Dallas Art Fair Is Moving to Southern Methodist University in 2027

The Dallas Art Fair is heading back to school.

Starting next April, the fair will leave its longtime home at the Fashion Industry Gallery in the city’s downtown Arts District and move to the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU), where it will take over the 67,000-square-foot Armstrong Fieldhouse. Organizers say the partnership will give galleries more room to show ambitious work while bringing the international art market into closer contact with students, academics, and the city’s cultural community.

The 2027 edition will run from April 15 to 18, and organizers are billing the move as a “first-of-its-kind” collaboration between a major international contemporary art fair and a university.

The new venue has higher ceilings, natural light, and an open floor plan that will give dealers a chance to bring larger installations and more elaborate exhibitions. With that much space, visitors can expect a better flow through the booths and an as-yet undisclosed high-end dining option on the grounds.

But, the move isn’t just about real estate, the DAF said. The fair plans to work with SMU on internships, educational programs, and other initiatives connecting students and faculty with galleries, collectors, and artists.

“We are committed to competing at the highest level internationally, and this new venue and partnership gives us the opportunity to advance that ambition,” John Sughrue, the fair’s founder, said in a statement. “This is a strategic investment in the future of the fair, in our local cultural ecosystem and in the role Dallas can play internationally.”

For dealers who have watched the fair develop over the years, the relocation is another sign of its growing ambitions. Darragh Hogan of Dublin’s Kerlin Gallery, which first participated in 2016, said the fair has consistently worked to improve its relationships with galleries and collectors.

“Year on year the Dallas Art Fair has recognized the commitment of participating galleries and matched it by improving its outreach, growing the collector base, supporting museum acquisitions, and launching an annual award,” Hogan said in an email. “The move to Armstrong Fieldhouse is perhaps the most significant statement of intent to date.”

The partnership also brings the fair closer to SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts, Meadows Museum, and its arts management and art history programs. It will be the first major initiative of the university’s newly established Dallas Office, which was created to bolster SMU’s connections with the city.

Founded in 2009, the Dallas Art Fair has become an important fixture on the city’s cultural calendar. Its foundation has raised nearly $3 million for local arts institutions, while an acquisition fund established with the Dallas Museum of Art has helped the museum purchase more than 75 works for its permanent collection.

Those relationships will continue after the move. The Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Dallas Contemporary will remain beneficiaries of the fair’s opening gala.