Click to enlarge CHRIS JENNINGS / HERALD DEMOCRAT Dr. Gary Gibbs, Director of the Texas Commission on the Arts, reads a proclamation on Saturday declaring Denison as one of seven cities designated as an arts and cultural district.

BY K. MCSTAY

HERALD DEMOCRAT

DENISON -- The Art Festival was capped off Saturday with a visit from state officials, to proclaim the downtown Denison area as an Arts and Cultural district -- the first in Texas.

Seven other areas are to follow, said Dr. Gary Gibbs, the executive director of the Texas Commission on the Arts. But Gibbs said Denison was different. Within a month on the job, Gibbs said he had calls from Rep. Larry Phillips and former Denison Arts Council President Mike Williams, both extolling the virtues of the city. "I was in Denison within a month," he said, and was immediately excited by the town. Each district needed to submit an application, he said, including the cultural district, the businesses and the area, as well as the intermix of the arts and culture. Denison, he said, particularly excelled at the art gallery, and the town's response. "This is a community that talks to one another," he said.

The designation, Williams said, gave the community a chance to display pride in the town. "And we do have a lot of pride," he said. But, he cautioned, there was still work to do. "We can reach for the impossible," he said. "Ten years ago, this designation was impossible, and now it's a reality."

Denison Mayor Robert Brady said Saturday was "a great day" for the community. "I've always been really really proud of Denison," he said. "This the state putting a stamp on it." He said the designation would bring increased cultural tourism to the area, but the council would need to commit to encouraging the district. That Denison was the first of seven, he said, was a great surprise. "Texas is a very big state," he said. "And we're the first."

Though arts are often the first to get removed from shrinking budgets, Phillips said, the cultural district in Denison does much to enhance the lives of citizens. "It helps our minds grow," he said. He also gave proclamations from Sen. Craig Estes and read a letter from U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, who could not attend the dedication. Representatives from Austin College, Grayson County College and Southeastern Oklahoma State University all attended the dedication as well, and pledged their support to the town.

Bonnie Scranton, arms loaded down with honors, thanked the audience for attending. The President of the Denison Arts Council said the day was a wonderful one for Denison. "We've worked hard on this," she said. Scranton was particularly thankful of the colleges' support, she said, as they trained the future artists of the area. "They train the visual and performance artists, and those are the ones we want," she said.

Shelly Tate Garner, another former president of the Denison Arts Council, invited the attendees to check out the gallery shows going on all day, or watch the Raku Rumble, the city's annual pottery contest. "I'm pleased to invite you to enjoy our living, breathing cultural district," she said.

Artist Mary Karem said the district would hopefully attract new community members to the area. "It'll attract and recruit new artists," she said.

For Williams, the designation represents the culmination of a decade of work. "I was very excited," he said. "We've worked for this." He expressed gratitude for the hard work so many have put in for so long for the designation, and said the state's recognition of art's importance meant a lot."