Dallas art gallery owner saw a void on gallery walls and filled it in her own space

The Daisha Board Gallery in West Dallas is splattered with colorful canvases in the final week of Dallas-based artist Nia Narku Thompson of Ghana’s first solo show in the US. His work was perfect for the gallery, which recently celebrated its first year of operation.

“I saw emptiness. I saw a lack of representation for marginalized artists,” said gallery owner Daisha Bord. “Like Black History Month, or Pride Month, or Women’s History Month; that’s when you’ll see a lot of these marginalized artists, and we exist in this world all day, every day.”

Board opened a gallery that bears her name to fill that void by becoming the only black female art gallery owner in Dallas.

“It’s a huge achievement, but I don’t want to be first or last,” Bord said. “It was a labor of love.”

With love, for giving artists a voice and a platform to speak the truth through their art.

“It’s a property right. This is a space where I can freely create and curate these artists and their stories. No limits. Uncensored,” Bord said.

Finding this place was not easy. The council said she looked around many areas of Dallas before finding her gallery in West Dallas at 2111 Sylvan Ave.

“Unfortunately, in many of these places it was very difficult for me to be there. It was, “Well, will black people buy art?” Yes,” Bord said. “I’m proud to say that 95% of my collectors are black and brown families who are buying art for the first time.”

Daisha Board Gallery exhibition halls are not stuffy. They are filled with music, drinks and conversations.

“We are having a good time! We have fun and celebrate the artist,” Bord said. “This is not a transactional gallery where I just focus on selling, selling and selling. I’m really focused on educating and informing people about what art looks like to them.”

Bord says she is considered a “destroyer” in some artistic circles.

“And I agree with that. Art must be destructive. It must be subjective. Sometimes it has to be uncomfortable, so it’s very important to let my artists talk freely about social issues,” Bord said. “So they see black culture differently. They see Latin American culture differently. They see queer culture differently.”

Bord said she hopes her gallery will spark conversations.

“We need to have an honest way of showing the world who we are, and I think art provides that,” Bord said. “It humanizes us.”

The council said it would like to expand in the future. Electricity Exhibition by Nia Narku Thompson “Why the Question” at the Daisha Board The gallery closes on February 25th.