When the late Ray Nasher created Business Council for the Arts, his aim was to bring together the North Texas arts groups with the business community. As proof of his mission succeeding, BCA holds the annual Obelisk Awards Luncheon recognizing individuals and organizations for their contributions.
This year’s luncheon at the JW Marriott Dallas Arts District on Thursday, November 14, was a fabulous group hug for the sold-out fundraiser.
The arts provided the look (glass artist Simon Waranch’s design of the award), sounds (Dallas Winds’ Richard Adams and Brian Mendez) and the performing arts (Bruce Wood Dance Dallas, Dallas Symphony Orchestra Young Strings Alumni). As for the business community, taking the dais were Obelisk Chair/Capital One Internal Experiences Lead, Financial Services Chief of Staff Courtney Johnson, BCA Founder’s Chair/NorthPark Center President Nancy Nasher and BCA Board Chair/Oncor Senior VP And Chief Digital Officer Joel Austin.
But there was still another group in the mix who had wholeheartedly been part of BCA over the years — North Texas philanthropists.
And from the pre-luncheon reception to the luncheon, the camaraderie of the guests including Ashley Terrell, Venise Stuart, Cricket and Nils Roemer, Daisha Board, Cece Smith, Eric Ligon, Caren Prothro, Marc Pechersky, Craig Swann, Sean Reed, Emily Summers, Kristen Gibbins, Sarah Lary and Lindsey Croley felt like a beloved reunion after surviving the pandemic and striving for a better future.
As the doors to the ballroom opened with the Dallas Winds heralding guests to enter, the room quickly filled up, with Courtney welcoming the guests and introducing a performance especially created for the luncheon featuring the Bruce Wood dancers and the Young Strings Alumni. Lucky were those who had tables in front of the stage. They had a perfect view of the performance. As for those in the rest of the room, they had to rely on two large screens. Due to the positioning of the camera in the back of the room, however, the dancers could only be seen from the waist up.
As guests began their meals, Nancy stressed that the room’s makeup of longtime supporters and first-time guests were helping the North Texas community and educational institutions “galvanize the powerful connection between culture and commerce.” She then recalled how her father had been challenged by the city’s leaders to transform his efforts into a world-class business destination by cultivating a collaboration between business, arts and social organizations and educational institutions.
Joel followed up, adding, “Texas is now the world’s eighth largest economy and continues to be on an economic trajectory unlike any other country… We know that world-class arts and culture are key to sustaining that growth and attracting the world’s best companies and talent.” He went on to explain how BCA’s Leadership Arts Institute both trained business leaders and then propelled them into non-profits: “BCA’s year-round program focuses on industry intersections, including arts and healthcare, arts and real estate, arts and literature and, of course, arts and technology. BCA also provides its member companies with unique employee engagement opportunities, programs and exclusive arts and culture opportunities to network with fellow arts-minded business leaders.”
BCA CEO Stacie Adams then took over the role of emcee, highlighting the important role that the arts and culture play in the region’s economic development. “North Texas arts and culture experiences, exhibitions and events are responsible for producing more that $1.5B in economic impact. They generate more than $300M in tax revenue for local, state and federal governments, and create more than 25,000 jobs as well. It take strong arts and culture board leadership to ensure we continue to grow and impact our region with numbers like these.”
It was now time for the presentation of the awards, complete with videos of the “community champions who have stepped up to recognize the extraordinary impact of these individuals and organizations.”
The awardees — and their remarks — included the following:
- Visionary Non-Profit Arts Leader Sam Holland nominated by SMU Trustee Caren Prothro — “I’m especially grateful to the luminaries of our community who not only believed, but had a vision that led to the No. 1 arts district in the country, and included a Business Council for the Arts; Al Meadows, whose name is on the school [SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts] that I lead; Ray Nasher, and a legacy that lives through his extraordinary family.”
- Business Champion For The Arts Danny Tobey nominated by Warren Tranquada of the AT&T Performing Arts Center — “At the beginning of being chair [of the AT&T Performing Arts Center], the global pandemic started, and revenue suddenly went to zero, and nobody knew how long it was going to last or what it was going to look like. We faced a very real decision: Do we shutter the venue and save money? Sort of circle the wagons. Or, do we stay open? And we didn’t know what ‘stay open’ meant or what it would look like. But nobody wanted to shut down the spirit of that organization. And they were so strong and they stayed open, and they came to work every day, and we found ways to perform outside and to let smaller arts groups use the very large spaces, allowing both safe distancing and still being together. That decision to me was just so emblematic of the spirit of that organization… I would also like to thank Leadership Arts. If you have younger business people in your organization, you need to think about sponsoring someone every year to be a part of Leadership Arts. It changed my life. I had no clue how to get involved in the non-profits of Dallas. I had no clue how to serve on a board. And that’s the curriculum for young business leaders, who are trained how to be on boards and their responsibilities.”
- Distinguished Cultural Organization Dallas Symphony Orchestra represented by DSO President/CEO Michelle Miller Burns nominated by Roger Gault of the Gault Company — “It is my honor and pleasure to accept this award. We are proud of our mission to inspire and change lives through musical excellence. On behalf of our music director Fabio Luisi, Board Chair Roger Gault, the musicians of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, our dedicated staff, board of governors and volunteers, we say a heartfelt thank you to the Business Council For The Arts for recognizing the impact of our work. Many thanks also to the quartet of outstanding young professional musicians who opened the program this afternoon. They are the alumni of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Young Strings Program, which, along with the Young Musicians Program, provide free instruments, lessons and performance opportunities for children in under-resourced communities.” As the DSO celebrates its 125 anniversary, “an organization only makes it to a milestone like this with a true investment from its city. We all have helped to establish a thriving arts and culture community here in Dallas, and the Dallas Symphony looks forward to partnering with you to continue to make Dallas a great place to live, work and play for generations to come.”
- Arts Education The Dallas Mavericks represented by Dallas Mavericks Corporate Social Responsibility Director Sean Reed nominated by Jon Dahlander of Dallas ISD — As a result of the George Floyd murder, Mavs Take Action was created in 2020 with a “commitment to support the black and brown communities and other communities that are disenfranchised. We made a pledge to listen, learn and unite and submit $5M and 10,000 community service hours from our employees to the community for the next three years. Believe it or not, we passed that pledge within the first two years, and we’re still going four and half years later.” One of the programs is adopted schools to support students in the arts. “We let students know they may have made a wrong decision, but it’s not the end. And we can make those decisions through the arts, through music, through positive outlets and that’s what we do as an adult. We bring students to museums to see the arts and history and let them know what it is. We also partner with the Black Academy of Arts and Letters and sponsor their summer dinner program and also programs happening throughout the year.” Other programs involving the Dallas Mavs are being the strategic partner for the Dallas Opera and sponsoring the Black History Month Art Competition.
- Arts Partnerships (Large) Vari represented by Vari CEO Jason McCann nominated by City of Coppell Mayor Wes Mays — “We’ve been able to basically create, and for those of you that are fans of us all over the world, we now have 4M of you. We’ve been allowed to be creative and bring our products into your homes, into your workplaces, as you build the companies and cultures of your dreams. As a CEO, and I know all of you know this, the arts matter. We feel it today. We feel it in every single thing that we do. It brings us all together and just a little bit closer for moments of celebration, of support, the tears of joy that we celebrate when we watch these incredible artists like we got to see today. We can feel the love and the heart they pour into every single thing that they do. And it brings us as a community and a world just a little bit closer together.”
- Arts Partnership (Small) Daisha Board Gallery represented by Gallery Founder/Curator Daisha Board nominated by Sherri Doucette of Litehouse Wellness —”I stand here deeply humbled, reflecting on the journey that began with a vision to create an inclusive and safe space where everyone, especially marginalized communities, and particularly the black community, can engage with art, expression and healing…. The Gallery was born from that need for a haven where art can be a refuge or source of peace and empowerment. When I opened the gallery, I bootstrapped it from ground up. No loan. No wealthy friend, family members or investors. Every inch of the space is created with hard work and a passionate belief that art should be accessible to everyone. This journey, at times, burned my life at both ends, but has always been fueled by purpose, a purpose that Tricia Hersey‘s words resonate with me so deeply… We’re living in times that demand we slow down and reclaim spaces for rest and creativity. As a form of healing, I am committed to making Daisha Gallery a place where people can experience that… The importance of spaces like ours cannot be overstated. I invite each of you here to join us in this journey. Through partnerships with organizations like Litehouse Wellness and many others, we can continue to grow this vision and bring our community together.”
- Outstanding Leadership Arts Alumnus Purvi Patel Albers nominated by Randy Colson of Haynes Boone LLC — “I am so honored to have [former BCA CEO/president] Pat Porter be a guest at our table. You’ve impacted so many lives. You’re a Dallas treasure for several decades and I feel so special that you are at our table… I’m happy to have my parents here. As young immigrant parents in Indiana during the Jimmy Carter years, disposable income was not something to come by easily. But you always made sure that I had art supplies, museum visits, trips to the theater in Chicago… Your appreciation of arts and culture and your understanding that the intersection of the right and left brain would lead to academic excellence is why I’m standing here today and why I’ve been at my dear firm Haynes and Boone for 25 years. Finally, I want to thank all of my friends who are here to support me. You always lift me up.”
- New Arts Initiative Meow Wolf Grapevine represented by Kaitlyn Armendariz nominated by Meg Bittner of SPARK! — “We believed in the importance of having a community where individuals can come together to empower each other and inspire innovation. Today, we strive to feed that community, creating exhibitions that bring together hundreds of artists and thousands of ideas. After all, more cooks in the kitchen make for a better meal. Working with teams of students to design and install their own immersive spaces or prismatic was an incredible experience that reflects our dedication to these core beliefs as well as our commitment to supporting the next generation of artists. This collaboration wouldn’t have been possible without the time and expertise of our entire team [Kelly Schwartz, Daniel Bornhorst, Cristy Howell, Erin McCourt, Will Heron, Connor Gray and Imani Thomas].
- Lifetime Achievement Award Kim Campbell nominated by Dallas Winds Board Chair Carrie Huff — “When the late great Thomas Howard Dunn and I founded the Dallas Winds in June of 1985, little did we know it would become one of the most renowned wind bands on the planet. That really wasn’t the drift. It was supposed to be a summer ‘cycling’ experience for special musicians. And then one of the musicians in the back row put his hand up, a guy named Willie Martinez, a trumpet player, and he says, ‘Let’s give a concert.’ And I should have said, ‘No.’ So every Dallas Winds concert band, education program over the last 39 years has happened thanks to countless thousands of hours on the part of its board of directors, volunteers and staff. The composers are where it all starts. They write the music; otherwise, we wouldn’t have anything to do. But it’s those composers, the conductors, the guest artists, hundreds of musicians over these years, stagehands, lighting designers, sound engineers, photographers, videographers, graphic artists, printing companies, and especially every person who ever bought a ticket and who made a contribution to the organization. Thank you. We would not be here without you. It’s amazing that you come to a one-and-a-half-hour arts event and you think, ‘Wow, this is terrific. They look like they’re having a lot of fun.’ Well, they are, but doing a live performance for an hour-and-a-half is really putting on a feature film. It takes that many hours behind the scenes, and sometimes it’s two or three years in the making. And it happens so quickly and then it’s gone. So, there is a whole village that shares in this lifetime achievement award.”
Stacie then closed the program saying, “After hearing these incredible stories of accomplishment and impact, I hope you’re inspired to get involved. Do you part for arts and culture in North Texas. At Business Council For The Arts, we believe the best way to do that is by becoming a member company. Take advantage of BCA programs or get involved in Leadership Arts. Danny [Tobey] was talking about being a young person in Leadership Arts, but you can also be a seasoned professional. We have retirees this year including Carrie Huff. These programs were created for business professionals in their workplace environments to elevate employee enrichment and engagement through arts and culture.”