What does it take to build a city where artists can make meaningful work without burning out? Avery-Jai Andrews, executive director of Arts Mission Oak Cliff and founder of Agora Artists, joins the show to talk about returning to Dallas after pursuing dance in New York, the hard lessons of starting her own company, and why supporting the artist matters as much as supporting the art.

Avery-Jai shares how a former Winnetka Heights church building became a gathering place for artists, neighbors, and collaborators, and explores the tension between creativity and commerce, the importance of relationship-building, and Oak Cliff’s potential to sustain a thriving artistic community of its own.