Solidarity

Association of Art Museum Directors rallies around Nasher in ongoing dispute with Museum Tower

The Association of Art Museum Directors recently issued a statement “expressing concern” over the “impasse” between the Nasher Sculpture Center and Museum Tower. The AAMD comprises directors from more than 220 art museums in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Nasher contends that sunlight from the tower disrupts the museum’s carefully controlled environment, thereby jeopardizing the safety of its collections. The two entities have been unable to agree on a solution in 18 months. A portion of the statement reads:

An institution’s collections — whether located inside the museum or installed on an exterior site — are essential to the fulfillment of a museum’s civic and educational mission. The Association of Art Museum Directors considers the preservation and care of collections to be a paramount responsibility, and believes that museums have an obligation to conserve and protect the heritage they hold in trust for the public.

In establishing the Nasher Sculpture Center, Raymond Nasher gave the citizens of Texas an unparalleled museum in the heart of the Dallas Arts District and committed to making his extraordinary collection accessible to all. Designed by famed architect Renzo Piano, the Nasher is an invaluable educational, cultural and economic resource for the people of Dallas and visitors from around the world. ...

We understand that throughout this process, the Nasher has negotiated in good faith with the developers of Museum Tower and has provided valid suggestions to ameliorate the situation. We hope that for the benefit of the Dallas community and the great works of art held in trust for their benefit by the Nasher that all parties will work together for an acceptable solution.

In November 2012, Museum Tower rejected the Nasher’s proposed louver solution as unattractive, unpleasant and unacceptable to homebuyers. In January of this year, Omni developer Jack Matthews made a bid to buy the maligned residential project.

“The man is soft-spoken but thoughtful, practical but visionary, and he would surely do a better job of finding a solution with the Nasher than Museum Tower’s current owners,” said CultureMap columnist Eric Celeste.

Just recently, in advance of the current exhibition, “Ken Price: A Retrospective,” the Nasher installed mesh panels on the windows and glass roof to protect the artist’s delicate ceramic works. The museum also installed a mesh solution last year, for the Elliot Hundley show.

Nasher spokesperson Jill Magnuson stresses that these mesh panels are a temporary solution — and one that dampens the experience for Nasher patrons.

“Light is to the Nasher as sound is to the Meyerson,” Magnuson says via email. “Darker galleries in the Nasher would be like muffled sound in our great concert hall.

“I want to make very clear that these temporary mesh panels come nowhere close to eliminating the blinding light effects in our galleries. Patterned light is still visible in the galleries, impeding visitor experiences and compromising our core business as an educational and cultural resource.

“Additionally, there is no remedy that can be made at the Nasher that addresses the problems Museum Tower has created for our museum — inside and out — or throughout the Arts District.”

The Nasher recently installed mesh panels on its glass roof and windows to protect the delicate ceramics of the current exhibition, "Ken Price: A Retrospective."

Photo by Lisa Stewart

The Nasher recently installed mesh panels on its glass roof and windows to protect the delicate ceramics of the current exhibition, "Ken Price: A Retrospective."

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Apartment News

Justice Dept. drops probe of Muslim-centered community near Dallas

Courtesy

Rendering of Epic City

The U.S. Department of Justice has closed a federal civil rights investigation into a Muslim-centered planned community around one of the state’s largest mosques near Dallas without filing any charges or lawsuits.

The Justice Department had opened the investigation after U.S. Sen. John Cornyn called for it, arguing that the development could discriminate against Christian and Jews.

The developers of the proposed Epic City community tied to the East Plano Islamic Center, have complained they are being bullied by multiple federal and state investigations because they are Muslim. Epic City would be near the community of Josephine, about 30 miles northeast of Dallas.

A June 13 Justice Department letter to Community Capital Partners, the group developing the project, noted the department is closing the investigation.

“CCP has affirmed that all will be welcome in any future development,” the letter said. The group wrote that they plan to revise and develop marketing materials to reinforce that message.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment further. The letter was first reported Wednesday by the Dallas Morning News.

Community Capital Partners had said the development would adhere to the Fair Housing Act and any other state and federal guidelines, and that the community would be open to members of all religions.

The federal investigation had escalated pressure on the proposed Epic City, which has faced steady criticism and multiple investigations. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and other GOP state officials have claimed the group is trying to create a community that excludes non-Muslims and would impose Islamic law on residents.

The developers have said they are not seeking to impose religion on anyone, and that the community would follow state and federal law.

Among its chief critics has been the state’s hard-right Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is challenging Cornyn for his Senate seat in 2026.

Dan Cogdell, an attorney for Epic City who defended Paxton in his 2023 impeachment trial when he was acquitted by the state Senate, noted how quickly federal officials had wrapped up their probe.

None of the investigations would be happening if the community was planned around a Christian church or Jewish temple, Cogdell said.

“The false accusations that have been swirling around the development were based solely on misinformation, lies and false rumors,” Cogdell said. “Frankly, the politicians that have repeated them without ever bothering to look at any fact should be embarrassed.”

The state investigations include whether the development is violating financial and fair housing laws and whether funeral practices at the mosque were done legally. The status of those investigations remained unclear Wednesday. Cogdell said the developers will cooperate with anyone who asks.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has criticized the federal and state probes as bullying the Muslim community and a violation of constitutionally protected religious expression.

“We welcome the dropping of this investigation and hope the DOJ’s actions send a clear message to the governor and other officials in Texas that they should similarly drop their Islamophobic witch hunt targeting Muslims in that state,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

Plans for the mixed-used development include more than 1,000 homes and apartments, a faith-based school for kindergarten through 12th grade, a community college, assisted living for older residents, and athletics fields.

The project may take years to finish. The developers have said they will not even start the initial permitting process for several more months.

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