’s money these organizations can’t get back. They have to start over and start programming,” Loftis said. “We have to keep moving forward.”
TACA has a unique understanding of the Dallas arts industry. Working with the philanthropic community, the nonprofit organization supports arts organizations in Dallas County with grants, thought leadership and capacity building. After monitoring the gradual resurgence of art ecology and evolving safety protocols during the pandemic, Loftis balances being realistic and optimistic about the current state of the industry.
“In short of another variation that allows for the potential closure of institutions, I think the approach to programming has been very well thought out and calculated by the entire arts community, while still keeping people’s safety in mind,” Loftis said.
As arts organizations resumed live events and performances, TACA supported the industry through a variety of grants. In 2021, TACA distributed $989,500 in funding, including $160,500 in pop-up grants, to 41 short-term projects operating safely during the pandemic. TACA also awarded two rounds of resilience grants and relaunched its annual operating grants as Catalyst Grants. Unrestricted support for these three grant cycles totaled $829,000 for 56 organizations.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra Yanga concert featured the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble. The orchestra received a two thousand dollar Pop-Up Grant as part of the May and June 2022 Pop-Up Grant distribution.
Some arts organizations fared better than others. During the pandemic, many arts organizations shifted programming online, performed in outdoor venues, and recorded and distributed their work in new formats. These adaptations introduced art to new audiences and developed new sources of funding for these arts organizations.
