HCP #087 - Haley Leavitt: The Oak Cliff Art Walk and Bringing New Life to Historic Spaces

Haley Leavitt joins us to share how she found her place in Oak Cliff’s creative community and how an experiment involving salvaged church pews grew into the Oak Cliff Art Walk. What began with 35 artists inside the then-vacant Oak Cliff Assembly drew nearly 1,000 people and has since become an annual platform for artists, residents, and community organizations across the neighborhood.We also talk about Haley’s work in business and community development at Proxy Properties, the transformation of historic spaces like the Oak Cliff Assembly and East Dock Oak Cliff, and the relationship between art and real estate development. Haley reflects on restoring old buildings without erasing their stories, inviting artists into the process, and creating places where Oak Cliff’s existing community can remain visible and connected.