Client: Fort Worth Public Art

Overview

This bridge project utilized glass mosaic tile, cast concrete, and concrete stain. This is the first of a series of bridges in the Lebow Channel Expansion Project in north Fort Worth. The design of this bridge is based on embroidery found on clothing of cowboy and cowgirls that are worn on special occasions. The overall design of the bridges in the channel expansion will continue to be inspired by the rich cowboy history of Fort Worth.

Goals

The City of Fort Worth was very interested in integrating artwork into this otherwise plain concrete bridge that is adjacent to a historical park named Trail Drivers Park. A cattle drive goes through this park every day from the historic Stockyards nearby. It was important to use the bridge as a marker for this rich cowboy history that defines Fort Worth. The integration of the glass mosaics transformed the bridge into a marker that talks about the cowboy history but also about the residents in the area since it is based on embroidery designs worn by Mexican cowboys at special events.

Process

There was collaboration between the artist and Teaque Nall and Perkins Engineering. The collaboration ensured successful integration of the bridge and artwork to ensure that the project is meaningful to the community and functions well in a very busy intersection.

Additional Information

I feel that the project is successful because a year later it has not been tagged or damaged in any way. I see that as an indication that it has been accepted by the community that surrounds it.