The leader of the largest contiguous urban arts district in the country is stepping down.
Lily Cabatu Weiss, executive director of the Dallas Arts District, announced that she will retire on Jan. 30, 2026.
During her nine-year tenure, Weiss helped arts organizations navigate the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also pushed for infrastructure improvements and programming that earned USA Today’s designation as Best Arts District in the country for the past two years.
“Leading this arts district has been definitely a capstone to my life in the arts,” Weiss said in a call with KERA News.
The part of the job that Weiss will miss the most is the people. To be successful in this role she said, you have to be a relationship builder.
“Anything that was accomplished in my nine years here in the arts district was accomplished because we have some of the most inspiring and motivational leaders,” Weiss said.
During the pandemic, she rallied arts executives, business and civic leaders for a standing weekly meeting where they could discuss needs, share resources and brainstorm solutions.
The meeting continues today, albeit less frequently, because it established a support system that still holds value years after businesses reopened.
“Can you believe that? Five years later, none of us really liked going to meetings, but we will go to this one,” she laughed.
Charles Santos, executive and artistic director of TITAS Dance Unbound, has known Weiss for years and advocated for her to lead the arts district.
“She brought an unreplaceable, unteachable, charismatic energy to the position and to the district that was vital to what we were trying to do,” he said.
Weiss has a long history in the neighborhood. She began working as a teacher at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in 1978. Five years later the city would officially designate the area as the Dallas Arts District.
Weiss spent 38 years at the school where she helped build the school's dance program and later became its chair.
“We were laughing yesterday that who knew in her CV she would be invited to speak on urban planning at a conference. A woman who has been a dancer and educator her entire career. She's now flying off to speak about urban planning,” Santos said. “So she's been an extraordinary asset to the city and to the district.”
“She is not replaceable,” Santos said. “So we're not looking to replace her. We're looking for the next person.”
Jill Magnuson, board chair of the arts district and the director of external affairs at the Nasher Sculpture Center, will step in as interim director. The search for a new director will start early next year.
Editor's note: This post was updated at 5:45 with quotes from Weiss.
