Joan Davidow Papers

Joan Davidow was born on July 27, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She received a BA in English from Jacksonville University in 1962 and became what she calls an "itinerant public school art teacher" travelling from school to school with art supplies in her car. She left teaching when her two sons were born, but continued to volunteer for arts organizations, including producing arts coverage for the Jacksonville, Florida PBS station. During this time Davidow also received a master of fine arts degree in painting from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Davidow moved to Dallas in 1981, where she continued working with the local PBS affiliate, KERA, as the volunteer coordinator for KERA's art auction. In 1984, she became the art critic for KERA-FM (90.1), launching a successful six-year run. She returned to KERA doing art commentary in 2010.

Davidow began her career in art museum with a McDermott Curatorial Internship at the Dallas Museum of Art in 1989. The internship led to being named acting curator of contemporary art with the resignation of Sue Graze, the DMA's curator of contemporary art. She organized and installed several exhibitions while acting curator.

In 1991 Davidow became the founding director of the Arlington Museum of Art (AMA) , in Arlington, Texas. During her tenure as director of the AMA, Davidow grew the operating budget, enacted numerous popular fundraising and community events, spearheaded a multi-million dollar expansion project, and established the AMA as a showcase for emerging Texas artists.

Davidow left the AMA in 2001 to become director of the Dallas Visual Art Center (now the Dallas Contemporary). During her tenure as director, Davidow curated nearly 200 exhibitions, established the nationally recognized education program "Art Think," and spearheaded the relocation of the museum from Swiss Avenue to the Design District. Davidow retired from the Dallas Contemporary in May 2010. She received the Dallas Contemporary's Legend Award in 2010.

Davidow continued to be involved in the arts in North Texas after her retirement including teaching and an exhibition of her personal collection at the University of Texas at Dallas.

In 2015 Davidow established the nonprofit artspace SITE131 in the Design District with her son Seth Davidow. The mission of SITE131 is to present new art from America and abroad side-by-side with new works by Texas artists. By coupling bright, mostly young talents who deal with similar issues, the art audience sees novel connections and finds a unique context for understanding contemporary art in new ways.