Artfully Public
New city map helps neighbors find art wherever they are
Thanks to a city effort, finding art doesn’t have to mean a trip to the Arts District downtown — it can be as simple as looking around your neighborhood.
The city of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture worked with the Office of Data Analytics to create an interactive map of the public art available throughout the city.
“The public can view art installations with new, high-resolution images and detailed information about the installations,” the city announced. “Art is everywhere in Dallas, in libraries, parks, recreation centers, and more. This public-facing map of the OAC Public Art collection allows residents and visitors to explore Dallas for these Public Art pieces easily.”
Close to home, three art pieces appear on the map, two at firehouses and one at a local park.
Barrett C. DeBusk’s People at Play features steel figures at play around the park adjacent to Churchill Recreation Center. A red boy strums a guitar for a yellow girl perched on a bench, a yellow woman walks her yellow dog, and two red boys play a card game next to a green tree.
Dallas Fire Station 35, located on Walnut Hill Lane between Marsh Lane and Midway Road, is home to Elemental Forces, three limestone sculptures representing wind, water, and other elemental forces, created by Eliseo Garcia.
“Clearly visible from Walnut Hill Lane, these works can be enjoyed by those passing by in vehicles,” the city said.
Rex Kare’s stained glass work, Beacon, can be found at Fire Station 27 at Preston Road and Northwest Highway. The large piece is “an abstract take on fire and water, (and) includes bright flames and splashes that seem to be pixelated by thousands of square panels,” the city said.
City officials said that making art accessible to the public is good for the community and helps preserve public history and culture.
“With this new map, the OAC Public Art Program makes the work of many artists accessible and provides places to encourage arts and culture to thrive and grow citywide,” according to the announcement. “Everyone wants to know where art lives because art enriches our lives. If you look for it, you’ll find art actually is all around Dallas.”
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