Art This Week Bios: Conduit Gallery
Episode 1-September 17, 2014

Art This Week Bios: Conduit Gallery
Nancy Whitenack Interview, Part 1
Episode 1-September 17, 2014
Our first series of interviews for Art This Week Bios explores the history of Conduit Gallery. Nancy Whitenack opened the gallery at 2814 Elm Street in the heart of Deep Ellum on March 17, 1984. At that time, Deep Ellum was beginning one of its most important eras, both for art and music. Nancy was right there in the middle of it all helping to build and support the area along with many artists and musicians. You can find her quoted in Dallas Morning News articles describing the vibrant time. In this first interview, we go back to the 1980s and ask her about this first space. Nancy talks about what she did before the gallery, the hardships of opening the gallery, what it was like to live and work in Deep Ellum, and some of her favorite memories.
Here is a very brief timeline of events for Conduit Gallery…
March 17, 1984
Conduit Gallery opens at 2814 Elm street with two exhibitions-Shep Miers (MFA Graduate Student from the University of Dallas) and Lee Connerant
May 1984
Dallas Arts Kazoo (now Dallas Arts Revue) on KNON-JR Compton mentions Shep Miers exhibition (First mention of the gallery I can find anywhere)
May 29, 1986
Dallas Morning News-Janet Kutner’s first review of Conduit for the exhibition “4 at Conduit”, a four person show that includes Robert Barsamian, Judith Garrett, Albert Scherbarth and Margaret Van Wagoner.