Denison Arts & Cultural District

By Shelley Tate Garner

The Denison Arts Council has announced that the Texas Commission on the Arts has designated Denison as one of the first official State of Texas Cultural Districts. Denison and six other communities statewide are the first to be recognized with the designation.

The Denison Arts and Cultural District (DACD) is located in downtown Denison. The management and leadership of the DACD comes from the Denison Arts Council. The City of Denison has made a ten-year commitment to support the DACD, after a decade-long effort by the Arts Council to establish and implement it.

Mike Williams of the Denison Arts Council and the DACD Steering Committee said, “This is the culmination of a ten year dream and a wonderful recognition of the efforts put forth by so many over the years.”

“The official designation opens the door to incredible opportunities for Denison. We hope that being one of the first seven cities chosen will shine a spotlight on everything that makes Denison great—its art, its community, its history, and its cultural assets” said Shelley Tate Garner, current president of the Denison Arts Council.

The vision of DACD is to create a thriving downtown that is a great place to live, work, learn and play
and that is a favorite destination for local citizens as well as visitors. Assets of the district include many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, three museums, sixteen fine art galleries and studios, green space, performance venues, two art schools, a public library, a winery and tasting room, nine restaurants, and fourteen blocks of retail and antique shops.

Garner said, “The vision of what the DACD would encompass began with the arts, but became about all of the wonderful cultural assets we have in downtown. An added bonus we never expected was the blossoming of a new cooperation and collaboration between many of our district organizations, boards, and businesses. This process has brought us all together in many ways that never seemed possible before.”

Denison is gearing up for an official celebration and kick off for the district this fall. Additional information about the DACD is available at the Denison Chamber of Commerce at 903.465.1551.