An Abbreviated Guide to Dallas-Fort Worth’s Black Arts Scene

Dallas is one of the best cities in the country for those interested in Black visual arts. The Dallas-Fort Worth area boasts over 1 million Black residents and around a quarter of Dallas’ population is Black. As someone who’s deeply embedded within the community, it isn’t surprising that there’s both a rich tradition of Black institutions keeping and platforming the culture. Not to mention a host of new galleries, groups, and events that are taking the region to even greater heights. Most importantly, these are also some of the best places to experience art and culture—regardless of background, race, or ethnicity—in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Now, let's dive into just some of the many places, groups, and events that are making the DFW Black Arts scene so vibrant.

We can’t talk about Black Arts in DFW without mentioning the largest African American Museum in the Southwest: the African American Museum. Located in a beautifully designed building in Fair Park, this museum houses the largest collection of African American folk art in the United States. The museum also hosts rotating contemporary art and cultural exhibitions. Currently Central Track: Crossroads of Deep Ellum is on display which examines Deep Ellum and its connection to other Freedman’s towns in the 1920s and ’30s. Also on view is Seeing A World Blind Lemon Never Saw, a photographic exhibition by Alan Govenar that documents the places the great blues singer and guitarist Blind Lemon Jefferson visited and alluded to in his music. In addition to beloved musical programs and political roundtables, the African American Museum also hosts the Texas Black Invitational Rodeo which celebrates and showcases Black cowboy culture and it will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this July.

Not far from the African American Museum is another jewel of Black Arts Dallas, the South Dallas Cultural Center. This cultural center, operated by the Office of Arts and Culture, City of Dallas, is currently being directed by artist and curator John Spriggins. The motto of the SDCC is “Black Culture. Celebrated” and the center does just that in every genre imaginable, including stellar gallery programming with a rich history of working with Black artists like Khalil Irving, Nitashia Johnson, and Dawn Okoro before they achieve international recognition. Currently on view is Granny Said I Can Have One by emerging artist Charles Gray whose signature style features figurative work of Black people. Also for the month of February, the center is presenting its third annual Love In Black film series featuring movies such as Best Man, Moonlight, Something New, and Poetic Justice.

Another pillar for Black Arts in North Texas is the Pan African Connection Bookstore, Art Gallery, and Resource Center which has served the Black community for 35 years. Led by Akwete Tyehimba, Pan African Connection is brimming with Black art as well as art from Africa.The perfect place to also find books detailing forgotten or previously untold stories about Black culture, Pan African hosts a slew of workshops, talks, meetings, markets and community gatherings. It is truly mind-blowing how diverse their programming is as it reflects their commitment to nourish Black communities—mind, body, and soul. It also happens to be one of the favorite galleries of neo-soul singer and Dallas native Erykah Badu.

A newer space that is doing a stellar job serving Black Dallas is called For Oak Cliff, a nonprofit and community center located in Oak Cliff, Dallas. Designed with a focus on liberation and education, For Oak Cliff is also committed to integrating culture into their work whether it’s through their partnership with art education group Big Thought (working with teens on how to use art to achieve activism), their partnership with the Dallas Mavericks (that saw renowned artist Jeremy Biggers paint a mural of the Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall), or through CEO’s Taylor Townes participation in the documentary film Black CEOs which recently screened at Texas Theater. Crucially they also have some of the best designed merch in the city.

There are two eras in the Dallas arts scene: Before Daisha and After Daisha. That is how seismic and impactful the arrival of the eponymous Daisha Board Gallery has been. In the first year of existence Daisha Board Gallery won D Magazine’s coveted Best Gallery award. Showcasing talented artists like Jeremy Biggers, Jessica Bell and the aforementioned Tramaine Townsend, Board recently expanded to a large space in the West Dallas Tin District. Currently, Board is exhibiting “Art Chapters: The Book of Jennifer” by multidisciplinary artist Jennifer Monet Cowley, who will be in conversation with award winning journalist Candace Sweat February 17 from 3 to 5 pm.

If Daisha Board’s ascent opened the door for a new era of excellence in Black Arts, directed by Dr. Valerie Gillespie, has cemented it. In 2023, Pencil won D Magazines’ Best Gallery award, and this April the gallery will make its debut at the Dallas Art Fair featuring works by Abi Salami, Elyse Hradecky, and Jessica Vollrath. In March, the space is partnering with another Black woman-owned gallery, Msanii HOUS Fine Art, to present the debut solo exhibition of printmaker Vanessa Meshack. First POP will have the opening reception for Emmauel Gillespie’s exhibition “Joy” on February 17 from 5 to 7 pm.

There are so many talented Black artists in North Texas, here are several groups dedicated to celebrating Black art and building audiences for Black art year round. One group, Black Arts DFW, helps connect Black professionals with Black creatives. Co-founded by Cathryn McClellan and Miranda McClellan, with help from this writer, the group organizes trips to museums, art fairs, galleries, collectors homes, and even artist studios for Black creatives, as well as educational workshops about how to understand the art world.

Another group is Black Girls In Art Spaces, founded by Dallas-based Black visual storyteller Kaci Merriwhether-Hawkins, which provides communal care for Black women while championing Black artistry. The group, which exists as a virtual community with frequent real world meetups, has become a national phenomenon with chapters from coast to coast. BGIAS is one of the most exciting things in the art world right now, and deserves an immediate follow @blackgrilsinartspaces.

February 16, 10:30 am
ItalyColored City Hall Museum
Experience a cultural history talk by living legend Elmerine Bell at the Italy Colored City Hall Museum, recognized by the Texas Historical Commission. Featuring an exhibition of artifacts and memorabilia, Bell will lead visitors through forgotten histories of Ellis County.

Through February 29
Spellman Museum of Forney History
Take in works by Burford Evans, Frank Frazier, Lakeem Wilson, and a collection of emerging artists curated by Darryl Malloy of Renaissance Art Collective at the Spellman Museum of Forney History. On February 29, the exhibition closes with a panel discussion entitled “Eclipsed Visions: Past, Present, Future, What’s Next?” from 6 to 8 pm.

Through March 29
The Plano African American Museum
Experience a dual exhibition by artist Jas Mardis, an award winning fabric artist and leather pyrography portrait artist, at The Arts Centre of Plano and The Plano African American Museum. It features a survey of the artist's work and I Witness: Protests and Race Quilts, a display of eight quilts by Mardis.

Through March 1 (Dreams); through June 22 (Woven)
Frisco Discovery Center
Featuring work by artists Rapheal Crump, Demarcus McGaughey, Huey Dynamite, and Leslie Horton Montena, the exhibition is on display in the Grand Gallery of the Frisco Discovery Center. Also, Woven Together, an exhibition spotlighting African American members of the Frisco community including musicians, teachers, veterans, and city council members, is on display through June 22 at The Heritage Museum.

Through March 17, 6–8 pm
400H Gallery,Fort Worth
Presented by Sundance Square and Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society, the eleventh edition of this long-running juried art show can be found at 400H Gallery. The group show was selected by a distinguished panel of jurors including Rebeca Goss, curatorial assistant at The Kimbell Art Museum, Kelsha Spencer, Amon Carter Museum of American Art 2024 community artist, Beth McAnthony, director of McAnthony’s Gallery, and Shasta Haubrich, executive director of Art Tooth.

June 1, 11 am–5 pm
Como Community Center, Fort Worth
Returning to the Como Community Center of Fort Worth, this art fair and festival organized by Dena Ashton which drew over 300 people last year, celebrates Black Arts of all disciplines. Returning artists include Phallon Wright, Keorah Strain, Angela Burton, Weyni Kashay, and Jeffrey Lane.