BREAKING NEWS: Lill stepping down from Arts District post

Veletta Forsythe Lill, the former Dallas City Council Member who since 2009 has been the executive director of the Downtown Arts District, spearheading development there since the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, is stepping down, effective Nov. 1.

The move was timed in part because the City Performance Hall, which has spent the last week celebrating a week-long opening gala, was the last piece in the puzzle for the Arts District.

“I have spent 15 years on the frontlines of change. With the final opening celebrations this fall and a blueprint for the future of commercial development I believe the time is right to pass the torch to a new generation.”

Among her accomplishments was lobbying for rules that would allow food trucks in the Arts District, making it a more desirable location not just during evening performances but during the day and weekends.

Lill, a long-time friend of the gay community (she’s pictured here posing for the NOH8 campaign opposing Prop 8′s anti-gay movement in California), Lill served on City Council  for eight years.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

Newest venue in Dallas Arts District resembles oversized tool shed, opens Thursday night

The latest venue in the Arts District will open Thursday night.

The new Annette Strauss Artists Square has been desecrating the magnificent Winspear Opera House since just weeks after the opera house opened. Answering my horrified questions about the cinder-block monstrosity growing under the Winspear’s graceful canopy, I was told that was just the frame of the frame of the structure and it would become another wonderful piece of architecture once completed.

I was shocked to hear that it was opening tonight. Passing it every day on my way to work I’ve been wondering when it was going to start being magnificent. I got my answer today. It’s not.

It’s a concrete block that looks more like a place to store the lawn mower than another performance facility.

Why no photos on this post? I couldn’t find one online. ATTPAC must be so embarrassed that there’s not a single photo on their website. None online. Anywhere. Every pic of the Winspear obscures the tool shed. I’ll get some over the weekend and update next week.

The Winspears should be outraged.

The Strauss family should be insulted. It’s really horrible.

Tear it down! Get rid of it! It’s an eyesore! And it opens tonight with a free concert by Rachel Stacy & Stingray at 7:30 p.m. Reservations are required but the event is free.

From the ATTpac:

Blankets welcome; lawn chairs not allowed
Concessions available for purchase
Convenient parking located at the Center and throughout the Dallas Arts District

Admission is FREE but tickets are required to reserve your space.
1. Visit www.attpac.org
2. Select “performances and tickets” then “on sale now”
3. Click “September 16″ then select “Strauss Square Tuning Concert”
4. Enter promo code “TUNING” to reserve your tickets
5. Continue to checkout

Please use our new print at home delivery method.
Tickets will not be mailed for this event.

—  David Taffet