Arts Fort Worth
A new sign of sorts can be seen by drivers traversing the roundabout at Las Vegas Trail and South Normandale Street. A series of blue arrows indicate a driver's need to head for the sky while turning right. However, impossible as this direction may be, it works better as a piece of art, which is exactly what it is. This blue spiral made out of right-turn-only arrows comes from the mind of artist Mark Reigelman. Fittingly titled, “Right Turn Only,” this twister-shaped work of art is one of two getting a proper dedication starting on June 1st.
The second work of art being dedicated on July 29 at 10 a.m. is titled “Vision,” which is the brainchild of artist Gordon Huether. This piece, which proudly stands in front of the Fort Worth Police Department South Patrol Division, is a symbol of what the artist considers the most essential attributes for effective police enforcement: clarity, transparency, awareness, and reflection.
Arts Fort Worth
What these two new pieces of art have in common is that they are the two newest installations aided with the help of Arts Fort Worth, a nonprofit founded in 1963 that aims to promote Fort Worth-centric art. According to a press release, this 501(C)3 administers a competitive grants program, manages the Fort Worth Public Art program, and operates the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, on behalf of the City of Fort Worth. Arts Fort Worth is supported in part by the City of Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Arts Fort Worth
The non-profit’s first dedication event will take place on June 1st at 9 a.m. near the Las Vegas Trail roundabout. Attendees are invited to meet in the retail parking lot west of the roundabout for photo opportunities and are invited to gather at the Rebecca Low Gallery and Studio at 7608 Camp Bowie Boulevard at 9:30 a.m. to meet and talk with Reigelman afterward.
Reigelman’s spiral created from hundreds of steel and aluminum traffic arrows creates a circular pattern pointed skyward, rising from the roundabout’s surface and extending twenty feet into the air. Finished in a bright blue, the artwork embodies the goals set forth by community members at the inception of the project that are uplifting, and inspiring, a release states.
Reigelman’s designs were based on the movement of the roundabout’s directional street signs as well as West Fort Worth’s rich aeronautical history in the form of circular air patterns created by airplane wingtips.
The second dedication ceremony for “Vision” will take place on July 29th at 10 a.m. in conjunction with the grand opening of the new South Patrol Building at 3501 W. Risinger Road, 76123.
This highly polished mirrored globe-like sphere resting on a blue basket signifies the symbiotic relationship between the police department and the Fort Worth community and integrates the concepts of dignity and honor.
“A police force and the community it serves need to engage in open and productive dialogue, where varying points of view and objectives can be seen and recognized,” Huether says. “The artwork is intended to resonate with these ideas through the powers of abstraction and beauty.”
