How M2G Ventures Is Using Art to Turn Dallas’ Inwood Design District Into an Outdoor Gallery

As 18 artists from across the country and overseas transform a sprawling exterior wall near Dallas Love Field, a new chapter for the Inwood Design District is taking shape. The ambitious project by Fort Worth-based commercial real estate company M2G is revitalizing the district formerly known as the Inwood Design Center, which has long been an influential hub for architects, designers, and luxury showrooms.

Last summer, we spoke with M2G co-founder Jessica Miller Essl about her plans for the 40-acre center. We recently caught up with her for an update on the facelift as it nears completion.

“We’re about 80 percent complete with the majority of our exterior improvements,” Essl tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “There is still landscaping to be done. Our goal is to have everything completed by the end of April.”

In late 2025, M2G chief creative officer Katie Murray put out an open call for artists. She received more than 100 submissions for 18 paid commissions tied to The Art Docks, a 20,000-square-foot art project unfolding at the heart of Inwood Design District and Ace on Inwood. Murray says the strong pool of applicants surpasses her expectations.

“I wasn’t expecting more than 100 applicants, including artists from all over the world,” she says. “We had artists who work with spray paint, latex, and even materials that I’d never heard of before. It was clear from their bios that these were professional muralists who wanted to be a part of this project.”

Mysticism, Horses, and Reconstructed Memories

Murray says her open call did not prompt artists to follow any sort of theme, but certain commonalities in the works that are now nearing completion have surfaced.

“There is a theme that feels otherworldly, like a kind of mysticism,” she says. “People keep saying it’s the year of the horse, and there were many horse submissions, which is so wild. There are also Western themes, but in a more modern way.”

The mural project’s first completed work is also one of its most striking. Haltom City-based artist Jay Wilkinson chose his wife as the subject of a work that he says reflects the collective stress and fatigue that much of our community and the country are under, given the unrest here and abroad, while still expressing strength and resilience. Like his other works, Wilkinson’s paintings are an exploration of memory — the tension between what we believe to be our mental records and the narratives we tell ourselves.

“In this world, we get up every day, get dressed, put our shoes on, and get back to our lives,” he says. “But there’s also the exhaustion of what we’re going through. I wanted to capture that feeling of strength, but also an acknowledgment that it’s tough right now.”

Wilkinson, Murray says, has been a close friend and supporter of M2G from the beginning. His new mural, she adds, has been the “most beloved mural in that space. People are just mesmerized by it. It is incredible what he can do with scale.”

Why Art Is a Non-Negotiable for M2G

Murray says the expansive mural is nearing completion, with artists traveling from as far as Spain (Dan Ferrer) and Great Britain (Ansley Randall) to contribute to the project. The depth of the talent, she says, is extraordinary. Essl, who has hired Murray to oversee collaborative art projects for nearly a decade, says the integration of art and murals into M2G’s expansive portfolio of developments remains a “non-negotiable.”

“You can spend money on painting a wall white, or I can spend money to support the art community and create a place that brings people together,” she says. “To me, our approach creates something truly unique. When you’re in a place like Dallas-Fort Worth, which is a really great market, you have to stand out. We’re bringing these people together to create something that truly is one of a kind. Not only do people want to come see the art, but tenants are interested in being adjacent to it and being amongst it.”

Beyond out-of-state (and out-of-country) artists, other Texas artists participating include: Kim Brewer (Carrollton), Eric (Drigo) Rodriguez (Princeton), NFN DAAS (Austin), Tyler Germaine (Dallas), Lindsey Millikan (Austin), Lauren Lewchuk (Arlington), and Desiree Vaniecia (Dallas).

Wilkinson says working with M2G has been particularly meaningful because of the company’s advocacy and charitable work supporting mental health initiatives. Through his own exploration of memory and its role in shaping mental states, he says the inner workings of the mind and mental health have influenced his own work.

Essl, whose nonprofit Soar is organizing Muse at the Modern in Fort Worth on Wednesday, April 8, to explore mental health and human connection, says art can be a “unifier for people when words can’t.”