Support Safety and Growth for Daisha Board Gallery

I’m am writing to bring to your immediate attention an ongoing and escalating situation that has placed myself, the artists I represent, other local businesses, and the surrounding community in serious danger.

In 2021, at my original gallery location at 2111 Sylvan St, I had the pleasure of representing a talented Dallas-based artist, graduate of SCAD University in Savannah, GA. After a successful solo show in February 2022, where the works were placed in top collections across the country, we began discussing our participation in Art Basel Miami later that year. During these discussions, the artist expressed a desire to implement a no resale clause in her agreements, which is unenforceable by law. When I declined the request, I noticed a drastic change in that persons behavior, leading to the eventual mutual termination of our working relationship in August 2022. I chose to honor the artist request for release due to personal struggles with the artist’s mental health, as I wanted to ensure the artist felt supported.

However, since then, the artist has embarked on a campaign of harassment against me and others associated with the gallery, slandering my name on social media, making false accusations, and even threatening me. Despite sending a cease and desist through my attorney, the harassment has continued for over two years, escalating to criminal actions including threats, vandalism, and criminal trespass.

In the most recent incident on the evening of [October 8, 2024], the artist vandalized my gallery at 2720 Bataan St by throwing eggs, trash, and toilet paper, smashing a camera, spray-painting graffiti with explicit language, and scattering over 20 bullets around the property. The cumulative damages now exceed $6000 per incident, and this marks the third time my gallery has been targeted. The artist has also taken to social media to brag about these criminal acts.

I have filed multiple police reports, and there is currently a warrant for this person’s arrest, yet the situation remains unresolved. The erratic behavior has extended beyond just me; this person has threatened local artists, the Dallas Police Department, community members and a number of celebrities . This individual is not only a danger to me, but to others in our community, as evidenced by this persons threats made in public forums, including the recent remarks at a City Council meeting.

As a Black woman, small business owner, who has dedicated herself to fostering the arts in Dallas and bootstrapped the gallery with my own money, I am proud to contribute to the cultural landscape of our city but now I need your help more than ever. I provide employment to artists, help them financially support their families, and maintain a space for underrepresented voices. The gallery has been a vital part of the arts community, but this ongoing harassment has placed my livelihood and personal safety in jeopardy.

I urge the my community to take immediate action. I FEAR for my life, the safety of those I employ, and the well-being of our community.

In order to maintain operations, I must fully secure our building with cameras both inside and outside. The safety of our staff and community is of upmost concern and importance. In addition, the repairs for the damage caused and repainting of the entire gallery due to the massive amount of eggs thrown at the gallery is of an enormous amount. We must also ensure that the gallery remains safe and accessible to the community and the goal is to pave out the parking lot with adequate lighting and security cameras for trespassing and other potential threats.

In the efforts to stay operational, this situation has caused a severe and significant decline in the business. Our goal is to hire more help with reaching multiple markets that will allow positive growth for our artists and the community of which we serve.

I built this gallery with love and a desire to give our community a safe space to enjoy, engage and explore art in meaningful ways.

Love and appreciation to everyone for the continued support to keep Daisha Board Gallery in Dallas.

With gratitude,

DBG