Culturalyst Dallas puts local artists, arts groups and events in one free online hub

Looking for a play, an exhibition or a local artist to commission? Until now, that usually meant checking a lot of different websites. A new free online hub called Culturalyst Dallas wants to put all of it in one place.

The Arts Community Alliance (TACA) and the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture announced the platform on Oct. 5. It collects event listings, artist profiles and creative opportunities on one shared site. Artists and arts organizations can set up free profiles, promote their work and programs, post events and opportunities, find professional resources and connect with each other. Individual artists can also use their profiles to sell their work, and organizations can share details about their venues.

Maura Sheffler, TACA's president and executive director, told KERA's NTX Now hosts Ron Corning and Miranda Suarez that the site tackles a long-running problem: arts information has been spread across many separate websites. "We want to make it easier for people to discover new organizations, new artists, and just really immerse themselves in the local culture of this community," Sheffler said. She pictures visitors coming across an organization they didn't know about, finding an artist to commission, or picking an outing that gets them out into the community.

Early coverage reported that the Dallas hub already lists more than 200 individual artists and 77 organizations, including Cara Mia Theatre, and that organizers hope to expand it to surrounding North Texas suburbs. Culturalyst is already used in 19 cities, including Fort Worth. Axios Dallas reported that Dallas is the largest city to join the platform.

KERA is also adding Culturalyst to its online arts calendar, so audiences have one central place to explore what's happening across the region.

This story is based on original reporting by KERA News, with more details from TACA's announcement, Axios Dallas and coverage syndicated on Yahoo News.