Reflections from a Drill Bit

 "So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." - Christopher Reeve

The last time I blogged about the performing arts center project in Frisco, it was December 17th, 2014. I was on the Citizen Bond Committee, advocating for $10 million in bonds towards an arts center. Frisco‘s attitude and enthusiasm for the arts was very different at that time. I honestly had no idea what would happen or whether the bond would pass. Was there a majority of people passionate about the arts and wanting to see something in Frisco? Or was this proposition dead on arrival? Thankfully, the citizens voted in favor, and the arts center project was resurrected. (You can read that blog here: The Arts in Frisco: Why the Controversy?

Between 2014 and 2021, the arts center went through a series of unpredictable roller coaster rides, full of ups and downs, wild twists and turns. It was all I could do to hold on when it felt like it would completely derail. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told this project is impossible for Frisco, and how many players came and went. But when I'm hit with a series of "no's", it only fuels me more to create ways to get to "yes," and find those who believe it as well. 

Finally in June 2021, a public-private partnership was formed with the City of Frisco, the Frisco Independent School District, and Craig Hall, the biggest arts champion for Frisco, to build an arts center. It will be at HALL Park, home to the Texas Sculpture Garden and across from the Dallas Cowboys HQ at the Star. This means that at the very entrance of Frisco, there will now be a visual corridor merging world-class sports and world-class arts. Absolutely incredible!

There’s much to celebrate about this partnership. It shows a strong desire by leadership to support the arts, and it represents a very unique opportunity to do something innovative not just for now, but for the future. It’s what Frisco does best- forge new paths and set the bar for others to follow.

To that end, the last six months have been about raising awareness and gathering hard data by experts to support the big vision. A dedicated team of arts advocates has left no stone unturned. Now that we've received the results of the 2021 Market Assessment and Feasibility Study, it's clear that this project has the potential to be a leader for the arts, not just in our city, but in the region and perhaps even the entire country. Why replicate what other cities have already done? That’s not the Frisco way. 

My interest in this arts center has always been as a resident, a taxpayer, and at the core, an artist. I’m a musician who has lived in Sports City USA for almost 20 years, and though my kids are almost all out of the nest, nothing would make me happier than to have a home for the arts in our city, a place where I can go (and where our kids can come back) to enjoy music, dance, theatre, and visual art from local to national talent.

There is a story in Frisco being written about the arts, and we’re about to enter into a new chapter. From 2014 - 2021, the arts center was the underdog, a lost foster child shuffled back and forth - but it is no longer. The arts center will now have a permanent home in Frisco. Design for the arts center is slated to begin in 2022, and all interested parties will be able to see what their investment could look like. Though I have no idea what the final home will actually be, the dream has moved from impossible, to improbable, to inevitable, thanks to the will of the people, the leadership, and the many supporters along this journey.  

As Larry Stockstill says, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity.“ How will this story of the arts center ultimately end? I can’t wait for us to find out, and I look forward to walking into the building together on opening day. 

2022 UPDATE: Read the Frisco Enterprise article on the change in partnerships for the performing arts center here.