Welcome!
Denison Arts Council, based at 517 Gallery in Denison, is dedicated to the promotion, development, and support of the visual, musical, physical, and literary arts in the North Texas area in order to serve the needs of all citizens through participation, exposure, and educational opportunities.
Current & Upcoming Events
Denison Arts Council hosts a packed calendar of events in the Denison Arts and Cultural District all year long. From art exhibitions to holiday festivals, we have something fun for everyone!
At 517 Gallery, you can enjoy 4-5 unique art exhibitions which rotate throughout the year. We also hold an event at the gallery on the second Saturday of each month. These events may feature a talk from a skilled artist, a discussion with an artist panel, or a live performance. While the content of each event is different, we can always promise great art and complimentary food and wine.
Check out some of our current & upcoming events or download our event calendar below. Don’t miss out on being a part of all of the great cultural events you can only find in downtown Denison!
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Small Town. Big Art.
- Texas Commissioned Cultural Arts District
One of Texas’ original Arts & Cultural districts lined with 19th-century buildings and one of the longest Main Street business districts in Texas.
The Denison Arts and Cultural District (DACD) encompasses a 30-block area of downtown. It features:
- art galleries and studios,
- antique and specialty shops
- performance venues and green spaces
- a historic theater and art schools
- restaurants and wine tasting rooms
- recording and dance studios
- museums, loft living spaces
- a library, and the Old Katy Depot all nestled among buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Public Arts Tours, Music on Main, and events like our annual Dia De Los Muertos Festival and Texoma Film Club. Small town, BIG ART!
What makes a Cultural Arts District?
Denison Arts Council was incorporated in 1980 with a mission to promote, encourage and otherwise develop cultural activities in order to serve the needs of all citizens through participation, exposure and educational opportunities.
In 2009 the Texas Commission on the Arts selected Denison Arts Council for inclusion in the 2009 Cultural District Designation Pilot Program. Denison Arts Council ranked 3 of the 16 organizations that wrote a letter of intent to apply.The action was the culmination of a decade-long effort by the Denison Arts Council. Cultural districts are special zones that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community vitality. These districts can become focal points for generating businesses, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development and fostering civic pride. We are proud to be a founding city in this program has have had continuous support from the TCA.
Combine a friendly casual Texas feel with the excitement of a flourishing art scene and the result is Denison – “Small Town – Big Art!” The downtown art scene got its start over 30 years ago as artists began relocating to Denison’s Historic Main Street. For artists these large spaces with incredible character sparked an interest in the heart of downtown. In some ways Denison’s story is similar to other art communities. Along its eight block length, you will find numerous shops and galleries showing a diverse assortment of paintings, sculptures, stained glass, photography and ceramics created by regional and national artist.
Denison Arts In The News
Located just 65 miles north of Dallas, Denison has a rich cultural heritage. Founded in 1872, the city was named after Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Vice-President George Denison. The MKT Railroad built its tracks southward across the Red River into Texas. Creating the first train Depot in Texas the company carved out the City of Denison.
The city was once home to over twenty vaudeville theaters various acts, including the Marx Brothers, performed. In the 1920’s the Denison Opera House was the scene of the first full length comedy routine ever performed by the Marx Brothers. Prior to that they had been a musical act. According to Harpo Marx’s autobiography, “Harpo Speaks”, the Opera House manager needed the act to perform for two nights but the second night had to be different from the first. He suggested a comedy sketch and though they didn’t have anything prepared the brothers agreed in order to get the work. The audience loved it, and from then on they decided to stick to comedy.
The railroad continued to the the major employers of the area.
In 1938-39 congress authorized construction of the Denison Dam on the Red River. The dam was completed in 1942, and filling of the lake completed in 1944. The late 1940s and early 1950s were a boom time in Denison. The Denison Cotton Mill, Katy Railroad, Kraft Foods/Safeway and Perrin Air Force Base all in full swing.
In 1988 Denison was officially designated a Texas Main Street City by the Texas Historical Commission.
In the 1990s the Denison Heritage Inc. a NPO, was formed to make the then dilapidated downtown area a residential neighborhood centered on the arts. Endless hours and creative energy was invested converting the second floors of Main Street buildings into spectacular lofts. Galleries moved to town and the Denison Arts council continued to support the promotion of all arts.
While there are many arts works currently on display in Denison galleries the most valuable piece of art ever to be housed on Main Street was the result of a large art theft: The Quedlinburg Treasure was stolen from a German cathedral at the end of World Ward II by an American soldier from Whitewright, Texas. It ended its 35 year journey, stored in a Denison bank vault before being discovered then shown at the Dallas Museum of Arts. It was later repatriated to Germany. The book, “Treasure Hunt: A New York Times Reporter Tracks the Quedlinburg Hoard” details the story from Europe to Texas. The 2016 documentary, “The Liberators” is about the 200 million dollars worth of stolen art that was hidden away in our small town, as well.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Denison’s most famous native son and the 34th president of the United States was also an artist. He was inspired by Winston Churchill, who urged him to begin painting as a way to ease the pressures of public life. Some of Eisenhower’s works are on display at the Eisenhower Birthplace. Denison was named one of the hottest art destinations in the US by Art Talk magazine in 2004. The Denison Arts Council received a Texas Commission on the Arts grant and a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 2005. In 2009 the Denison Arts Council was proud to announce the recognition as a new State Arts & Cultural District by the Texas Commission on the Arts.
The Denison Arts Council is striving to bring a strong sense of creative community and a dedication to the transformative power of art. Whether you are visiting Denison for the first time, or you are lucky enough to live here, you will come away with an incredible experience when visiting Denison and it’s galleries and shops
