Cathedral Arts of Dallas

For centuries, cathedrals, temples, and mosques have been awe-inspiring structures at the heart of great cities. Western cathedrals, large and small, have traditionally included spaces for learning and the arts, providing venues for visual artists, composers, performers, orators and dramatists to engage, entertain, teach, and inspire their community. This ancient practice continues today as a celebration of human creativity at 5100 Ross Avenue in Dallas, the home of historic St. Matthew's Cathedral. Founded in 2011, Cathedral Arts of Dallas is a nonprofit center for the performing and visual arts, bringing discovery, inspiration and community to an extraordinarily diverse Old East Dallas neighborhood. We're located one mile from the nation's largest Arts District, in an area of rapidly changing demographics and development. Near Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Deep Ellum, the Swiss Avenue Historic District, Lower Greenville, White Rock Lake, Uptown Dallas, and the Park Cities, Cathedral Arts resides on a beautiful campus, first completed in 1889. The cathedral complex at 5100 Ross Avenue has undergone major improvements, including MAA Cathedral Arts, adjacent apartment buildings with covered parking, positioning Cathedral Arts for significant growth. Cathedral Arts presents an annual season of world-class arts programming at St. Matthew's Cathedral, without funding from the Cathedral budget or the Episcopal Diocese. In addition to donor-advised funds at the Communities Foundation of Texas and the annual North Texas Giving Day initiative, our primary financial and volunteer support comes from an engaged community of patrons across the Metroplex. Cathedral Arts shares superb examples of the performing and visual arts with the entire community, regardless of the ability to pay. Cathedral Arts events are open to the public at no charge.

Our Needs

To underwrite an annual season of free public events, Cathedral Arts pursues funding suited to its unique situation in a historic building serving a multi-cultural community with a broad range of socio-economic demographics. Partnerships with professional artists and arts organizations are key to Cathedral Arts' continuing success by providing fine performing and visual artists with appropriate compensation and access to a superb arts venue. Sustained administrative support is key to the proper functioning of Cathedral Arts.  In addition to identifying volunteer hours to support the planning and execution of Cathedral Arts events, approximately 1,000 hours of skilled contract labor must be budgeted annually to ensure success in the critical areas of administration/operations, website management, fund development, marketing, media, and communications.