ARTS IN OUR PARK
We’re making Armstrong Park a permanent home for the arts in Duncanville, Texas. #ArtsInOurPark
For more information, contact Ron Thompson at (575) 425-0914 or email ron@artsinourpark.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arts in Our Park Launches Ground-Up Strategy to Build Duncanville’s Arts Economy
DUNCANVILLE, TEXAS — In a city with no major arts infrastructure, one local initiative is laying the groundwork for a cultural and economic shift. Arts in Our Park is activating Armstrong Park as a permanent home for the arts in Duncanville, using community-driven programs to anchor the city’s first cultural district and connect it to a broader vision for economic revitalization.
At the center of the initiative is a simple idea: start with what’s available. By turning public space into creative space, Arts in Our Park is nesting the arts where people already gather—launching with social arts clubs that foster participation, spark creative habits, and build community ownership of the arts from the ground up.
“We’re not positioning Duncanville to compete for attention—we’re building the conditions for artists to thrive here,” said Ron Thompson, founding chair of the Duncanville Arts Commission and lead organizer of the initiative. “That starts with creating platforms where local artists can show their work, build community, and grow roots.”
In February 2025, Armstrong Park was officially designated by the Duncanville City Council as the city’s first cultural district. Arts in Our Park builds directly on that momentum. Its broader strategy includes creating cultural corridors that link the park to Duncanville’s underutilized downtown, where 31 buildings currently sit vacant or inactive. The goal: convert overlooked spaces into active assets and local creativity into long-term infrastructure.
Throughout 2025, Arts in Our Park will produce monthly public activations and introduce a series of signature efforts designed to support local artists, engage residents, and demonstrate how the arts can play a central role in civic and economic development.
Crucially, artists are not a means to an end—they are central partners in this work.
“Too often, artists are treated as tools to activate someone else’s agenda,” Thompson said. “This initiative flips that. We’re not using artists to build a district—we’re building a district to support artists. Creating a nest where they can survive, contribute, and flourish is the entire point.”
“Duncanville’s arts economy won’t emerge by chance—it has to be built intentionally,” Thompson added. “We’re starting with the spaces people already use and shaping them into cultural infrastructure, one program at a time.”
To learn more or schedule an interview:
Ron Thompson
ron@artsinourpark.org
(575) 425-0914
www.artsinourpark.org
PUBLIC ARTS
Public arts is any artwork that is created for public spaces and made available for everyone to experience. It can include sculptures, murals, mosaics, installations, digital art, performances, and temporary displays. Public art is designed to be accessible without an entry fee and is typically placed outdoors or in community spaces like parks, sidewalks, plazas, government buildings, and transportation centers.
The purpose of public art is to enhance the public environment, create a sense of community identity, encourage public dialogue, and bring art into everyday life. It can celebrate local culture and history, make shared spaces more welcoming, or inspire reflection and creativity among residents and visitors.
Public art may be permanent or temporary. It can range from large monuments to small interactive projects. Regardless of size or style, public art is intended to be experienced by a broad and diverse audience, offering opportunities for connection, conversation, and civic pride. Public art projects often involve artists working closely with local communities to ensure the work is meaningful and relevant to its location.
OUR PARK
Since the land for Armstrong Park in Duncanville, Texas, was first acquired in 1971, the site of the former Air Force Station has been the epicenter for connection and celebration for our entire community for over fifty years. Generations of residents have gathered in Armstrong Park to enjoy festivals, parades, concerts, live theater, art exhibitions, outdoor films, markets, literary events, community gardens, and wide green spaces.
This scenic, rolling 21-acre park and cultural district was once home to the nation’s largest all-volunteer-built wooden playground and features meandering pedestrian paths that connect visitors to nearby landmarks, civic buildings, historic sites, public art, pop-up galleries, family recreation, and arts-focused spaces.
Just outside the boundaries of Armstrong Park, new connections are linking visitors to surrounding areas in imaginative ways through cultural corridors to nearby neighborhoods, schools, businesses, restaurants, community theater, and the Downtown Duncanville District.
News
Arts in Our Park. (2025, May 1). Arts in Our Park launches local strategy to grow Duncanville’s arts economy from the ground up [Press release].
