Bath House Cultural Center. Photo by Renee Umsted.
Update (March 29): Benjamin Espino of the Office of Arts & Culture responded to the White Rock Lake Museum board’s email, saying the exhibits should be cleared out of the space at the Bath House Cultural Center by July 1. Espino also says some staff resources could help de-install the exhibit and asks the board to focus on a plan for the museum move.Â
In their March 25 letter to Espino, the board provided a list of potential exhibits related to White Rock Lake. But Espino says it is not the responsibility of the museum to plan any exhibits at the Bath House.Â
The board of the White Rock Lake Museum is waiting for information from the Park and Recreation Department regarding a potential location for the exhibit.
Krista de la Harpe, the president of the museum, sent a letter to Benjamin Espino of the Office of Arts & Culture on March 25 updating him on the situation. The Advocate has reached out to Espino for a comment, and we will update the story when we hear back.
The Office of Arts & Culture had asked the board to provide a response by that day with an answer to where the museum planned to go. In February, the office informed de la Harpe that the museum would be asked to leave its spot at the Bath House Cultural Center, where it has been since its creation in 2004.
Several locations for the exhibits had been proposed: two nearby libraries, the building where the Dallas Park and Recreation Department’s Recreational Services is housed, the Muchert U.S. Army Reserve Center and Sunset Bay among them. The museum board says that the exhibits should remain at the Bath House.
In the letter, De la Harpe writes that John Jenkins, the director of the Park and Recreation Department, has asked his staff to analyze “the feasibility, logistics, timing and cost” of moving the museum to the Recreational Services building, located on Northwest Highway near Flag Pole Hill.
The museum board is waiting to hear back from the park department and will review staff’s findings. Then they will let the Office of Arts & Culture know “the next steps to be pursued.”
In a message to The Advocate, De la Harpe says the board has not at this point committed to moving the museum to the Recreational Services building.
“This is just a preliminary proposal which will require a lot of time and money from the City in order for this to happen,” she says.
The board is looking for the park department staff to provide them in the analysis with a “proposal, timeline and actual funding which will guarantee the future of the museum.” And de la Harpe says until then, the exhibits should remain at the Bath House.
