NTX Magazine Volume 5 | Page 80

Spotlight on north texas AIR (Arts Incubator of Richardson) Envision a space under one roof where an artist creates colorful fused sculptures; a dance troupe hosts a Master class; a corporate team is inspired to develop an innovative business solution; a vocal group rehearses for a competition; a group of 8-year-olds experiments with watercolors; and chords from a Spanish guitar permeate a café space hosting a cooking class. The gift shop, filled with one-of-a-kind art pieces, is abuzz with a busload of visitors eager to own a piece of local art; heads are together in a nook as ideas swirl about a collaborative effort. This is AIR. Having entered into a partnership in January 2015 with the City of Richardson to identify opportunities to house creative entities, both the city and AIR are striving to find a home for the venture. AIR is a model that dovetails perfectly with the city’s newly-adopted, long-range strategic plan for the cultural arts. In the interim, AIR continues to produce a variety of innovative programs including AIR Time - a guest artist interview series presented at Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson. Each AIR Time welcomes a “creative” to share their passion followed by a movie that pertains to their art (AIR defines art very broadly). AIR Time interviews are later podcast at airtime.podbean.com. 78 www.ntc-dfw.org FALL/WINTER 2015