Refik Anadol's - Pioneer Tower Dreams
Anadol's work incorporates artificial intelligence to interpret large data sets of individual images into a single, animated work, which will be projected onto four sides of Pioneer Tower
Arts Council of Fort Worth - Cultural District Grant Award
Texas Commission on the Arts Awards $225,000 to the
Arts Council of Fort Worth for the
Pioneer Tower Iconic Public Art Project
The Arts Council of Fort Worth is thrilled to announce a Cultural District grant award of
$225,000 from the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) for a free community event that
premieres art works by internationally recognized new media artists Quayola from Italy
and Refik Anadol from Los Angeles, California. These new media works will be projected on
all four sides of the historic Pioneer Tower at the Will Rogers Memorial Center,
illuminating the 204-foot structure in the night skies of Fort Worth during the last
weekend of February 2021. Combined with City of Fort Worth and other grant funds, this
$1.2M project supports the creation and presentation of the first of four major Iconic
Public Artworks that will be accessioned into the City of Fort Worth Public Art Collection,
outlined in the 2017 Fort Worth Public Art Master Plan Update (fwpublicart.org).
Two years ago, the City of Fort Worth engaged local artists and co-founders of Dallas
Aurora (DallasAurora.com) Joshua King (JTK Studios) and Shane Pennington (SP Studio) to
assist with planning infrastructure improvements during the Pioneer rehabilitation project
and the selection of New York-based new media curator to recommend artists for the premiere
project. In May, Quayola and Anadol presented their proposals that involve the use of
complex computer algorithms and artificial intelligence to interpret large data sets of
images into vibrant composite works, which will be projected onto the Pioneer Tower,
evoking Fort Worth’s natural beauty, rich diversity, and storied history.
The recently awarded grant is part of TCA’s Cultural District program, which funds
programs and activities that encourage residents and tourists to spend time in State
designated cultural districts, which in Fort Worth now includes two districts: the area
south of West 7th Avenue and west of Downtown that features multiple museums and
performance venues, and, as of this month, the Near Southside district. These are walkable
areas with a high concentration of visual and performing arts organizations, creative
industries, restaurants, and other cultural offerings.
In addition to the Texas Commission on the Arts grant, the Arts Council of Fort Worth
received a National Endowment for the Arts $10,000 grant for the project. Support from
local, state and national organizations is vital to the continued success of bringing
great art to our community. The Arts Council of Fort Worth is currently seeking additional
sponsorships for this ground-breaking event in February 2021. Those interested in
supporting the arts in Fort Worth can contact Director of Advancement Wesley Gentle at
wgentle@artscouncilfw.org or 817-298-3029.
About Fort Worth Public Art: Fort Worth Public Art is a City of Fort Worth program created
to enhance the visual environment, commemorate the city’s rich cultural and ethnic
diversity, integrate artwork into the development of the City’s capital infrastructure
improvements, and to promote tourism and economic vitality. Managed by the Arts Council
of Fort Worth with oversight of the Fort Worth Art Commission, FWPA strives for artistic
excellence and meaningful community involvement. For more information, please visit
www.fwpublicart.org.
About the Arts Council of Fort Worth: The Arts Council of Fort Worth was formed in 1963
to provide funding and leadership to stimulate and assure the advancement of the arts
throughout the Fort Worth. Today’s Arts Council continues to promote, nurture, and support
the arts in Fort Worth by providing fiscal and business resources to local artists and
arts groups while also serving the community through management of the Fort Worth Public
Art Program and Fort Worth Community Arts Center.
The Arts Council of Fort Worth is supported in part by the City of Fort Worth and the
Texas Commission on the Arts.
Jabba New and Improving - Playwright, Janae Hatchett and Production Manager Jason Leyva
ANNOUNCING THE ORIGINAL WORKS SERIES' SELECTED PLAY
The Fort Worth Community Arts Center is proud to announce the
Original Works Series' chosen selection. This is the inaugural selection
for the Original Work Series, a theatrical program that provides an outlet for
emerging and unpublished playwrights to showcase their work and see their play
produced on a professional level. A panel of theater professionals reviewed all
submissions and selected the top picks to receive staged readings in the Spring
of 2020. Due to stay-at-home orders, these eight readings were held virtually
and broadcasted live on the Arts Center's Facebook page.
The Fort Worth Community Arts Center's in-house theatre company,
The Art Center Presents, will mount playwright Janae Hatchett's New and Improving.
Jason Leyva, the Arts Center's Production Manager, said, "After years of
cultivating arts organizations in our facility, many of whom have grown into
some of DFW's most enriching theatrical operations, we feel it's time to invest
in our efforts to supporting local playwrights and showcasing the storytelling
talents of artists in our area. We hope this opportunity will act as a
springboard onto the national stage and continue to bring awareness of our
playwriting community, which is so deserving."
Selected Work: New and Improving by Janae Hatchett
Location: The Sanders Theatre, Fort Worth Community Arts Center
Dates: March 2021
Playwright Bio:
A playwright and actor from Lubbock, Texas, Janae Hatchett
completed her bachelor's degree in Theatre at Angelo State University, where
her love for playwriting blossomed. New and Improving is her first full-length
play.
She has also written a ten-minute play titled Would Not Recommend, which was
chosen as a semi-finalist in the Stage It! 10 Minute Plays and produced as a
full production for the Camp Death Productions Spring Benefit. She has also
completed a one-act titled Signing Off and several sketches. She currently
lives in Dallas, Texas, where she performs at local theatres, including
Pocket Sandwich Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, and Theatre Coppell.
Play Synopsis:
You know that geeky Mathlete who was picked on and shoved into
lockers in high school? Well, now he's all grown up and going to therapy for
depression and social anxiety. Thanks a lot, teenagers. Nathan is convinced to
attend a therapy mixer to "get out there" and "be social" with his peers. He
meets two forces of nature he didn't expect: Turk, a self-proclaimed ladies'
man, and Piper, a sarcastic smart aleck. With as much grace as a palm tree in a
hurricane, they shove Nathan into the dating pool with a young woman named Abby.
After a horrible date, some soul searching, and an all-night coffee binge,
Nathan leaps out of his comfort zone to embark on lasting relationships with
his two new accomplices.
Refik Anadol's - Pioneer Tower Dreams