Jessica Ingle’s aha moment happened in 2016. Throughout her career in the art world, she had witnessed the underrepresentation of women in museums, galleries, and acquisitions — and this big idea could help bridge the gap. Enlisting a handful of like-minded colleagues, she launched a nonprofit female-focused art fair. Ten years later, Texas Vignette is still growing strong.
Representing the organization’s signature annual event, this year’s Vignette Art Fair, will take place October 1 to 3 in the Dallas Design District. Showcasing 60 artists selected from an all-time high of 234 submissions, the 2026 fair is on track to break last year’s record-setting sales total. Best of all, 100% of proceeds go directly to the artists.
Read on to learn more about Texas Vignette from its founder, a Midway Hollow neighbor, Jessica Ingle.
First, we’d love to learn more about what led to your passion for supporting women in the arts?
“I originally attended university with plans to become an engineer, but I fell in love with art history and never looked back. I’ve now spent nearly 20 years working in various arenas throughout the Texas art scene, including major museums, galleries, and private collections. Throughout that time, the common denominator I continued to notice was the lack of support and representation for Texas women artists.”
The name “vignette” was chosen to highlight talent which has historically been pushed to the “borders and background” of the art world. Tell us more about the organization’s mission.
“Our mission is to identify the barriers that make it harder for Texas women artists to get their work seen, exhibited, and sold — and then figure out how we can help remove them. We’re continually looking at ways to make participation more accessible. For example, one of our longer-term goals is to help artists outside the DFW area with the cost of shipping their work to the fair, because geography shouldn’t be another barrier to participation.”
How has Texas Vignette evolved over the last decade?
“In the early years, we were heavily dependent on volunteers and in-kind donations. That began to change in 2019, when we started selecting a curator each year. The pandemic brought another major shift, when we redirected our focus toward grants when exhibitions weren’t possible. When we returned to in-person events, we shifted to an open-to-the-public model to reach a much broader audience. In 2023, we introduced our online sales platform, and lately we’ve made a significant push to increase our media presence. In many ways, the biggest change is that we have grown from a grassroots idea into a more established organization.”
What excites you most about this year’s upcoming fair?
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how this year’s curator, Alison de Lima Greene, brings the exhibition together. We really value the opportunity to highlight the incredible curatorial talent we have in Texas, and we want that perspective to be central to the fair.”
As a lifelong Dallasite, what brought you specifically to Midway Hollow? What do you love about this community?
“I attended Greenhill School from kindergarten through senior year, and my daily commute took me straight up Midway Road. When my sister and her family moved to Midway Hollow, it felt like a natural fit for us to be in the same neighborhood. Now, my two kids attend Greenhill as well, so it really feels like things have come full circle. During the week, our family often visits Chip’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, which was a favorite of mine growing up. I also love going on a weekend brunch date with my husband, followed by an afternoon at the Dallas Museum of Art.”
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