Dallas Art FairFoundation
About and Mission
The Dallas Art Fair Foundation’s mission is to promote the appreciation of the arts in Dallas, Texas. Through the annual Dallas Art Fair Foundation Preview Benefit we have raised over two million dollars since inception for the beneficiaries. This year the beneficiaries are the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Contemporary.
Established in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and groundbreaking educational programs. At the heart of the Museum and its programs is its global collection, which encompasses more than 22,000 works and spans 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures. Located in the vibrant Arts District of downtown Dallas, the Museum welcomes more than half a million visitors annually and acts as a catalyst for community creativity, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse spectrum of programming, from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary events, and dramatic and dance presentations. The Dallas Museum of Art is supported in part by the generosity of Museum members and donors, the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
The Nasher Sculpture Center is home to one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary sculptures in the world, the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, featuring more than 300 masterpieces by Calder, Giacometti, Matisse, Picasso, Rodin and more. Hailed by the “USA Today” as one of the great sculpture gardens where art enhances nature, the “roofless” museum seamlessly integrates the indoor galleries with the outdoor spaces creating a museum experience unlike any other in the world.
Dallas Contemporary is a non-collecting art museum presenting new and fresh ideas from regional, national and international artists. Modeled after European art centers and located in an industrial building in the Design District, Dallas Contemporary is one of the only institutions of its kind in the United States, offering temporary exhibitions, important lectures and seminal learning programs.
ACQUISITION FUND
In addition to working with these institutions, the Dallas Art Fair Foundation started the Dallas Art Fair Foundation + Dallas Museum of Art Acquisition Fund in 2016. What started with $50,000 in 2016, doubled to $100,000 in 2017. To date, we have raised nearly $750,000 for the Fund to acquire over 45 artworks for the permanent collection at the Dallas Museum of Art from the Dallas Art Fair.