Fort Worth approves final designs for a fire station mural and a giant seesaw armadillo

Two new pieces of public art are headed for Fort Worth. At its September meeting, the Fort Worth Art Commission unanimously approved final designs for both: a wall installation at a southwest Fort Worth fire station and an 11-foot-tall armadillo perched on a seesaw at Gateway Park.

Artist Demarcus McGaughey of In House Media Group presented the final design for Fire Station #26. The installation is built on a grid of squares that includes community artwork. Commissioners asked that none of the icons on the grid show real businesses, so the city doesn't appear to be endorsing particular companies. They approved the project on the condition that the community artwork and a copyright question are checked first.

The second piece comes from Tucson artist Trevor O'Tool. His sculpture is an armadillo balanced on the end of a long, flat seesaw plank, and it will sit in Gateway Park in City Council District 11. It will weigh more than 2,000 pounds. O'Tool built several smaller prototypes to get the physics right. He said engineering played a big part in making sure the structure can hold both the armadillo and visitors who sit in its saddle. According to the Fort Worth Report, the sculpture will go on the east side of the park near the entrance to the disc golf course. It has a $534,500 budget from the city's 2018 bond program.

Neighbors have welcomed the design. "It's whimsical, yet it brings the state of Texas into the park," said Natalie Lopez, a District 11 community member, at the meeting. Adam Neese, who works on the Fort Worth Public Art management team at Arts Fort Worth, told the city's park board that the sculpture was designed to be playful and interactive. The city won't encourage people to climb on it, but he said the design took into account that people would interact with it.

This story is based on reporting by the Fort Worth Report.