Tag: Dallas
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Of Beer and Neighbors: Welcoming Four Corners Brewing to the Cedars
On Friday, I had the most meaningful beer I’ve ever had. Most of you know what’s happening in the Cedars. Back in 2014, a lot of major buildings on Ervay (one of DHV’s borders) changed hands–with significant redevelopment plans. Promises were made with projected opening dates of 2016. All of those buildings remain quiet for…
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A short lesson on bonds
Usually, bond packages aren’t the spark of lively internet conversations. But a few things on the proposed November bond package (namely Fair Park) are causing quite a stir. Without weighing in too heavily on one side or the other of the Great Fair Park Debate (I feel like I’ve done that here and here), I…
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Step by Step: Neighborhood Redevelopment
In the last few months, my work has taken a surprising turn. I’m having meetings about things that I don’t think most history museum directors ever dream about. People are approaching us with some pretty incredible ideas–ideas that have made my jaw drop and my mind whirl. After about the third time, I started thinking…
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Dramatic Inspiration: Innovative theater and museums
A few days ago, I saw a play that made me think a lot about museums. And though the story was incredibly powerful, I kept thinking about how they told it–and the implications for museums that are still wrestling with curatorial authority. I’ve had season tickets to the Dallas Theater Center since 2014–it was one…
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Lessons from Fair Park
It seems everyone in Dallas is talking about Fair Park right now. And it’s not just the usual fried food anticipation that comes with every State Fair season. A few weeks ago, an old friend asked me on Facebook “Will you explain the Fair Park issue to me like I’m five years old? I don’t…
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When History Comes Home: Aftermath of Dallas Shootings
All of Friday, I continued to be stunned–not just to the events of Thursday night, but to the response of what I considered to be an obvious and far too small gesture. . . . But I am here to say this to the museum field: how sad is it that people are surprised when…
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Other duties as assigned
Last week, I had a lengthy interview with a local reporter about the homeless encampment just on the other side of DHV’s fence. Since July 2014, we’ve had a steady stream of individuals that have chosen to live next to the I-30 access road, behind our Farmstead. About halfway through that interview, I said to…
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Armchair Leadership
For the past year, change has been brewing at Fair Park, located just a few miles from Dallas Heritage Village. This remarkable spot in Dallas is home to the largest collection of Art Deco structures in the nation, the State Fair of Texas, and many museums and cultural organizations. But many people think it’s completely…
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Mapping the future
Highway design usually isn’t a thing that museum directors have to think about, but when your northern border is an interstate, it comes up. In my very first post here, I talked a bit about my surprising meeting with TXDoT officials as part of the CityMAP project. Since that meeting back in July, there have…
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A different kind of community anchor
A couple of years ago, I was sitting in a professional development workshop, taking a quiz about how connected we were with the community. The quiz deeply frustrated me—Dallas Heritage Village is located in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Major institutions in the city routinely have close to a million annual…
Prycer Consulting 