
Cultural + Performing Arts
Below, you will find highlights of our museums, campus arts work, and performing arts venues + amphitheaters, as well as thought leadership, project milestones, and key contact information.

Explore our Historic Theaters





Explore Our Featured Museums

- Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery
Reinvigorating a National Historic Landmark

- Cleveland Museum of Natural History Transformation
Inspired by the Water that Shapes Our World



- Shenzhen Natural History Museum
Design Mimics the Hills and Valleys of the Pearl River Delta
Museum of Science & History

Design Renderings Revealed for the Museum of Science & History (MOSH)
May 4, 2022The new building will be an iconic cultural institution on the waterfront for Jacksonville. Our concept is inspired by the movement and flow of the St. Johns River that has played such an important role in the history of the city.
Read More- University of Nevada, Reno University Arts Building
Varied Arts Spaces Support a Vibrant Arts Community
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See Our Campus Arts Highlights

- Case Western Reserve University Maltz Performing Arts Center
New Arts Center Complements Historic Temple

- Point Park University Pittsburgh Playhouse
State-of-the-Art Meets Historic Urban Context

- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
19th-Century Landmark for 21st-Century Art Education

The Ismaili Center

Ismaili Center to be Houston's Newest Cultural Asset
November 16, 2021DLR Group is leading the team of architectural partners responsible for delivering a venue dedicated to educational, cultural, and social events.
Read MoreSee Performing Arts Venues + Amphitheaters








Firm News+Ideas
Future Thinking + Milestones
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Leadership
Connect With Our Team
If you don't meet them at a gallery or sit next to them at the theater, you can find their contact info here.

Paul Westlake
Global Cultural+Performing Arts Leader
Senior Principal

Paul Westlake
FAIA, IIDA
Global Cultural+Performing Arts Leader
Senior Principal
Paul directs the firm’s Cultural+Performing Arts sector. He collaborates with a diverse range of clients, including Broadway producers; premier performing arts centers, orchestras, and conservatories of music; major museums; and academic arts institutions; and a talented team of designers and technicians.

Vanessa Kassabian
Senior Design Leader
Principal

Vanessa Kassabian
AIA, LEED AP
Senior Design Leader
Principal
Vanessa is a Cultural+Performing Arts design leader who works closely with teams to facilitate discussions and provide critical guidance around site, programming, massing, aesthetics, and execution. She has extensive experience throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Asia.

Dennis Bree
Cultural+Performing Arts Design Leader
Principal

Dennis Bree
AIA, LEED AP
Cultural+Performing Arts Design Leader
Principal
Dennis is an expert in the design of cultural and performing arts facilities, frequently leading product research, design work sessions, and detail development. He is a strong believer in the role projects play as centers of community, learning, and expression. Dennis is also a faculty associate at the Design School at Arizona State University, where he has taught undergraduate design studios in architecture.

Carol Duke
Business Development Leader
Principal

Carol Duke
Associate AIA
Business Development Leader
Principal
Carol leads client development and strategy to expand the firm’s international Cultural+Performing Arts Studio. Her long-range planning and commitment to equitable community-building supports projects at a high level, resulting in exceptional, inspiring design solutions.

Christina Kruise
Business Operations Funding Specialist
Associate

Christina Kruise
Business Operations Funding Specialist
Associate
Christina is a business operations and fundraising specialist. Her natural curiosity and lifelong love for the arts led Christina to a career focused on development and planning for cultural facilities, working to ensure these spaces are equitable, accessible, inclusive, and representative of the communities in which they exist. An experienced practitioner, Christina has a deep understanding of the forces and trends at work in the arts and cultural sector, and how these elements impact the choices being made for a facility. She appreciates how the nuances of each project and client require individualized attention and care to arrive at the best solution.

Patrick Barrett
Theatrical Design Leader
Senior Associate

Patrick Barrett
ASTC
Theatrical Design Leader
Senior Associate
Patrick leads theater design for the firm by planning spaces and designing systems for the arts to support a wide range of performances. He and his team focus on how patrons will interact with the building, and how performers and technicians can ultimately use the space.

Jonathan Hopkins
Acoustics Leader
Principal

Jonathan Hopkins
Acoustics Leader
Principal
Jonathan leads our acoustic design team. He has delivered unique sensory experiences of sound in premier performing arts and museum environments for patrons around the globe. Jonathan is a lifelong musician, studying voice, piano, and saxophone performance, as well as music theory.