Dallas has five cultural venues that are funded by the city of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture. These centers celebrate the city’s diversity through art, history and community and provide artistic programming year round. Here’s everything you need to know about each of the centers.
Bath House Cultural Center
Built in 1930 on the shores of White Rock Lake, the Bath House Cultural Center is one of the earliest art deco buildings in Texas. The 10,640 square foot facility once known as the “Old Bath House” was a popular social and recreational hub before closing in 1953.
In 1981, it reopened as the city’s first neighborhood cultural center in East Dallas. Today, the Bath House is used for all things visual and performing arts. The center houses a “black box” theater, an indoor and outdoor lake level stage, two gallery spaces and a classroom space. The galleries host about eight exhibitions throughout the year and the center hosts art lectures, workshops and summer camps.
Ashley Landis
/
The Dallas Morning News
Latino Cultural Center
Opened in 2003, the Latino Cultural Center was founded with a mission to prioritize the preservation and development of Latino and Hispanic arts and culture. The 27,000-square-foot center serves as a platform for local artists and arts organizations.
The center features a visual arts gallery, an outdoor plaza and courtyards, and the 300-seat Oak Farms Dairy Performance Hall. Throughout the year, it presents exhibitions, bilingual public programs and festivals highlighting the traditions of Dallas’ Latino communities. Cara Mía Theatre operates out of the Cultural Center, producing four to five plays a year.
Ashley Landis
/
The Dallas Morning News
Oak Cliff Cultural Center
Located on Jefferson Boulevard, the Oak Cliff Cultural Center (OC3) opened in August 2010 next to the historic Texas Theater. Dedicated to enriching and empowering the community through arts and culture programming, the 5,000-square-foot center features an art gallery and a multipurpose studio.
OC3’s art gallery presents about 10 exhibitions each year and regularly hosts artist-led workshops and guest lectures that highlights a range of artistic approaches, mediums and voices. The multipurpose studio features workshops, art, music and dance classes, summer camps and cultural festivals for all ages.
South Dallas Cultural Center
The South Dallas Cultural Center first opened in 1988.The 34,000-square-foot facility sits across from Fair Park. The center’s mission is to foster performing, literary and visual arts that allows the public to engage with art and cultural experiences influenced by the African Diaspora.
The SDCC features a 120-seat “black box” theater, a visual arts gallery, a multi-arts studio for dance, two-dimensional arts, ceramics, printmaking and photography, and a full-service audio recording studio. Groups like the African Village Drummers, Dallas Malandros Capoeira and Beckles Dance Company utilize the center for community gatherings.
Juan Figueroa
/
The Dallas Morning News
Juanita Craft Civil Rights House
Coordinated by the South Dallas Cultural Center, the Juanita Craft Civil Rights House housed one of Dallas´ most significant Civil Rights figures and the second Black woman to serve on the Dallas City Council. Juanita Craft lived in the 1300-square-foot house for 50 years, inviting fellow historical figures such as Lyndon B. Johnson and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to discuss the Civil Rights movement.
In honor of her activism, the house opened as a museum in 2023. The mission focuses on their 2168 Project, which encourages guests to make positive lifestyle changes to improve the quality of their life. The free project offers programming including a book club, craft community club, food club and a music of the Civil Rights listening and discussion series.
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.