The Cedars Union

The Cedars Union (The CU) was founded in 2015 as an arts incubator dedicated to supporting visual artists and fostering a diverse and vibrant arts community. We provide artists with essential resources they need to thrive economically and build resilient small businesses utilizing their creative talent. 

In 2018, the organization opened a proof-of-concept space, called The Annex in the Cedars neighborhood, a mixed-use community south of Downtown Dallas. This location was chosen because of the Cedars’ reputation and history as a home and workplace for artists and creatives central to downtown Dallas, Texas. The Annex is a 7,000 sq/ft space that includes modular artist studios, shared workspaces, computer labs, and a well-appointed woodshop and fabrication space.  

Since the summer of 2018, the Annex has housed The Cedars Union’s signature incubator program, the Cohort Program. This low-residency style incubator program selects 15 to 18 emerging artists through a juried process to lease affordable micro-studios from The CU for 18-months. Through the program, artists see tremendous growth in a nurturing environment with meaningful peer-to-peer dialog, all while being able to remain in their home city and balance the realities of work and life.  

In the Summer of 2019, The CU added the Community Member Program, allowing for a non-juried opportunity for individuals to receive 24/7 access to the shared workspaces, member programs, and exhibition opportunities available at The Annex. CU Community Membership has no juried barrier to entry, and any type of artist, creative, or maker may join at any time for a low monthly fee. In 2022, we also added a non-monetary Co-Op level of Community Membership, where artists receive full membership in exchange for a few hours of facility up-keep every month. This no-cost entry point to The CU allows us to remain in-tune with the needs of the city while keeping staff costs down so we can focus more on programs and new initiatives.