On Feb. 13, members of the community met at North Texas Performing Arts‘ Willow Bend location to discuss the State of the Arts in our city.

The event started with remarks from Mayor John Muns, who discussed his history with Plano arts and efforts to work with the arts scene in 2024. He also noted that he “was a bit of a drama freak back in high school,” referencing his time as a lead in three performances when he was at Plano Senior High School. (Later several noted that they’d love to bring back a performance with Muns as a character, which I think we all need to see.)

Creative leaders looked back on their years in dance, visual arts, music, theater and cultural arts, and a panel discussion was held on advancing the arts in our community. Throughout the event, there were some key themes that we should keep an eye on this year:

1. The City’s Cultural Arts Comprehensive Plan is going to be a game-changer, though we will not see a draft of that until March 3. After the draft is unveiled, the community will have opportunities to comment and edits can be made before the final plan is put to a vote.
2. Though arts events are more prevalent than ever, (over 700 were held by Plano arts groups in 2024) the biggest issues facing local arts groups are lack of dedicated space and trouble marketing the many events to the public.
3. Arts groups and the public are going to have to think creatively in order to advance the arts in Plano, whether that be through corporate sponsorships for a fine arts space, working with area high schoolers or partnering together in unorthodox ways. Anna Tseng, Chamberlain Ballet board president and neurologist, noted that she has received a grant to study how ballet can help Parkinson’s patients, as an example of such partnership.

As the comprehensive plan comes closer to fruition, Chamberlain Ballet celebrates 40 years, Rover Dramawerks celebrates 25 years and cultural arts needs become more prominent, discussions around keeping arts in Plano will be a hot topic in the coming years.

“The arts should be enjoyed by everyone, and preferably in Plano,” Melanie Brigante, president of Plano Art Association said.

The Collaborative Arts of Plano, a nonprofit conglomeration of fine arts groups of all sizes and modalities that is responsible for hosting the State of the Arts event and spearheading the comprehensive plan, is requesting feedback from the community on advancing the arts in Plano. An online form can be accessed here.

“My mother always used to say, ‘You are [no more than] the company you keep,’” former Deputy City Manager Frank Turner said. “I can’t think of any better company than you guys.”