As the elevator doors opened on the 25th floor of the Dallas Urby on a recent September evening, an upbeat yet soulful house jazz melody encapsulated the space.
The scene — courtesy of a three-day event series titled “Art & Living: with Urby,” which took place Sept. 25 and 26 and drew in over 700 people — was part of a trend that fuses two pillars of modern-day life in Dallas-Fort Worth: the creative arts and a booming real estate sector.
The experience was a collaboration between the Dallas Urby and Nostalgia and Noise, a creative event series company founded by 26-year-old Ra Kazadi and 27-year old Rob Grass, both Southern Methodist University alumni.
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The duo was inspired by the Dallas Invitational Art Fair, but wanted to reimagine that model in a more approachable way by incorporating everyday environments.
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Hosted in an unoccupied floor of the 27-story luxury apartment building, the event space spanned six apartment units. Each empty unit was transformed into an immersive gallery showcasing a wide variety of local artistry.
Across the six units, 27 artists displayed their work spanning sculpture, photography, paintings and even textiles.
Artist Emeka Ohumaegbulem (left) discusses his work with fellow artist Kameron Walker at Nostalgia and Noise, an artist’s collective that blends music, art and fashion in Dallas, on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. An entire floor of empty Dallas Urby apartments was used to showcase work from a variety of artists.
Allison Slomowitz / Special Contributor
‘A fairly big trend’
The collaboration between Urby and Nostalgia and Noise aims to demonstrate how developers, artists and entrepreneurs can create spaces that are both functional and culturally relevant. For Dallas, the partnership is a new example of how business and art can work in tandem, contributing to the city’s vibrant culture.
“It allows attendees and the community to see the art in a comfortable setting, and then allows them to envision the work on their own walls,” said Kazadi.
The collaboration reflects a broader trend fusing real estate and immersive experiences. That fusion is something David Barry, CEO of the Urby, sees as central to its mission.
“Experiential experiences and connecting people around real estate is something that is a fairly big trend,” Barry said. This movement builds on the long-standing relationship between the creative process and housing.
“Art and real estate are always to some degree linked because architecture is part of art and design is part of art, and then there’s just hanging visual art,” Barry explained.
For Urby, which currently has eight locations across the U.S., the partnership reinforced the company’s vision of fostering community within and outside of its buildings. “The overarching philosophy behind Urby is to create community … spaces that make it easy for people to feel connected to this space and connected to each other,” Barry explained.
Design is also central to Urby’s brand. The Dallas location boasts a pool designed by Bureau Bas Smets, showing Barry’s intention to integrate artistry throughout the company’s spaces.
“When I looked at Urby, it was really a mashup,” Barry said about the brand’s founding. He asked: “Why can’t we bring a point of view, have these cultural references and integrations, but not make it a hotel… take some of the pages, and so that led me to create this brand?”
The event illustrates the role real estate can play in shaping a community — especially in an area as dynamic as D-FW.
Nostalgia and Noise, an artist’s collective that blends music, art and fashion in Dallas, used an entire floor of empty Dallas Urby apartments to showcase work from a variety of artists on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025.
Allison Slomowitz / Special Contributor
Being accessible and seen
With new projects sprouting up everywhere across the region, Barry insisted developers have a responsibility to “build quality and to create buildings and spaces that do more than just maximize short-term profits right at that period of time, because these buildings are in the community for a long period of time.”
And by repurposing the Urby’s units, the experience encourages people to interact with art and the Dallas creative community. The approach resonates with Dallas’ push to make the arts more accessible.
“For things to be accessible, they need to be seen,” said Kazadi. “I think if a firm, hospitality company or apartment complex is gonna allow artists to use its units as a platform in makeshift galleries, then all that is saying is that there’s a place for artists in this city.”
Urby’s impact extends beyond the building itself, shaping how attendees engage with the city’s creative fabric. By turning unoccupied units into galleries, it made art seem approachable, even for those who might not normally seek it out. Featured artist Anamaria Hagerstrom noted “the individuals who normally don’t look at art can be comfortable.”
For emerging artists, the initiative provides a platform to showcase their work, reinforcing that Dallas is a city that can nurture creative talent.
“A lot of people have this misconception that they need to leave Dallas to go to new New York or LA, and go to all these places to pursue their art,” said Amanda Choi, a 23-year-old featured artist.
“But no, we want to keep it here, we want to grow it here, and there’s a lot of amazing artists here,” added Choi, a recent graduate of Cornell University and a Dallas native.