Wth all the hooves and hoopla hitting the ground at the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show this month and next, it's easy to get swept away by the pageantry. And rightly so. From farm-raised beasts to fresh-air feasts, Stock Show visitors can expect no shortage of sense-stimulating fun during the 23-day run, set this year for Jan. 17–Feb. 8. But quietly laced into this spirited spectacle is a perpetual collection of public artworks - many long since assembled, others newly minted - that gives resonant voice to our city's cowboys-plus-culture personality.
On permanent display in various locations around the Will Rogers Memorial Complex (WRMC), the community-based compositions are as multifaceted as the city in which they reside. From the vibrant assemblage of ceramic tile murals - some dating as far back as the 1930s - to three burly bronze sculptures spanning the 20th century and a modern-day limestone piece that was recently relocated from downtown and re-installed on the front lawn of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center (FWCAC), the free-to-see gallery is the ideal counterpoint for Cowtown's once-yearly event that tips its 10-gallon to all things agricultural.
The works include eight ceramic tile murals fashioned by artist Kenneth Gale. Of those, one frieze festoons the Will Rogers Coliseum, while the other accents the auditorium. Gale created both of them in 1937. He produced six other works - aka, the historic barn murals - in 1948. Artisan Mike Mandel is the creative force behind the Western heritage murals on the Will Rogers Equestrian Facility and the Western Heritage Parking Garage; those pieces joined the mosaic mix in 2012. Jack Bryant's bronze sculptures, Midnight (1984) and John Justin and Baby Blue (1996), and Electra Waggoner Biggs" bronze sculpture, Riding into the Sunset (1942), stand sentry as robust tributes to Fort Worth's equine connection. Last but surely not least, Hats, an installation of five limestone sculptures by artist Cameron Schoepp, was moved from downtown's General Worth Square this past September and now sits pretty at the FWCAC, located just a hop, skip and a boot-scoot away from the WRMC on nearby Gendy Street.
