Sundance Square, Artspace 111 launch outdoor mural initiative in downtown Fort Worth
November 21,2021
See full Fort Worth Star-Telegram article by Jessika Harkay here.
Amy Jones Jenkins’ eyes watered as she thought about how a piece of her, and something that she loves — art — is going to be cemented in her hometown.
Jones Jenkins is one of eight Texas artists who were chosen for the first round of a mural initiative in Sundance Square that will span over three blocks and two warehouses. The Fort Worth native and local high school art teacher was the first to kick off the project Saturday morning with the help of her daughter, who hopes to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
“I’m just sentimental,” Jones Jenkins said, explaining that it’s one of the first times her art is going to be displayed on a large scale. “It’s especially cool because I haven’t really had the chance to really get good roots in showing my art regularly. I don’t have a gallery representing me, it’s just getting me out there.”
Jones Jenkins is coming off a recent project through the New Normal Project where she painted cowboys fighting with a COVID-19 dragon who was spitting out fireballs of the virus. This time around, she hopes to paint something that will bring peace to those who walk past the mural.
“The first thing I thought about was how to make something that’s very aesthetically pleasing, and something that’s positive, especially with all the negativity and politics and everything that’s going on,” Jones Jenkins said. “I wanted doves because they’re symbolic of peace and the Holy Spirit, with thinking in terms of us all being individuals and having individual sovereignty, and that we all have a soul, we’re all individually important.”
An art teacher at Boswell High School for the last 17 years, Jones Jenkins hopes to incorporate students who are members of the school’s National Art Honor Society in her piece.
The Temporal Integral Mural Exhibition (T.I.M.E.), which is expected to finish its first phase by February before bringing in another group of artists for its second round of outdoor painting, was inspired by a mural outside of Artspace 111, located at 111 Hampton Street.
Ariel Davis, a representative for the art gallery, said they were contacted by Sundance Square officials who were looking for a way to bring more color into the downtown space, and from there, the project kicked off.
“In the beginning of the year, everybody was in a really hard place,” Davis said. “The gallery itself, it was doing OK and, at the time, there was a big push to have works that could be viewed outside and be viewed by the public. ... I’m just super excited that Sundance Square will display some of the best artists in the city. ... A lot of times it’s really hard to get into public art if you’ve never done it before, so this is a really great opportunity for artists to get their feet wet and produce a project that can lead to other things.”
Out of 52 applicants, Jones Jenkins will be joined by artists Anna Galluzzi, of Denton, Armando Castelan, of Houston, Haley Bass, of Melissa, and Anne Allen, Christopher Najera, Sarah Ayala and Brenda Ciardiello, all of Fort Worth.
“All of the artists that were chosen for the first round had a really strong voice in their work and had a strong style which is probably the most important thing,” Davis said. “It’s an exhibition of individual artists, or their teams, but it’s meant to portray their overall vision (for the space).”
Each artist will have a month to complete their mural and receive $2,000. The artwork will remain visible for at least six months, as some murals may be partially or completely covered as the project progresses.
Artists interested in applying for the second round can find more information here.
Locations Mentioned: Artspace 111, Sundance Square Plaza