Fort Worth, TX, (Thursday, June 10, 2021) - The Arts Council of Fort Worth and AURORA are partnering to present New Stories: New Futures in conjunction with Fort Worth Public Art’s major installation on Pioneer Tower, curated by DooEun Choi, featuring international artists Refik Anadol and Quayola. Dr. Lauren Cross, curator of the exhibition at the base of Pioneer Tower, selected an impressive roster of ten North Texas artists working with a wide range of new media approaches for their art installations that will be presented between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. on August 20 and 21.
New Stories: New Futures is a uniquely Fort Worth art event featuring historic and modern perspectives, stories, and memories from the region. Each of the artists’ pieces highlights distinct narratives around the collective experiences of North Texans that complement the video artworks that will be projected onto Pioneer Tower by Refik Anadol and Quayola, which explore memories of Fort Worth and the region’s natural beauty.
Curator Dr. Lauren Cross said, “New Stories, New Futures is the culmination of a culturally-interrelated approach and is especially celebratory of the artists I have come to know both in Fort Worth and within the North Texas region. The featured artists share stories in their work of people, themselves, and experiences that are often hidden or overlooked.”
Meet the ten regional artists of New Stories: New Futures:
· Nick Bontrager, Fort Worth, TX, is an interdisciplinary artist whose work and research explores the physical and conceptual nature of the moving image, game-based interactions and exchanges. www.nickbontrager.com
· Ciara Bryant, Dallas, TX, is a multidisciplinary artist using photography, video, and installation to explore Black culture in the new millennium. www.ciaraellebryant.com
· Angela Faz, Dallas, TX, is a multidisciplinary artist focusing on racial justice, art disruptions, and the reclamation of public space. www.angelafaz.com
· Jessica Fuentes, Fort Worth, TX, is an artist, educator, and community advocate working with built structures and projections of home and culture.
www.jessicafuentes.com
· Jeff Gibbons, Dallas, TX, is an international curator and interdisciplinary artist with extensive regional and international presence who works with video, sculpture, and three-dimensional space. www.jeffgibbons.net
· Jin-Ya Huang, Dallas, TX, is an interdisciplinary artist exploring social impact at the intersection of equity, design and social justice, especially for immigrant communities. www.breakbreadbreakborders.com
· Letitia and Sedrick Huckaby, Fort Worth, TX, known collectively as Huckaby Studios, is an artist team that represents images of Black families, communities, and culture. www.huckabystudios.com
· Raul Rodriguez, Fort Worth, TX, is an artist evaluating and representing Latinx communities and culture surrounding skateboarding, boxing, and Lucha Libre. www.raulrodriguezphoto.com
· Bernardo Vallarino, Fort Worth, TX, is an interdisciplinary artist that uses sculpture, installation, and light to highlight diverse human experiences. www.bernardovallarinoart.com
Arts Council CEO & President Karen Wiley said, "In creating a platform that celebrates our diverse landscape, we are thrilled to present this group of artists from Fort Worth and North Texas alongside two leading international artists in the field of new media. This is a great opportunity for our community to experience new art forms, discover through the eyes of artists the stories that are part of our history-making, and celebrate the Fort Worth Public Art Program’s 20th anniversary year!"
While the art projected on all four sides of Pioneer Tower is visible across the Cultural District and beyond, visitors will want to spend time within the Pioneer Tower plaza to experience the installation up-close alongside this outdoor, regional exhibition. The exhibition is free to the public, but visitors must reserve a time in advance. Because the Arts Council of Fort Worth is covering all event expenses, tickets are available through www.NewStoriesNewFutures.org where the price of admission is automatically discounted to $0.00 at checkout. The exhibition is open to all ages and visitors can subscribe to the Arts Council’s email newsletter on their website www.artsfortworth.org or follow on Facebook @ArtsFortWorth to learn more about the event and the family-friendly activities across the entire Cultural District that will take place before sundown on August 20 and 21.
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 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 a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported in part by the City of Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts. For more information, please visit www.artsfortworth.org
About AURORA:
AURORA is a public arts organization at the intersection of art, technology and community that presents works by some of the most visionary artists of our time. A cornerstone of arts and culture in North Texas, AURORA aims to expand the future of art through a dialogue that engages the creative possibilities within ourselves and each other. Since its founding in 2010 by artists Shane Pennington and Joshua King—along with veteran arts supporter Veletta Forsythe Lill—AURORA’s exhibitions, programming and Biennial have attracted over 300,000 visitors and commissioned and presented more than 320 local, regional, and international artists. For more information, visit dallasAURORA.com.
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 by the Fort Worth Art Commission, FWPA strives for artistic excellence and meaningful community engagement. For more information, please visit www.fwpublicart.org.
Presenting Partners:
Fort Worth Public Art
Arts Council of Fort Worth
AURORA
City of Fort Worth
Project Sponsors:
Texas Commission on the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund
JO Agency
