{"id":451547,"date":"2026-09-29T22:50:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T22:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/451547\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T22:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T22:50:15","slug":"local-artists-say-plano-needs-more-support-to-build-a-thriving-arts-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/451547\/","title":{"rendered":"Local artists say Plano needs more support to build a thriving arts scene"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the corporate and cultural tapestry of Plano 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.<\/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 “The Art of Place,” assistant breaking news editor Leah Waters moderated the conversation on creative processes, artistic inspiration and how art makes Plano feel like home.<\/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.<\/p>\n

The event was part of The News<\/a>‘ 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.<\/p>\n

\"Speakers<\/p>\n

Speakers during a panel discussion, “The Art of Place,” part of the Dallas Morning News popup newsroom event at Ten 20 Gallery in downtown Plano, Texas, Monday evening, September 28, 2026. (Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n

Responding to the question “What resources do local artists need to succeed?”, Emily Moore emphasized “funding” by underlining the word and writing “x2” next to it. She added: “Marketing and sales support.”<\/p>\n

“So many artists create because they have a story to tell,” she said. “But they don’t necessarily have the funding to be able to tell it at the scale that they want.”<\/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.<\/p>\n

“I see how art brings people together and it unifies the community,” she said.<\/p>\n

Margaret Raine, a metalwork sculptor who has a studio in Garland, responded to the question “How does art help create a sense of place?” by writing, “Art adds aliveness to a space.”<\/p>\n

“When I’m in an environment and I see a piece of work, art adds a piece to it,” she said. “It doesn’t compete with the space.”<\/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.<\/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.<\/p>\n

“There’s a mental aspect,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Leah<\/p>\n

Leah Waters, assistant breaking news editor for The Dallas Morning News, moderates a panel discussion, “The Art of Place,” part of the Dallas Morning News popup newsroom event at Ten 20 Gallery in downtown Plano, Texas, Monday evening, September 28, 2026. (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’s expanded her network with other local creators through events that Ten 20 Gallery has held.<\/p>\n

“When I’m creating art, I’m just in my own zone,” she said.<\/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’t do it all, but she would like to push the city to prioritize the arts more than it does in its budget.<\/p>\n

Sekhar, a painter, said she moved to the area about two years ago. But in that time, she’s seen residents’ increased interest in developing the arts, from fashion to culinary arts to theater. “We need to put Plano on the map with the arts,” she said.<\/p>\n

Plano Pop-Up Events<\/p>\n

Wednesday, Sept. 30<\/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

2 p.m. Listening session with the Wellness Center for Older Adults at the Sam Johnson Recreation Center in the dining room, 401 W. 16th St, Plano, 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

Subscribe<\/p>\n

Sign up for the Morning Roundup, a free newsletter delivering the latest North Texas news each morning.<\/a><\/p>\n

This article originally published at Local artists say Plano needs more support to build a thriving arts scene<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the corporate and cultural tapestry of Plano and other Collin County cities blooms, local art supporters and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451548,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[10504,713,51615,120486,160,162,161,27],"class_list":["post-451547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-dallas-morning-news","tag-downtown-plano","tag-local-artists","tag-panel-discussion","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-texas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451547","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=451547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}