Fort Worth’s historic Camp Bowie District Inc. has named Lydia Guajardo Rickard as the public improvement district’s (PID19) new executive director.

Rickard has been operating as the district’s interim leader since mid-October 2021 and has a previous four-year history of marketing the business corridor through her former agency, LComm Marketing and Public Relations. Rickard announced the closure of her marketing firm via social media on Jan. 27.

“We have grown the district to a place where it deserves the attention of fulltime staff and a vision for the next 20 years,” said board chairman J. Mark Harris, president of 8 Feet Development Inc. “The board of directors has faith that with Lydia’s past experiences and future plans, she will build a team dedicated to advancing small to mid-sized business while improving an already thriving boulevard.”

Camp Bowie District is comprised of two organizations -- a 501(C)(3) and a 501(c)(6) -- both engaged in a wide range of activities dedicated to the advancement and preservation of the historic boulevard. The nonprofit arm of the organization is focused on philanthropic and charitable initiatives providing program support, small-business focus and marketing efforts. The 501(C)(6) is the member-based arm of the organization that provides advocacy, development and PID management. Improvement efforts have included infrastructure refinement, beautification projects, hosting special events and serving as an advocate for all development.

“Camp Bowie District is the keeper of the boulevard. Our goal is to preserve the integrity of the historic area,” Rickard said. “We are dedicated to preserving the economic engine that is assembled of more than 400 small to mid-sized businesses, many of which are locally owned.”

Camp Bowie District strategically analyzes the historic corridor identifying improvements that are needed. By identifying projects and needs based on evaluations and feedback from businesses, Rickard will lead the delegation of assessments from property owners to fund future PID projects such as maintenance, landscaping and beautification, litter abatement, safety and security, marketing advocacy, communications, economic development and future planning

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas will bring to Fort Worth for the first time David Rogers’ Big Bugs, an exhibit of insect sculptures on a gigantic scale. The exhibit runs March 11-June 12.

Insects outnumber us 1 million to one. Many live in communal groups working as one for the common good of all. Their ranks include engineers, soldiers, weightlifters, weavers, hunters, stalkers, gatherers and even royalty.

“When you take this remarkable and diverse group of ‘hidden gardeners’ and re-create them on a gigantic scale using all-natural materials, you have Big Bugs,” said Patrick Newman CEO and president. “The stunning effect is a role reversal of dimension and perception that kids of all ages will absolutely love.”

The sculptures are created using various combinations of whole trees, cut green saplings, dry branches and other forest materials. Audiences will marvel or stand bug-eyed before the larger-than-life insect sculptures and gain an appreciation for these invaluable members of the animal kingdom.

Exhibit viewing is included with the price of Garden admission. Members receive free entry.

Learn more.

This year, guests to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden will notice construction work as several major projects get underway, thanks to the support of the City of Fort Worth and many generous donors.

Old Garden Road

This road has long served as a primary service route between the Garden Center and the historic Rock Springs Building; it connects the newer, northern sections of the garden with the southern, historic sections of the campus.

A $1.3 million renovation will convert Old Garden Road from a vehicular roadway to a generous 20-foot-wide pedestrian walk. Native and ornamental plantings, landscape boulders, ornamental curbs, benches and custom lighting inspired by the traditional WPA-era architecture of older sections of the Garden will complement new paving of native stone and finished concrete.

Full Moon Bridge

This structure in the Japanese Garden is one of the most recognized features of the Garden. Under the guiding expertise of David Sipos, a master carpenter and expert in Japanese woodworking, the current structure will be fully replaced with a new version utilizing traditional Japanese joinery and weatherization techniques.

The foundation will be improved and reinforced, and the original brass rail and finials will be retained and replaced on the new structure.

Tea House

The Tea House in the Japanese Garden will be given a major facelift by Japanese garden expert John Powell. Improvements will include a tokonoma, the ceremonial niche for scrolls, floral arrangements and art pieces often included in traditional tea events. A new preparation area, improved lighting, traditional screens and furniture will also be added

Traditional Japanese stucco will be applied to the inside and outside walls of the teahouse, and improvements and repairs will be made to the exterior wood trim.

Rose Ramp Shelter House

This key feature of the original Garden will have the foundations of the surrounding retaining walls stabilized. Additional renovations to trellises and other elements are also planned to protect this important part of the Garden’s history.

“We are excited to get these projects started,” said Executive Vice President Bob Byers. “Any inconvenience from construction will be more than made up by the years of enjoyment these completed projects will bring to guests.”

 

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas is em-bark-ing on a new adventure with Dog Days, to take place five weekends in 2022. On these weekends, guests are invited to bring their four-legged family members to the Garden for a day of frolicking and fun.

Official Dog Days dates:

• Feb. 19-20
• May 21-22
• July 16-17
• Aug. 20-21
• Nov. 19-20

“Dog Days offers yet another way for local residents to explore and discover the many wonders of our 120-acre campus,” said Patrick Newman, FWBG|BRIT CEO and president and owner of two Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Charlie and Milo.

Dog Days will be held during regular Garden hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the winter and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer. Regular admission is required for humans, with an additional $5 per dog. FWBG|BRIT Members receive free admission and pay $5 per dog — with a complimentary bandana. For the health and happiness of furry friends, hydration stations will be available across the campus.

To ensure the success of Dog Days and the safety of all participants, the Garden asks that guests and pets adhere to specific rules and etiquette:

• All dogs must be leashed, more than four months old and up to date on vaccinations.
• Waste must be bagged and placed in trash receptacles. The Garden will have bags available for use.
• Dogs must be socialized and well-behaved. If dogs are seen acting aggressively, Garden staff reserves the right to ask owners to leave.

View additional rules and information about the Feb. 19-20 Dog Days. 

The Museum will be open five days a week, starting February 6th.

After expanding its hours during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is excited to increase its regular open hours. Beginning February 6th, the Museum will be open five days a week. 

Hours of Operation:

·    Monday – Tuesday: Closed

·    Wednesday – Saturday: 10 AM – 5 PM

·    Sunday: Noon – 5 PM

The Museum closed its doors for several months in 2020 and 2021 in response to guidance from local, state, and federal health officials to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community. On June 25, 2021, the Museum reopened to the public at a limited schedule, Friday - Sunday. 

“We are dedicated to lifelong learning as our Mission and are thrilled to return to more days open!” said Kippen de Alba Chu, interim President at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. “We invite you, our beloved community, to rediscover the Museum through our creative, vibrant programs and exhibits interpreting science and the history of Texas and the Southwest.” 

Fort Worth, Texas (Thursday, January 20, 2022) Arts Fort Worth, formerly the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, invites you to start the new year with seven exciting new exhibitions in the newly renovated galleries. Damage from 2021’s winter storm gave Arts Fort Worth the opportunity to renovate and expand three of the galleries into one larger gallery. The gallery expansion creates an open and inviting space that will continue to house emerging and established artists, as well as events and workshops.

With the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo right next door, Arts Fort Worth is featuring four exhibitions with a Western theme but bringing exciting and new perspectives to the genre. Ma, The Gravities, and Art Room’s Both Sides Now close Saturday, January 29. The Inexorable & Enigmatic Western Horizon, A Quest Into the West, Traces, and Art Tooth’s The Next Chapter: Brenda Ciardiello and Fernando Rojas are on view through Saturday, February 26.

Exhibitions:

Ma

Painting and video by Fort Worth artist Enrique Nevarez

The Gravities

Video series by John C Kelley

Both Sides Now

Presented by Art Room and curated by Art Room Co-Founder/Chief Advisor Katie Murray. featuring local and regional artists David Alcantar, Gerald Bell, Judge Bermes, Kim Brewer, Glenn Downing, Meghan Gerety, Sara Lee Hughes, MOM, Jack Russell, Christy Stallop, and Camille Woods

The Inexorable & Enigmatic Western Horizon

Paintings by Swedish Santa Fe-based artist Gordon Skalleberg

A Quest Into the West

Watercolors by Fort Worth artist Burl Washington

Traces

Mixed media works by Marilyn Jolly & Norman Kary

The Next Chapter: Brenda Ciardiello and Fernando Rojas 

Presented by Art Tooth and curated by Shasta Haubrich

Contact:

Elena Greer, Communications Manager

817-298-3041 | egreer@artsfortworth.org

You know Arts Fort Worth!  New name for Arts Council of Fort Worth signifies exciting changes while staying true to its mission.

Elena Greer, Communications Manager 817.298.3041 egreer@artsfortworth.org   Fort Worth, Texas (Wednesday, January 12, 2022) The Arts Council of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Community Arts Center are merging into one nonprofit with a new name, Arts Fort Worth. Our new name and look reflect changes that will allow Arts Fort Worth to build on our history while reinvigorating our commitment to culture and community through financial, educational, and creative support for all the arts.   “Since 1963, the Arts Council has been a strong presence within the Fort Worth arts community, with a proud and storied history of supporting the local arts,” said Karen Wiley, Arts Fort Worth CEO & President. “As we move forward with our new name, Arts Fort Worth is committed to serve and respond to the needs of all local artists, arts organizations, and the residents of our city. We acknowledge that this can only happen through deeper engagement and collaboration with diverse community groups, and other local non-profits, active listening, and sustained connections.”     In early 2020, Arts Fort Worth responded to the needs of Fort Worth’s arts community by distributing emergency relief grants to arts organizations while continuing to engage the entire community by presenting online gallery exhibitions, readings of original plays and informal interviews with 85 local artists, creatives, and community leaders. Arts Fort Worth will continue expanding opportunities and programs for artists and organizations, kicking off 2022 with an open call for the inaugural Emerging Artist Residency Program, which provide studio space and a monthly stipend for an artist for one year. This new program was made possible generous support of the Donny Wiley Memorial Fund at North Texas Community Foundation. Arts Fort Worth will have more exciting announcements soon. “We are delighted to usher in this exciting new chapter of our history,” said Wiley.  About Arts Fort Worth Founded in 1963 as the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, Arts Fort Worth is a nonprofit organization with the mission to promote, nurture, and support the arts in Fort Worth. Arts Fort Worth administers a competitive grants program, manages the Fort Worth Public Art program, and operates what was formerly known as the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, a dynamic arts complex with theaters, galleries, studios, and office suites, on behalf of the City of Fort Worth. Arts Fort Worth also provides educational programming and supports arts advocacy at all levels of government, provides public art consultation services, rents the facilities for a wide range of private and public events and programs. Arts Fort Worth is supported in part by the City of Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts. For more information, please visit artsfortworth.org

The federal mask requirement has been extended through March 18, 2022. That means everyone will continue wearing masks when on board any of Trinity Metro’s vehicles and when inside Fort Worth Central Station and Fort Worth T&P Station. Masks are not required on the platforms or while waiting at a bus stop.

The mask mandate originally went into effect on Feb. 1, 2021, and was extended three times in 2021. The implementation is intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Other safety measures include social distancing, handwashing and vaccinations.

https://ridetrinitymetro.org/

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Announces WOMEN PAINTING WOMEN On View May 15 – September 25, 2022

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents Women Painting Women, a thematic exhibition of forty-six women artists who choose women as subject matter in their works. This exhibition is organized by Chief Curator Andrea Karnes and will be on view at the Modern May 15 through September 25, 2022. This presentation includes approximately sixty evocative portraits that span the late 1960s to the present. International in scope, Women Painting Women recognizes female perspectives that have been underrepresented in the history of postwar figuration. Painting is the focus of the exhibition as traditionally it has been a privileged medium for portraiture, particularly for white male artists. The featured artists range from early trailblazers like Alice Neel and Emma Amos to emerging artists such as Jordan Casteel, Jenna Gribbon, and Apolonia Sokol. All place women—their bodies, gestures, and individuality—at the forefront. Four themes that trend in the works of these artists are explored: The Body, Nature Personified, Color as Portrait, and Selfhood.  THE BODY examines the spectrum from unidealized to fantasized nudes. This thematic group encompasses work by Alice Neel, Jenny Saville, Sylvia Sleigh, Mickalene Thomas, and Lisa Yuskavage, among others. The women painted by Neel convey a sense of individuality and realness—ironically through the artist’s generalizing of flesh and form. Pregnant Nude, 1967, for example, shows her characteristic tendency to streamline the body and break the rules of painting by contouring the figure in an unnatural blue outline. Like a traditional nude, she is recumbent with a passive gaze, yet her realness is too profound to be sexy. In The Turkish Bath, 1973, Sleigh subverts the traditional odalisque image by replacing women with male nudes, calling into question the values historically used to paint women while also pointing to the lack of erotic male nudes in works of art throughout time. Thomas’s monumental painting A Little Taste Outside of Love, 2007, expresses a lineage to Sleigh’s The Turkish Bath by recasting the traditional (male-painted) odalisque to make a critical statement about the representation, objectification, and sexualization of Black women. In her work, Thomas quotes Edouard Manet’s Olympia, 1863, but moves the Black woman to the forefront to highlight the historical omission of Black women, both as subjects and creators. NATURE PERSONIFIED includes artists who look to the mythology of woman as it relates to mother earth figures, priestesses, and goddesses, as well as to the metaphysical powers associated with being female. Eunice Golden, Joan Semmel, Luchita Hurtado, Susan Rothenberg, Maria Berrío, Hayv Kahraman, and Tracey Emin are among the artists discussed. Golden, Semmel, and Hurtado are each represented with a work from 1971, and each comes into figuration through abstraction; with similar concerns about reclaiming space for women, and ties to the women’s movement, they depict the body in intimate poses using first-person perspective. Rothenberg and Emin depict figures that are primal and elemental in form, color, and composition. Berrío and Kahraman use a symbolic visual language to convey issues regarding the postcolonial (Berrío) and non-Western imperialism (Kahraman). COLOR AS PORTRAIT accounts for the exaggerated or dramatic use of color and form to convey content about female identity, including race, gender, and archetypes. Emma Amos, Faith Ringgold, Joan Brown, Amy Sherald, and Nicola Tyson are among the artists who explore color to create a mood. For example, Amos painted the subjects at hand in life with flattened patterns, bold colors, and a pop sensibility beginning in her early development as an artist coming of age in the 1960s. Her Three Figures, 1966, literally reflects the idea of women of many colors, and the addition of greens, reds, blues, and whites reinforces this notion. Color here suggests exoticism and otherness within a scene comingling Black and white American middle-class life—a subject rarely broached by a woman artist in the mid-twentieth century. SELFHOOD examines the subtleties of gesture, posture, and setting to portray the energy or presence of the sitter’s psychological and sometimes physical human state. SELFHOOD is represented in the works of Nicole Eisenman, Maria Lassnig, Elizabeth Peyton, Danielle Mckinney, Marlene Dumas, Jordan Casteel, and more. For instance, Dumas’s Jen, 2005, depicts a woman lying prone, mouth slightly open and eyes closed; her abject condition explores female objectification. Casteel’s Pretty in Pink, 2019, depicts a contemporary young Black woman seen on a subway, looking at her phone—beautiful and bedazzled. Representing women of color in daily life brings a visibility to a complicated white male art history Chief Curator Andrea Karnes comments, “The pivotal narrative in Women Painting Women is how these artists use the conventional portrait of a woman as a catalyst to tell another story outside of male interpretations of the female body. They conceive new ways to activate and elaborate on the portrayal of women. Replete with complexities, realness, abjection, beauty, complications, everydayness, pain, and pleasure, the portraits in this exhibition connect to all kinds of women, and they make way for women artists to share the stage with their male counterparts in defining the female figure.”   Publication The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color catalogue featuring texts by Andrea Karnes, the artist Emma Amos, and the artist Faith Ringgold. 172 pages, 65 illustrations; published by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and distributed by DelMonico Books.

Artists in the Exhibition Rita Ackermann Njideka Akunyili Crosby Emma Amos María Berrío Louise Bonnet Lisa Brice Joan Brown Jordan Casteel Somaya Critchlow Kim Dingle Marlene Dumas Celeste Dupuy-Spencer Nicole Eisenman Tracey Emin Natalie Frank Hope Gangloff Eunice Golden Jenna Gribbon Alex Heilbron Ania Hobson Luchita Hurtado Chantal Joffe Hayv Kahraman Maria Lassnig Christiane Lyons Danielle Mckinney Marilyn Minter Alice Neel Elizabeth Peyton Paula Rego Faith Ringgold Deborah Roberts Susan Rothenberg Jenny Saville Dana Schutz Joan Semmel Amy Sherald Lorna Simpson Arpita Singh Sylvia Sleigh Apolonia Sokol May Stevens Claire Tabouret Mickalene Thomas Nicola Tyson Lisa Yuskavage

Image credit: Emma Amos, Three Figures, 1966. Oil on canvas. 60 x 50 inches. John and Susan Horseman Collection. Courtesy RYAN LEE Gallery, New York © Emma Amos For high-resolution images, please email kendal@themodern.org. LOCATION Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 3200 Darnell Street Fort Worth, Texas 76107 Telephone 817.738.9215 Toll-Free 1.866.824.5566 www.themodern.org   Museum Gallery Hours Tue-Sun 10 am-5 pm Fri 10 am-8 pm   General Admission Prices (includes special exhibition) $16: General (age 18 and above) $12: Seniors (age 60+), Active/Retired Military Personnel and First Responders with ID $10: Students with ID Free: Under 18 years old The Museum offers half-price tickets on Sundays and free admission on Fridays. The Museum is closed Mondays and holidays, including New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas.

Botanic Garden Invites Public Comment 

FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 10, 2021) — The  Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas , with Studio Outside , Bennett Partners , and DEI Consultants , will launch a robust, citywide public engagement process later this month to inform a long-term master plan for the Garden, with a particular focus on Fort Worth’s rich and growing diversity. 

In addition to providing online comment capabilities through a website www.brit.org/masterplan , five community forums are planned as follows: 

 

Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m. Rockwood Park Golf Course Clubhouse 

Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m. at Como Community Center 

Jan. 29, 10 a.m. at MLK, Jr., Community Center 

Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m. at Chisholm Trail Community Center 

Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m. at Heritage Church 

Estrus Tucker, president and CEO of DEI Consultants, outlined goals for the 90-minute community forums. “Listening, building relationships and informing the master plan are the three major goals for soliciting this public feedback,” Tucker said. “We especially want to hear from new and diverse community voices while building relationships across the city with organizations and individuals.” 

Forum agenda formats will consist of brief opening remarks with a welcome from City Council members, an overview of Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas, a summary of the master planning process, a brief statement about “why” these meetings are being held, and a series of interactive conversations, listening sessions, and engaging planning activities. With health and safety of all participants a top priority, CDC guidelines will be followed. 

“We consider public feedback immensely important in the master planning process since the Garden is a local treasure belonging to all Fort Worth residents,“ said Bob Byers, FWBG|BRIT executive vice president and co-chair of the Master Planning Committee. “Creating a long-term, inspiring guest experience is at the heart of this process.” 

The master planning committee led by former District 7 City Councilman Dennis Shingleton comprises members from throughout the community, representative of Fort Worth civil servants, local garden associations, Fort Worth ISD, FWBG|BRIT Board and staff, and other community advocates and developers. 

About Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) 

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) is the oldest public botanic garden in Texas with beautiful theme gardens, including the Fuller Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and the Victor and Cleyone Tinsley Garden, which features plants native to north central Texas. The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) is a nonprofit, international research, education and conservation organization that collects and safeguards plant specimens, studies and protects living plants, and teaches about the importance of conservation and biodiversity to the world. BRIT assumed nonprofit management of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Oct. 1, 2020. The combined organization comprises 120 acres in Fort Worth’s Cultural District two miles west of downtown Fort Worth at 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76107. 

Winter Hours: Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65+, $6 for children 6-15 and free for those under 5. Free admission with annual membership. Parking: Parking is free throughout the campus during regular business hours. 

About Studio Outside
Studio Outside is a landscape architectural practice in Dallas, Texas, that thrives on the challenge of projects which demand a comprehensive intellectual, artistic and collaborative design process. Passionate about all facets of landscape architecture, the studio has completed projects of many types and locations around the world, ranging widely from high profile public spaces to high-end residential properties. The team’s passion for design drives them to pursue projects that require original thought and intense detailing, drawing upon years of experience with many cultures and a wide diversity of construction techniques. Studio Outside aspires to design places that demand a thoughtful and refined aesthetic while also incorporating sensitivity and intrigue for the human experience. For more information about the Studio Outside team, please visit: https://www.studiooutside.us/ .

About Bennett Partners
Bennett Partners is a Fort Worth-based architecture, interior design, and planning firm focused on creating well-designed, well-built spaces in the public and private sector. At the core of our practice is the idea of partnership. Partnership with our diverse and talented staff, our clients, and our community. We believe design can make a difference, and through our work we can inspire positive change. To learn more about the firm’s award-winning work, visit www.bennett.partners.

About DEI Consultants, LLC
DEI Consultants, LLC is a Fort Worth-based consulting firm specializing in advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion via creative engagement practices and processes that target transformative outcomes for corporations, non-profits, membership organizations and local governments. We utilize an equity lens supported by key questions to help decision makers be deliberately inclusive and focus on equity in both their process and outcomes. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are more than values to aspire to, they are strategies and practices that lead us into a future where neighbors from all walk of life explore, learn, support and enjoy together the natural environment. www.deiconsultants.com