During the Tuesday, Oct. 10 work session, Fort Worth City Council members received a briefing on the Public Art Master Plan Update and Fiscal Year 2018 Public Art Work from Bill Campbell and Martha Peters of the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
Among the main topics of discussion was iconic artwork for which the city will be recognized, such as Sky Dome in Chicago. They stressed a need to identify a site, potential partners, recommended budget and selection of an artist.
Peters said suggested sites include downtown Fort Worth, the Stockyards, Cultural District and Trinity River.
Several funding suggestions were also made for projects previously approved by various funding plans to move forward, including:
• Westcreek Pedestrian Bridge, an additional $35,000.
• Foster Park, an additional $117,728.
• Mosier Valley Park, an additional $80,000.
• Hemphill Lamar Connector, an additional $206,843.
• Municipal Court Building, an additional $20,000.
District 5 Council Member Gyna Bivens had a special interest in Mosier Valley Park, noting that is where the first freed slaves settled in Texas.
“It will be a destination spot,” she said. “I’m very excited about what happens there.”
Peters assured her that would be included in the project.
The Municipal Court Building will feature three 6×6 glass panels depicting the battle for social justice, including the civil rights protests of 1965. Peters noted that about 250,000 people pass through the building each year.
Projects completed in the 2017 fiscal year, Peters said, included:
• Hemphill Berry Urban Village.
• E. First Street Bridge.
• East Lancaster Corridor, featuring traffic signal art.
• South Main Urban Village.
She added that a piece of art will be unveiled at Meacham International on Oct. 20. It will feature 800 small steel airplanes.