DART answers artists’ questions regarding the Deep Ellum Gateway Project competition

by Laura Seewoester

What would you do with a street corner and half a million dollars?

DART held a Q & A last night at Kettle Art for artists considering submitting ideas for the Deep Ellum Gateway Project. Some of the questions were answered, however most got a vague response. The directions are vague on purpose, because DART doesn't want to stifle any artistic vision. The bottom line is, DART is allotting $1.5 million for the whole project, and they would like it to act as a sort of "art walk" between the DART station and Deep Ellum. Everything else depends on the chosen artists' ideas and visions. DART is also willing to provide a team to help execute the winning project stations and compensation for the artist, as long as the cost stays within the aforementioned budget. In a nutshell, the artists have a street corner and half a million dollars. Go. Create.

It sounds a little to me like DART feels bad for filling in the tunnel, but doesn't want to put any of its own time into making up for it, so they throw the Deep Ellum art community a bunch of money and a contest. Whatever the motivation, it's nice to know that our public transit system cares about promoting and supporting the local art community, and it's a great opportunity for artists to express themselves on a scale that ordinarily might not be available to them. For those of us not submitting any art work, we can expect to see the finished result in August of 2009.