‘This is a Much Bigger Story Than the Arts’
Conversation
In part two of his conversation with Renegade Bus’ Peter Simek, AT&T Performing Arts Center CEO Mark Nerenhausen explains how the Arts District transcends its role as a home for great art.
Photo by Iwan Baan
Part two of two. For part one, click here.
Despite the near-continuous recent coverage of the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the story of the Arts District is difficult to tell, says Performing Arts Center CEO Mark Nerenhausen in this second installment of a conversation I had with him last August. That is because the story is about more than great architecture, building beautiful homes for local art organizations, or creating a catalyst for urban renewal. The Arts District is a civic project that goes straight to the heart of a city that is trying to define what it is. It is a highly-visible step in Dallas’ continuing efforts to build a great urban society, a step that fits in the context of a larger story about this city’s becoming, its self-realization.
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“No one thing defines a great city.”
“This is a much bigger story than the arts.”
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