Mesquite Arts Center – Mesquite, Texas
From symphony to drama to art exhibits, a wide variety of cultural activities can be found at the Mesquite Arts Center. The Concert Hall is home to the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra and the Mesquite Community Band; the Black Box Theater houses the Mesquite Community Theater, and artists display their talents in the Main and Chamber Galleries.
The Mesquite Arts Center is designed for specific arts disciplines, which include vocal, chamber, and orchestral music; drama, and the visual arts. The concert hall seats 500 and contains a canopied stage for music. The Black Box Theatre is for the production of plays, and the Rehearsal Hall is used for recitals, art demonstrations, meetings, and receptions. Two galleries support local artists and touring art exhibits. Each of these areas surrounds a serene courtyard, which is used for receptions, jazz concerts, and other arts events.
If you’re not really into sports and you’d rather enjoy some local culture, head on over to the Mesquite Arts Center, where you can enjoy a variety of different performances and exhibits all year round.
The Mission of The Mesquite Arts Center is to make visual and performing arts available to all the communities of North Texas; to become a creative force and an educational resource for our regional residents, and to deliver the economic vitality of the arts to our public.
Mesquite Arts Center Manager Cohn Drennan was the co-owner and Director of contemporary art gallery Cohn Drennan Contemporary in the Dallas Design District. Prior to returning to Dallas, Mr. Drennan was the Director of the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University and the Deputy Director of the US Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program.
Mr. Drennan is the Curator for the international art collective Take Me to the River and serves on the Advancement Board for the College of Visual Art and Design at the University of North Texas.
Erica Guajardo is an art community activist for her hometown of Dallas and previously served as the PR Manager for Little D Markets, providing opportunities for independent artists and entrepreneurs to develop commercially. She was the coordinator for Art Walk West at Cibo Divino and a premier artist for Deep Ellum’s Wine Walk.
Ms.Guajardo created a company utilizing art to provide team-building exercises for UNT Dallas, the Cultural Affairs Office of Dallas, B&M, and Broadstone Properties. Ms. Guajardo interned with the Dallas Contemporary Museum and CADD, the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas, and wrote about artists for Crave DFW magazine.
The Mesquite Arts Council is a nonprofit organization designated to support and nourish the arts in Mesquite. The Council allocates local grants funds and resources for the arts, provides needed services to artists, member organizations, and the community; is an advocate for culturally diverse arts programs and is active in the community with regard to cultural planning, development, and advocacy of the arts. Additionally, the Council manages the Mesquite Arts Center and the Public Art Program for the City of Mesquite.