a brief history of dallas contemporary 1978 - 2023 

1978 the artists coalition of texas (act) established. act was dedicated to the development of local contemporary art and the search for alternative space for artists. act was artist-initiated and artist-directed. in 1980 the name was changed to d’art, a visual art center for dallas. a search for a permanent arts facility was led by mary ward and judy hearst.

1981 patricia meadows found a warehouse at 2917 swiss avenue and joined the board of d’art. the d’art board voted to rent the warehouse which opened to the public in august 1981.

1981 – 1986 meadows oversaw programming – art exhibitions by individual and group dallas artists, seminars, meeting and workshop space for artists and office space for art organizations – and fundraising for rent and building renovations. she also recruited vicki meek to be the first paid executive director in 1986.

1986- 1989 under executive director vicki meek, d-art established a collaboration with center for research in contemporary art at university of texas at arlington, sharing resources for exhibits by local, national and international performance & installation artists like allan kaprow, suzanne lacy, coco fusco & guillermo gómez-peña, and jim pomeroy. d-art closes and opens anew after renovation.

1989 - 2001 executive director katherine wagner worked with patricia meadows, vicki meek, and board of directors to establish mosaics, an exhibition series promoting artists of color. wagner and meadows  increase membership and initiate new programming. offices for diverse organizations such as the mexico institute, usa film festival, as well as an arts business center were established. the legend award honoring texas arts heroes such as james surls and margaret mcdermott was founded. significant regional artists were exhibited in the main gallery while smaller galleries offered opportunities for solo and community exhibits. in 2001, after finding the original 2917 swiss avenue building faulty, the meadows foundation underwrites the new facility located at 2001 swiss avenue with a ten year lease.

2001-2010 executive director joan davidow established art think, an intensive education program making contemporary art more accessible for students. davidow steered museum’s first capital campaign, raising $4.5 million to purchase and renovate a 37,000 ft. facility in dallas design district, its current building. name changed to dallas contemporary in 2007; scope of exhibitions expanded to include non-regional artists.

2010-2022 executive director peter doroshenko worked with adjunct curators alison gingeras and pedro alonzo to bring an array of international artist exhibitions and group shows, growing global awareness of dc’s program. associate curator emily edwards joins the dc staff; begins curating exhibitions dedicated to underrepresented voices. 

2022-present executive director carolina alvarez-mathies challenges dc to embrace its origins as a regional art space, strategically rebuilding a sense of collaborative community, while also maintaining a strong international view, making space for texan artists in the global arena. deputy director lucia simek joins the dc staff in 2022, helping steer public programs, education, and the museum’s curatorial goals.