“Last summer, TACA embarked on a journey to have conversations with local arts leaders about what did they think about the professional development opportunities we had offered in the last 10 years, how could they be better and what was good about them that we should keep. We heard a need for something different than what we had been doing.
“We wanted a group we think will gel well in this first year,” Sheffler said. “Having a group of organizations who we think are positioned to learn from each other is really important to us.”While some of these organizations have been in existence for many years, some are new to the arts ecology. No matter their age, they have something in common.Sam Brukhman, Verdigris Ensemble’s artistic director, is hoping to power that growth.
In addition to the monthly sessions, each arts organization will have a mentor from the Dallas arts community.“They will act as sounding boards for them, as accountability partners to them in their work as a part of the cohort,” Sheffler said. “That kind of informal peer learning – ‘Help me! I’m in this tough spot. Talk me through it!’- I don’t know any arts leader who isn’t not dependent on that on the regular, myself included. In many ways, I also think that is one long-term benefit that we hope to create the framework for,” Sheffler said.