Fort Worth city council recently approved a 9k budget for new public artworks. (Khara Woods/Unsplash).
The Fort Worth city council approved $189k in commission contracts to go toward two new public artworks. Here’s what you need to know.
On March 31,the Fort Worth city council approved $189,141 in commission contracts to put toward the installation of two new public artworks—one will be developed outside the Eugene McCray Community Center and the other outside of Fire Station 37. Fort Worth Public Art is set to work alongside the local artists commissioned for the pieces to oversee their production. The money itself comes directly from voter-approved bond programs, of which roughly 2% is put toward public art.
Interested members of the Fort Worth community can stay up-to-date on the installations each month during advisory board meetings. You’re also encouraged to provide feedback while attending the meetings, which you can learn more about here. Arts Fort Worth’s public art program manager, Anne Allen, said, “All citizens are welcome at all of our commission meetings. It doesn’t matter if the projects are in your district or not. The great thing about coming to our meeting is residents see how the city’s bond funds are being spent on public art projects across the city.”
Here are the planned public artworks
Two public artworks have already been planned in Fort Worth that will capitalize on the recently approved commission contracts. The first is the “Unity” mural designed by Jeremy Biggers, an artist from Dallas. The artwork will be created outside of District 11’s Eugene McCray Community Center and will depict Eugene McCray along with two girls who are meant to signify the “endless possibilities looking ahead.” Biggers has chosen to create the 17-foot tall mural using red and blue to represent the colors of the Juneteenth flag. $55,539 of the voter-approved bonds will go toward the piece, with an additional $4,661 being supplied by contracts from the city secretary. The “Unity” mural is tentatively scheduled for completion over the summer.
Additionally, a sculpture of a black long-horned ram will be crafted by Kathleen Warwick, who also hails from Dallas. That one is going to sit outside District 4’s Fire Station 37 on 10600 Alta Vista Road. Warwick drew inspiration for the design from the patch used by that specific station which shows a bighorn sheep moving through a cloud of smoke. In this instance, the final design has not been completed, so community members will be able to provide feedback on Warwick’s idea during an upcoming advisory board meeting. Her sculpture will be completed by the end of 2026 and is set to cost around $199,500, with $133,602 coming from bonds and an additional $65,898 allocated from design proposals.
Local art and artists are flourishing in Fort Worth
The recently approved commission contracts for public artworks in Fort Worth is just one example of how the city is placing a greater emphasis on celebrating the importance of art. In another local showing of artistic pride, Brayden Rischer from Fort Worth ISD’s Young Men’s Leadership Academy had an original piece displayed at Austin’s Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. His artwork, “systemic struggle,” focused on how he has overcome adversity and learned to appreciate the meaning behind his struggles by processing his emotions through art.
Around 100 students from the Lone Star State had their artwork displayed alongside Rischer’s. The Texas Art Education Association puts on an exhibit each year during Youth Art Month (March) designed to showcase art made from local students ranging from preschool through senior high school. Several of the pieces will go on to be displayed at the Governor’s Business Office next year. The First Lady of Texas makes the selections for that distinct honor.
