On Nov. 12, KERA’s Art&Seek and the Kimbell Art Museum present “Taking It to the Streets: The Mural Movement in Fort Worth,” a live online State of the Arts discussion that explores the unifying influence of public art and how artists have adapted to the COVID-19 era.

Across Fort Worth and around the world, artists are responding to a year of massive upheaval with mural making. In a time of social distancing, murals have become medium and megaphone for critical conversations, community activism and public art. From downtown Fort Worth and the Near Southside to the Stockyards and beyond, murals with a message can be found on street corners and alleyways — and sometimes in unexpected places. Local artists and experts will discuss how murals intersect with power, protest and representation.

“Fort Worth’s vibrant arts scene has responded in remarkable ways to this turbulent year of pandemics, politics and protests,” said William Gibbons, associate dean of TCU’s College of Fine Arts. “Public art helps each of us process the fundamental challenges of our times, and it also has the power to bring us together as a community in a uniquely isolating moment.”

Letitia Huckaby, local photographer, artist and co-founder of Huckaby Studios; local artist Juan Velazquez of Velazquez Art; and Jan Ballard, instructor of graphic design at TCU’s College of Fine Arts, will join moderator Jerome Weeks, senior arts reporter and producer for Art&Seek, in this discussion.

This free one-hour event begins at noon Nov. 12. Register online.

Due to downtown street construction, the annual Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11 will not march along Fort Worth’s Main or Houston streets as usual.

And due to coronavirus restrictions, the modified event is being dubbed a Memorial Motorcade by its organizer, the Tarrant County Veterans Council. Instead of Junior ROTC detachments, bands and other marching units, this year there will be a procession of wheeled vehicles only.

The 101st Veterans Day salute will assemble at the Panther Island Pavilion parking lot, 395 Purcey St., by 10 a.m. A brief opening ceremony will be followed by a Marine Corps flyover. About 11 a.m., the motorcade will roll down North Forest Park Boulevard along the Clear Fork section of the Trinity Trails system to Rotary Plaza., then back to Panther Island.

Suggested public viewing is along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River on the west side of downtown. The motorcade begins about 11 a.m.

The event was recently designated an official regional site by the Veterans Administration. It will also honor the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization, which is marking its centennial. DAV past National Commander Dennis Nixon will serve as grand marshal.

Motorcade participants must register online.

After early morning service, TEXRail service will be disrupted for the remainder of the day on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The last eastbound train will be No. 182, which departs Fort Worth T&P Station at 1:43 a.m. The last westbound train will be No. 181, which departs DFW Airport Terminal B Station at 2:10 a.m.

Regular service will resume on Wednesday, Nov. 11, with the first westbound train departing the North Side Station at 3:20 a.m. and the first eastbound train departing Mercantile Center Station at 3:31 a.m.

Passengers who have no other means of transportation to essential employment during this time should call Trinity Metro customer care by 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. Representatives will be available to help with travel arrangements.

Mayor Betsy Price will be the keynote speaker at the 2020 Professional Rodeo Cowboys (PRCA) Association Convention in Fort Worth.

The mayor will address convention attendees at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Dec. 1. The gathering of PRCA members precedes the biggest event on ProRodeo’s annual calendar, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Arlington’s Globe Life Field, Dec. 3-12.

“We are honored that Mayor Price will keynote our convention,” said George Taylor, chief executive officer of the PRCA. “This is a woman who has successfully led through extraordinary change. She is helping to safely revive Fort Worth and was the leader in bringing the NFR to Texas this year. We couldn’t have a better keynote speaker on the docket.”

The theme for this year’s convention is Challenge of Change, and Price will address attendees on the challenges that she has witnessed in her career and the positive change she is bringing to the community.

“Change has been at the center of 2020, and I’m so impressed with the way ProRodeo is navigating the challenges that we have all faced throughout this difficult year,” Price said. “I credit much of that to the cowboy spirit that permeates rodeo. We know that the cowboy is unique; strong, patient, hardworking and dedicated. You don’t get through what we’ve all been through without strength, patience, faith, hard work and dedication.”

As in prior years, the convention will feature the State of the PRCA address from Taylor as well as the PRCA Member Tradeshow.

The PRCA National Convention is the annual meeting of the organization’s members. It is the gathering to review the achievements of the prior year and lay out new strategic areas of improvement for the year ahead. The evenings are highlighted with fan favorites: the PRCA Welcome Reception and the PRCA Annual Awards Banquet to recognize the extraordinary achievements of PRCA members.

The 2020 PRCA National Convention will span two venues in Fort Worth, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel and the adjacent Fort Worth Convention Center. Registration is limited and is open for PRCA members and their guests.

As Fort Worth grows and develops, we want to make sure we are conserving high priority natural areas for future generations. We want your input on the types of spaces you would like to preserve. Please take the survey today and plan to attend our October 22 public meeting!

October 22 Public Meeting

The first public meeting will be held digitally on Thursday, October 22^nd at 6:00 PM. Here is the link for that meeting: https://bit.ly/3k7XV2I

Public Survey

Program Website: www.FortWorthOpenSpace.com 

Direct Survey Link (English): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FortWorthSM

Direct Survey Link (Spanish): https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/FortWorthEs

The city’s Transportation & Public Works Department will host a virtual community meeting to discuss the upcoming Museum Way realignment project.

Museum Way will be realigned to the east to align with Stayton Street at the West Seventh Street intersection. The project includes paving, new traffic signal and street closure during construction.

The virtual meeting will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 via Webex. The meeting number is 126 217 2377; the meeting password is museumway. The phone-in number is 469-210-7159.

To learn more, contact JT Auldridge at 817-392-7252.

Due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the executive committee of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo has cancelled the 2021 Show. Consultations with numerous infectious disease and public health professionals indicate the Stock Show – with more than 1.2 million guests, exhibitors and competitors converging on the Will Rogers complex – would rank as a “very high risk” for further spread of COVID-19 and potentially impact populations and healthcare systems in Fort Worth and beyond the North Texas area. We urge everyone to do their part in the effort to bring this dreaded disease under control.

Click here to view a video message from Stock Show President, Brad Barnes and the complete FWSSR statement.

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) has assumed nonprofit management of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, ushering in a new era for the 86-year-old community favorite on its way toward becoming a world-class garden.

The Fort Worth City Council approved the 20-year management agreement with BRIT on May 19 after extensive review, assessment and public involvement, including a community task force that determined transformational change was needed for the garden’s long-term sustainability.

“Today we honor those who helped establish one of the largest botanic gardens in Texas, as well as those who had the vision to establish one of the leading botanical research and educational institutions on the very same campus,” said BRIT President Ed Schneider.

The close proximity of two organizations with plant-based missions led to a natural collaboration and a positive public-private partnership that allowed the community to see the success possible when they joined forces.

“The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is an incredible community asset,” said Mayor Betsy Price. “Thanks to this important partnership, residents and visitors will be able to continue to enjoy the gardens and experience everything it has to offer.”

The newly-combined resources of botanical research, education and fundraising expertise with historically-significant grounds and horticultural expertise has laid the groundwork for Fort Worth to become host to one of the leading gardens in the United States.

“BRIT welcomes the long-term stewardship of the beautiful Botanic Garden that the City of Fort Worth has entrusted to us, and we anticipate a bright future ahead for both organizations,” Schneider said.

New brand identity emerges

To mark BRIT’s new union with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, both organizations will use a newly-designed common brand identity. The new transitional logo uses both organizational names joined by a unifying logo mark: a single leaf made up of two distinctive halves. The top half of the leaf is green, rich with the beauty, vibrance and life found in the Botanic Garden; the other side is gold, a perfectly-preserved fallen leaf representing the preservation, study and research taking place at BRIT. The two halves fit perfectly together to form one leaf – one common brand identity.

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas will work to grow the brand with unified marketing efforts, a new combined website, integrated social media marketing and public relations efforts. The campaign will launch over the next six months.

The Arts Council of Fort Worth received 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.

These new media works will be projected on all four sides of the historic Pioneer Tower at 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 $1.2 million project supports the creation and presentation of the first of four major iconic public artworks that will join the Fort Worth Public Art collection.

Two years ago, the City of Fort Worth engaged local artists to assist with planning infrastructure improvements during the Pioneer Tower rehabilitation project and the selection of a New York-based new media curator to recommend artists for the premiere project. In May, Quayola and Anadol presented 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 Pioneer Tower, evoking Fort Worth’s natural beauty, rich diversity and storied history.

The 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 a few weeks ago, 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 seeking additional sponsorships for this groundbreaking event in February 2021. Those interested in supporting the arts in Fort Worth can contact Director of Advancement Wesley Gentle at 817-298-3029.

Fort Worth, one of the five fastest-growing cities in the United States, continues to attract new business, even as 2020 takes its toll on cities across the country.

Brandom Gengelbach, the new CEO at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, aims to shine a bright light on the future ahead for the city.

“Business leaders from all around the country continue to tell me how they feel hamstrung in high-tax states,” Gengelbach said. “While having a tax-friendly business environment certainly helps, we are seeing an unprecedented amount of growth in Fort Worth for a variety of reasons, including a cohesive, supportive government infrastructure, as well as an overwhelmingly affable environment, a career-ready talent pool, ample transportation opportunities and a favorable cost of living.”

Fort Worth added more than 50,000 jobs in the past year. These new jobs were a welcome career opportunity for both locals and to those new to the city. The new jobs included highly-skilled positions in biotechnology, aviation and transportation automation and health care. Businesses like Linear Labs, M2G Ventures and Bell Helicopter chose to grow in Fort Worth, and their leaders are enthusiastic about the upshot of that decision.

“Fort Worth embraces innovation in all forms,” said Linear Labs co-founder and CEO Brad Hunstable. “In doing business in this city, new ideas are welcomed, and informed key collaborations allow businesses from here – and those planting a flag here – to flourish. Fort Worth has embraced our big dreams and plans, and we’re excited about being a part of the next tech innovation hub right here.”

Gengelbach took the reins as the leader of the Fort Worth Chamber this summer and said he’s proud of Fort Worth’s “Where the West Begins” roots and charm. He also said it’s important for people to know of the aggressive and business-friendly environment of the city.

Fort Worth has lot to offer

“Those living outside of Texas might imagine Fort Worth (if they imagine it at all) as a sleepy town filled with citizens in cowboy boots, riding their horses alongside cows and tumbleweeds on the way to the oil derrick,” Gengelbach said. “And while this North Texas city embraces its heritage, business leaders around the country and the world may be astonished to learn what Fort Worth has to offer.”

Mayor Besty Price, a longtime advocate for the Chamber, said the facts speak for themselves when it comes to the quality of life.

“Fort Worth ranks among the top 15 cities for young professionals, is considered among the best places to raise a family and is among the very best places for first-time home buyers,” Price said. “Culture lovers delight in our local attractions – like the Kimbell Art Museum and Modern Art Museum. Nature lovers enjoy days out at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden or exploring the striking Trinity Trails, all complemented by top restaurants and dynamic entertainment.”

Put simply, Fort Worth boasts that yearned-for small-town feel with big-city perks, with a surprisingly low cost of living that further underlines its desirability.

Chamber’s annual meeting goes online

Now, Gengelbach said he hopes to bring further energy, vision and a collaborative approach to the ongoing development, enhancement and growth of the area’s economy.

“We know what it’s like for a business owner to feel unappreciated, and we believe that ambitious leaders deserve a city that has vision and resources to pour into the company”s future,” Gengelbach said. “Our mission is to ensure Fort Worth delivers.”

To hear more about the Chamber’s vision, join the Fort Worth Chamber’s 138th annual meeting online at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 29 online. Guest registration is free online or by calling 817-336-2491.

The theme of this year’s event is Fortitude, signifying the city’s strength, resilience and commitment to moving forward. Jonathan Morris will serve as keynote speaker. Morris embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of Fort Worth and will share his message of shifting gears, taking on new challenges and pressing forward. Morris will also talk about his breakout role as the star of Self-Employed, set to launch on the Magnolia Network, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ newest venture, in 2021.