Joan Davidow

In 2019, the Dallas Historical Society Award for Excellence in Community Service was presented to her for outstanding contributions in Arts Leadership.

In 2015, her son Seth presented Davidow with the idea of joining together to form a non-profit artspace called SITE131 in Dallas. Since then, SITE131 has presented at least four exhibitions of emerging and under-recognized artists annually beginning with "Layering: Different Strokes," with work by Lauren Muggeo, Marjorie Schwarz, and Art Peña.

From 2001 to 2010, Davidow served as director/curator for Dallas Contemporary. In her tenure, she increased membership, created Art Think™ – a nationally awarded educational program that served more than 11,000 students annually – and moved the institution into a new, renovated home. In 2010, Davidow was named the 2010 Contemporary Legend at “Here, There & Beyond” event that took place at Dallas Contemporary, sponsored by Modern Luxury Dallas magazine. She has developed taught four contemporary art history courses in Southern Methodist University’s graduate Masters of Liberal Studies programt.

One of Davidow’s radio guests, Sue Graze, the contemporary art curator at the Dallas Museum of Art, offered her the position of curatorial intern at the museum in 1989. After Graze eventually left her job, Davidow was named acting curator for contemporary art at Dallas Museum.

In 1975, Davidow began a three-year stint producing arts coverage for the Jacksonville PBS station, WJCT-TV, eventually going on air. After her family expanded their auto parts business to North Dallas in 1981, she became the volunteer coordinator of the art auction for the Dallas PBS affiliate, KERA-TV.

Davidow grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and as a young woman attended art classes at the local museum while working part-time with her family at their auto parts shop. In 1962, Davidow graduated from Jacksonville University, becoming a public school art teacher.