The TACA Arts Accelerator is a new learning experience for small and emerging arts nonprofits working in Dallas County. The 9-month cohort learning experience is designed to increase organizational capacity, teach new business and leadership skills, build collaborative connections, and create strategic plans for sustainable growth, preparing them for transformative change and building a foundation for long-term growth.
TACA is developing the Arts Accelerator in collaboration with Suzanne Smith, Founder & CEO of Social Impact Architects and Adjunct Professor – UTA/SMU. All sessions will include training with a subject-matter expert, discussions with seasoned arts professionals, working time with each organization’s participants, and peer-to-peer content sharing and learning.
2023-2024 Arts Accelerator Participants:
Arts Mission Oak Cliff [AMOC] is a sanctuary for local artists. Housed in a restored church, the arts center is an intersection for a diverse community to connect, create, and play. The original sanctuary offers a space for full productions and workshops, and the half-basement, nicknamed “The Underground”, is lined with Sunday School classrooms transformed into creative workspaces. AMOC hosts six artists/arts groups in residence annually, offers affordable production and rehearsal space, and partners with local artists to host classes, workshops, concerts, vendor fairs, and more. The organization is run by artists, supported by a work exchange program (AMOCX), and continues to adapt and expand its offerings to support the needs of local creatives.
Created in 2016, Bombshell Dance Project is a contemporary dance company founded by Emily Bernet and Taylor Rodman in their hometown of Dallas, Texas. The company is driven by collaboration and focused on new formats and innovative work that brings audiences closer to dance. Their recent sold-out production “In the Conservatory with the Knife” was part of the Elevator Project in 2022.
Pegasus Contemporary Ballet aspires to be a national leader in its field; contributing world-class performances to the cultural landscape in Dallas and beyond. As innovators and artists, Pegasus Contemporary Ballet continues the legacy of ballet, expressing it as a meaningful and living art form. Their mission is to use the classical foundation of ballet to express contemporary perspectives, engage diverse audiences, and enrich the human experience. Pegasus uses contemporary ballet to create innovative performances, interdisciplinary collaborations, and exciting new works.
Pegasus Media Project’s mission is to empower emerging film, media, and multidisciplinary artists through collaborative creations, hands-on education, mentorship, access, exposure, and job placement. PMP is committed to supporting individuals as a whole person, with a special focus on women, ALAANA, LGBTQIA+, veterans, and those with learning differences.
The Pegasus Media Project (PMP), founded in 2012 by Iranian-born artist-educator Niloo Jalilvand, boasts a rich history rooted in the Pegasus Film Society at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas. Jalilvand, who taught at the school for 21 years, launched the student-led Pegasus Film Festival in 2015 to inspire and empower young people to pursue their passion for filmmaking.
In 2020, Jalilvand joined forces with artist-educator Glenys Quick and filmmaker and alumnus of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Christian Vasquez to establish the Pegasus Media Project (PMP) as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Their mission was to broaden their outreach to underrepresented communities and empower young people through the art of storytelling.
In 2023, Tamitha Curiel, an artist-educator and alumnus of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, joined the PMP team to bolster program development and community outreach.
Founded in 1995, Soul Rep Theatre Company is Dallas’ longest operating theater company dedicated to the Black and African diasporic experience. The company was co-founded by Dallas natives and Arts Magnet (now BTWHSPVA) alumnae, Guinea Bennett-Price (Artistic Director), Anyika McMillan-Herod (Executive Director) and Fort Worth native, Tonya Holloway (Co-Artistic Director of Film). Over the years, Soul Rep has bloomed into a consistent platform for developing and staging original plays, underperformed gems, and regional premiere works by notable playwrights of color and women. In addition to providing an annual season of 3 – 5 productions, the company has an established arts education program offering in and out of school classes, workshops and summer programs to children, youth, and adults, thus solidifying Soul Rep’s multi-faceted role as both a trusted training ground for future and new artists AND quality season productions and short films.
Verdigris Ensemble is a Dallas vocal band pushing the boundaries of the choral medium through creative concert programming, unconventional use of space, and collaboration. They use choral music to tell our shared stories of the human condition, weaving intricate choral programs into multi-layered and multimedia experiences. Both in concert and in outreach, Verdigris’ mission is to enrich, inspire, and invest in our community through honest choral storytelling, meaningful outreach initiatives, and active collaboration.
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