FELICELLA

work life. I’m proud of where Dallas has gone in the creative community and what it’s turning into. When I first moved here, we only had a small number of openings to go to once a month, and it was all the same people. Of course, I wasn’t here during the time of the Oak Cliff Five and all that. I can only speak to how it was in the early 2000s. There were a lot of jaded artists, but there was this bubble that was just going to continue to grow. Over the years, Dallas has just become a great place for artists to live and work. If you want to get it done here, all you have to do is ask. There’s not a lot of communities where that’s the case. It’s welcoming, and you just know that an artist has your back.

How she chooses volunteers: I look for people that need a community, people that have that little glimmer of passion. You know you can nurture that, feed it and watch them grow. On the nonprofits she supports: It’s been a pleasure to watch Foundation 45 grow into a nonprofit. Anita Martinez Ballet Folklorico and what they bring to the community. Cry Havoc Theater Co. [founded by Oak Cliff resident Mara Richards Bim]. What she’s doing is off–the-charts amazing. I’m proud of the nonprofits that create big impact with smaller budgets.

How she would like to be remembered: Believer in community, defender of community, somebody who listened.

The biggest problem facing our neighborhood: If we can be sure that we don’t lose our identity in this process because we’re going through massive change. Remember the past and stay true to the future. That’s a hard line to travel.