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Attendees listened during a panel discussion, \u201cThe Art of Place,\u201d part of the Dallas Morning News popup newsroom event at Ten 20 Gallery in downtown Plano, Texas, Monday evening, September 28, 2026.<\/p>\n
Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
As the corporate and cultural tapestry of\u00a0Plano and other Collin County cities blooms, local art supporters<\/a> and advocates want to ensure artists have the support to develop and grow a thriving arts scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n At a Monday discussion hosted by The Dallas Morning News<\/a> in partnership with Ten 20 Gallery, a nonprofit studio space in downtown Plano, local community leaders and artists discussed those needs. Examining \u201cThe Art of Place,\u201d assistant breaking news editor Leah Waters moderated the conversation on creative processes, artistic inspiration and how art makes Plano feel like home.\u00a0<\/p>\n The panel included Michelle Hawkins, downtown Plano manager at the City of Plano; Suzy Sloan Jones, executive director of ArtCentre of Plano; Tina Ngo, a local tape artist; Dollie Thomas, executive director of the Plano African American Museum; Anusha Sekhar, Art of Anusha artist; and Kendrix Wesley, photographer and owner of Ten 20 Gallery.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The event was part of The News<\/a>\u2019 three-day downtown Plano Pop-Up Newsroom<\/a>. Reporters, editors and visual journalists will work at Urban Rio on 14th Street (fourth floor event space), wrapping up on Wednesday at noon.<\/p>\n Residents are invited to sit and chat with journalists on Wednesday morning and also attend events hosted by The News. The pop-up is the fourth time The News has hosted a temporary newsroom open to the public as part of its trust initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prior to the panel discussion, The News prompted attendees to answer questions about local art in writing on white boards throughout the studio space.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speakers during a panel discussion, \u201cThe Art of Place,\u201d part of the Dallas Morning News popup newsroom event at Ten 20 Gallery in downtown Plano, Texas, Monday evening, September 28, 2026.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Responding to the question \u201cWhat resources do local artists need to succeed?\u201d, Emily Moore emphasized \u201cfunding\u201d by underlining the word and writing \u201cx2\u201d next to it. She added: \u201cMarketing and sales support.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cSo many artists create because they have a story to tell,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they don\u2019t necessarily have the funding to be able to tell it at the scale that they want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Moore, a fabric artist who previously served on Plano’s Cultural Arts Commission, a city endeavor to support arts and culture, said funding should come from multiple revenue streams, including the city, private donors and corporate sponsors. Some artists also need mentorship and advice on how to market their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI see how art brings people together, and it unifies the community,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Margaret Raine, a metalwork sculptor who has a studio in Garland, responded to the question \u201cHow does art help create a sense of place?\u201d by writing, \u201cArt adds aliveness to a space.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m in an environment, and I see a piece of work, art adds a piece to it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t compete with the space.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Panelists agreed artists need places to display their physical work and spaces for performing art. But more than that, artists need community for mentorship and patronage.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wesley, the owner of Ten 20 Gallery, said it can be hard in the age of social media to believe in yourself, especially when algorithms show only the success of other artists. A community of peers can offer support and advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a mental aspect,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leah Waters, assistant breaking news editor for The Dallas Morning News, moderates a panel discussion, \u201cThe Art of Place,\u201d part of the Dallas Morning News popup newsroom event at Ten 20 Gallery in downtown Plano, Texas, Monday evening, September 28, 2026.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Shruti Maram, an attendee and Frisco artist whose paintings were on display at the gallery, said meeting other artists and sharing their work with each other is beneficial for the sake of personal mental health. It also benefits the creative process. She\u2019s expanded her network with other local creators through events that Ten 20 Gallery has held.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m creating art, I\u2019m just in my own zone,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Building the physical spaces and funding mechanisms for an art scene should be funded or organized in part by the city, many attendees and panelists agreed. Hawkins, the downtown Plano manager, said the city can\u2019t do it all, but she would like to push the city to prioritize the arts more than it does in its budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sekhar, a painter, said she moved to the area about two years ago. But in that time, she\u2019s seen residents\u2019 increased interest in developing the arts, from fashion to culinary arts to theater. \u201cWe need to put Plano on the map with the arts,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plano Pop-Up Events<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 9 a.m. to noon. Pop-up newsroom at the Rooftop Event Spot at Urban Rio, located at 1000 14th St. #100, Plano, TX 75074. Come and go as you please to speak with reporters and editors, ask questions and learn more about the newsroom.<\/p>\n
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\n2\u00a0p.m. Listening session with the Wellness Center for Older Adults at the Sam Johnson Recreation Center in the dining room, 401 W. 16th St.,\u00a0Plano, TX 75075. Expect guided discussions with reporters and editors on topics such as local transit, property taxes and development. RSVP for the Wednesday listening session at www.dallasnews.com\/plano-listen<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Attendees listened during a panel discussion, \u201cThe Art of Place,\u201d part of the Dallas Morning News popup newsroom…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[155234,137102,223,100451,160,162,161,88338,88944],"class_list":["post-451409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-arts-entertainment-performing-arts","tag-arts-entertainment-visual-arts","tag-news","tag-news-inspired","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-tp-collin-county","tag-tp-plano"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}