Best Southwest Arts Leadership Summit

The Best Southwest Arts Leadership Summit is a biannual convening that elevates the profile, priorities, and impact of the arts in Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Lancaster, and surrounding communities. Timed to coincide with the Texas Legislative Session, the Summit serves as a platform for advocacy, education, funding access, and cross-sector collaboration.

Vision

To position the Best Southwest region as a statewide leader in equitable arts development, public arts investment, and cultural infrastructure—amplifying the voices of historically underrepresented communities in Texas arts policy and practice.

Mission

To convene regional artists, organizations, civic leaders, educators, funders, and legislators to:

• Share resources and scalable models that support organizational growth and sustainability

• Advance regional arts policy and advocate for increased public and private investment

• Strengthen networks across sectors to support long-term cultural planning and infrastructure

Why Now / Why Here

The Best Southwest region is rich in cultural talent but lacks proportional investment in arts infrastructure. The Summit responds to this need by bringing together regional stakeholders to showcase the scale, diversity, and impact of the area’s creative economy—while advancing a unified agenda for state-level support.

Distinctive Positioning

The Best Southwest Arts Leadership Summit is positioned to be the largest regional initiative in Texas dedicated exclusively to arts advocacy and cultural development. It represents a coordinated collaboration across multiple cities and is strategically aligned with the state’s legislative calendar to influence public policy and funding decisions.