Daisha Board Gallery, which features art by marginalized artists, announced it has closed its original location after a collaboration with the University of North Texas’ College of Visual Arts and Design was dropped.
“Despite our best efforts, the anticipated funding from UNT to continue the exhibitions for college students at the Sylvan Avenue location did not materialize,” founder Daisha Board said via Instagram on Oct. 8. “But every ending is a new beginning.”
The contemporary art gallery focuses on representing artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists and artists with disabilities. The collaboration between the gallery and the UNT CVAD aimed to support and nurture young artists.
“The College of Visual Arts and Design is always looking for places to display student art. In our negotiations to create a student exhibition at the Daisha Board Gallery, the costs exceeded our budget, and we did not proceed to a signed agreement,” a spokesperson for the university said in an email.
In addition to the partnership falling through, Board said third-quarter sales were down “terribly” and she had not been able to find financial assistance. In an earlier post, she highlighted the “challenging times,” the gallery is operating under.
“We have observed influential donors and patrons representing organizations that do not pay artists even an honorarium, auctioning their art for thousands and raising millions for nonprofits,” Board said. “Instead of improving lives, these practices seem to line pockets and create an exclusionary environment. The ones who are impacted the most are the artists.
Board did not respond to an interview request.
The gallery was open for just over two years. It hosted more than 15 exhibitions and welcomed over 7,000 visitors since its opening in 2021, according to Board.
“This place, where we started our journey, was built with my family's savings, a $60k investment, our blood, sweat, and tears,” Board said. “There were no investors, just us bootstrapping and believing in a dream.”
Board opened a second gallery in the Joule Hotel in downtown Dallas in April. A third gallery, a 7,000-square-foot space in the Tin District in West Dallas, had its grand opening in August, just two months before Board announced the flagship nearby would close.
“We will continue to champion the cause of marginalized artists, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and artists with disabilities,” Board said.
The other two locations will remain open.
