During that first crisis year of the pandemic — when artists were losing gigs right and left, and arts organizations were trying to grasp just how much of their seasons or staff they'd have to drop — TACA moved into crisis mode, something it had never really done before.
The group scrapped existing grant programs like the New Works Fund. Instead, it established four new mechanisms to try to stem the financial bleeding: The Artist Residency Fund, Emergency Arts Relief Fund, Resiliency Grants and Pop-Up Grants.
As deputy director of TACA, Maura Sheffler was involved in establishing all four of those responses. She also re-made the New Works Fund, which now supports new artworks by BIPOC artists, LGBTQ artists, and female artists in North Texas.
The TACA boardhas appointed Sheffler to be the organization's new executive director.
All of thee programs are examples of the "collaborative, community-informed" approach that TACA has taken, moving from simply offering support to dozens of groups in the Dallas area. What that means is TACA is not just a bankroll that artists and arts organizations approach, hat in hand, for its 'unrestricted' funding. TACA actively researches what's needed to help the philanthropic community target its fundraising.
On the other hand, it also offers symposia, a professional development program and workshops in communications, fundraising and audience development to help artists and arts leaders access the kind of support they need.
An alum of SMU's Arts Management graduate program, Sheffler has a bachelor's in music (as a violinist) and a master's in marketing. She's worked with TACA for nearly a decade, and was appointed interim executive director when Terry Loftis accepted a post with the Dallas Symphony in November.
