Ms. Widget is one lucky cat. She is the office cat and official mascot of the Dallas Wind Symphony (DWS). It is because of Ms. Widget that the design students of the Art Institute of Dallas, The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Dallas Design Community, and the Dallas Wind Symphony have come together for a unique collaboration. In fact, the ASID has chosen the Dallas Wind Symphony – the nation’s only professional concert band — for its community project this year.

The ASID Dallas Design Community is performing an “Office Makeover” to enhance and improve the existing office space for the DWS at historic Fair Park. A team of Interior Designers is offering their design services and ASID Industry Partners are providing new carpeting, office furniture, ceiling fans, window treatments, paint, etc. While reviewing the office needs, it became apparent that Ms. Widget needed a makeover of her own, so the Dallas Design Community came up with the idea of creating a house especially for the cat.
This idea was brought to the attention of The Art Institute of Dallas, who has a long-standing relationship with ASID, and a competition began to create a new home for Ms. Widget – “The Best Little Cat House in Texas.” Eight groups of Interior Design students from instructor Michael Brady’s Furniture Design class participated as part of their final exam project, and all of the houses will be displayed at the Meyerson Symphony Center lobby during the Dallas Wind Symphony’s April 17 concert. In thanks and as guests of the DWS, the students who participated will be in attendance and recognized at the concert.
The cat houses are currently being rotated throughout the DWS office so that Ms. Widget can sample each one and choose her favorite. It’s truly the cat’s meow.
Tickets are available for the April 17th concert by calling the DWS Box Office at 214-528-5576. The concert begins at 8:00 PM.