PRIME TIME

What sparked the idea of incorporating museum-quality art into a stadium—typically a space that’s not about aesthetics and the arts?
Two years before the stadium was complete, we saw all these massive, cold spaces—so much steel and concrete. And we wanted fans to have the very best experience. At that time, I was also working on a project with the Winspear Opera House and saw what an impact these beautiful buildings were making in the Arts District. I thought, “You know, I think we can make this project really special for our fans and the city, too.”

Has your personal art collection grown?
Not very much. We don’t buy for the house; we buy for the stadium! That way everyone gets to see it. We love to share and make art accessible to everyone. It’s not something that only an uppity select few enjoy. A lot of people don’t know how to interact with art or what to think. I grew up in a small town that didn’t have a museum and I can identify with that. But I just love the fact we’ve been able to expose people from every walk of life to these works. They might come here for a football game or soccer game or rodeo, but they’re surrounded by Ellsworth Kelly, Wolfgang Timmons, and Mel Bochner.

What has the response been?
Fans love it, because there’s something for everyone. One person loves football; one person loves art—both are happy and exposed to new things. When artist Anish Kapoor came to the stadium, he admitted to me that he doesn’t know anything about football. And you know what I said? We can teach each other something.

How can people access the art? Only during the game?
We offer daily guided art tours of the stadium and The Star, our corporate headquarters. We’re a major art destination. Some people who take those tours may never go to a ball game! We also have brochures, an app for guided tours, and a beautiful coffee table book cataloguing the major works and documenting our beginnings.

What’s one of the most rewarding parts of curating this collection?
People all over the world get to see it. Broadcasters love to talk about the collection during Cowboys games and they show the pieces. That means millions are seeing these works; it is an incredible platform for the arists. Teresita Fernández—a fantastic artist featured in the collection—called me crying and saying, “I’m in Paris and I’m watching my art on television.”

Do you have a personal favorite piece?
I love Ellsworth Kelly’s White Form. When I first saw it, I thought, “It’s perfect. We have to have it.” Jerry and I were in New York having dinner with Tony Romo when the piece went up for auction at TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art in Dallas. We kept leaving the table to sit in the car and call my niece Melissa Ireland, who’s also on the Arts Council. We were bidding on the phone with her, but kept getting disconnected. Eventually, we said to just bid whatever it took!

Now that piece is the highlight of the collection. Kelly passed soon after, but he was able to record a video message to the fans before he did. At the end of the video, he says “And now, enjoy the game.” It’s the most meaningful video we have.

It’s hard to believe, but the stadium is now ten years old. Are you still adding to the collection?
It’s always growing! In fact, we just bought a new piece at Art Basel Miami. We’ve got a lot of blank space still.