Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/806991
letter editor STEVEN VISNEAU, SISTERBROTHER MGMT. 12 W hile attending the recent TACA Silver Cup Luncheon, which honored Nancy Nasher and Walter Elcock for their significant, lasting contributions to our city's arts community, I flipped open the event program to a page that gave me pause. It read: "In a world where negativity, distrust, and division dominate too many dialogues, the arts ignite an intimate conversation that demonstrates respect, offers exploration, examines personal challenges, celebrates diversity and tenders hope, joy, understanding, and laughter." As we prepared this April issue, which annually focuses on the arts — and highlights the countless events, openings, performances, and exhibitions that surround the blockbuster Dallas Art Fair — I couldn't escape those powerful words. It is a privilege for us to profile, highlight, and look deeper at those individuals and organizations that are at the epicenter of the arts in Dallas. They are, after all, the catalysts of change, the igniters of dialogue, and they provide our community with thought-shaping experiences that all at once delight, inform, and challenge us. We have been particularly honored to partner this year with the Nasher Sculpture Center as media sponsor of its ground- breaking Nasher Prize, which culminates this month with a gala celebration for its Nasher Prize Laureate, French artist Pierre Huyghe. Over the last 12 months, the Nasher's team, led by its visionary director Jeremy Strick, has hosted myriad public events, from Berlin to Mexico City and Dallas, all involving the world's most innovative and informed art minds. The Nasher Prize is an ambitious effort to put sculpture at the center of the contemporary art conversation. It's a big-picture project — one that in just two years, has already elevated the Nasher's profile as an art-world tour de force. As like all arts organizations, the success of the Nasher Sculpture Center is as much a testament to its dedicated leadership as it is to its passionate, hardworking patrons. One such trailblazer is Sharon Young, co-chair with Deedie Rose of this year's Nasher Prize. Young, who graciously welcomed PaperCity into her stunning, art-filled home (page 62), is a sharp businesswoman and, with her husband Michael Young, a thoughtful collector, who cares deeply about the state of our community's art landscape. As we look to the next generation, few could excite me more than Catherine Ellis Kirk. The daughter of Ron Kirk and Matrice Ellis-Krik, Catherine now dances professionally for the dynamic New York-based company, Abraham.in.Motion. The impressive young woman is far more than a talented dancer; rather, the 25-year-old sees her artistry as a chance to push boundaries and create work that taps into issues of racism, classism, gender, and sexuality. If Kirk represents art of the future, it is a bright horizon to be sure. Christina Geyer Dallas Editor in Chief christina@papercitymag.com