Welcome to Smart Irrigation Month, a time dedicated to promoting water efficiency and raising awareness about the importance of smart irrigation practices.
Why it matters: Irrigation systems play a vital role in maintaining healthy landscapes, but they can also be a source of water waste if they are not properly optimized.
It’s easy: Follow these Environmental Protection Agency sprinkler tips:
Check the system for any visible leaks in the pipes, valves, or sprinkler heads. Examine each sprinkler head for proper alignment, damage, or clogs.
Review and fine-tune the settings on the sprinkler system controller. Check the functionality of rain sensors and ensure they are correctly connected. Inspect valves in your system for leaks, proper opening and closing, and signs of wear or damage
Ensure water flows and coverage is directed where it is needed. Adjust sprinkler heads to avoid overspray on to sidewalks and other hard surfaces. Group plants with similar watering needs into separate watering zones and adjust schedules and runtimes.
Explore alternative watering methods such as drip irrigation or micro-sprinklers. Consider upgrading to WaterSense labeled or smart irrigation system for automatic adjustments based on weather and soil moisture.
For additional help: The City of Fort Worth offers no-cost irrigation system evaluations by licensed irrigators to Fort Worth homeowners. No repairs or adjustments are made during the evaluation.
Go deeper: For more information or an appointment.
A City Council-appointed task force recommended reimagining the future of the building at 1300 Gendy St. as a world-class cultural hub and redeveloping the property accordingly.
A 2022 study identified $26.1 million in needed repairs and upgrades to the City-owned building known as the Community Arts Center. Due to inflation and other factors, those costs could reach $30 million in 2023 dollars.
The Community Arts Center houses 14 residents, including nine nonprofit organizations and five studio artists.
Task force representatives, including Chairman Leonard Firestone and Vice Chairman Glenn Lewis, on Tuesday told councilmembers that the task force considered three possible scenarios for the building’s future: restoration, renovation and redevelopment. Members used seven factors to evaluate each development strategy.
The task force recommended that future development:
June 13: City Council will vote on adopting a resolution accepting the final report of the task force and authorizing the city manager to proceed in implementing its recommendations.
June 21: Staff issues a request for proposals to redevelop 1300 Gendy St.
Sept. 14: Initial proposals are due.
October: Opportunities for public feedback on the proposals will be scheduled.
A five-member committee made up of City staff and community stakeholders will evaluate proposals.
FORT WORTH, Texas (June 5, 2023) — The Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) invites guests to visit the Garden with free admission Monday, June 19 in honor of the Juneteenth federal holiday, thanks to the generosity of R Bank, which makes this opportunity accessible to all for the second year in a row.
"The significance of Juneteenth spans our nation, but we are proud to celebrate this day in Fort Worth, home of the future National Juneteenth Museum and activist, Opal Lee," said FWBG CEO and President Patrick Newman. "Offering free admission is our way of honoring this significant holiday. We invite the community to create emotional souvenirs with their family and friends at the Garden on Juneteenth, and we thank R Bank for making it possible again this year."
"R Bank is proud to continue its sponsorship of Juneteenth at the Garden. We believe in celebrating diversity, freedom, and honoring the history that has shaped us. This is an integral part of R Bank’s commitment to being more than just a bank, but also a cornerstone of our vibrant community," said Kent McCune, Market President for R Bank Fort Worth.
Date: June 13, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Location: Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 71607
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is pleased to invite members of the media to the groundbreaking event for the highly anticipated Jane & John Justin Foundation Omni Theater project. This event marks a significant milestone in the Museum's commitment to providing educational and immersive experiences for the community.
Event Details:
The groundbreaking event will take place on June 13, 2023, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 71607. Parking is available in the Museum School parking lot on the corner of Montgomery and Lansford.
Agenda:
9:00 AM - Arrival and registration of media representatives
9:15 AM - Welcoming remarks by Museum President, Orlando Carvalho, Mayor Mattie Parker, and Board Chair Marianne Auld
9:30 AM - Groundbreaking ceremony with ceremonial sledgehammers
9:40 AM - Photo opportunities and refreshments
Key Attendees:
· Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker
· Representatives from The Amon Carter Foundation, The City of Fort Worth, The Jane & John Justin Foundation, Leo Potishman Trust, Tarrant County, The Burnett Foundation, William E. Scott Foundation, The Paul E. Andrews Foundation, and The Ryan Foundation
· Local government officials and community leaders
· Project architects and designers
Arts Fort Worth announces Wesley Gentle, CFRE has been appointed its next Executive Director & President.
“Over the past ten months, we have had the opportunity to see all of the leadership qualities, as well as the passion and dedication to the organization, that we believe to be necessary to successfully lead Arts Fort Worth into the future,” said Carter Shackelford, Chair of the Arts Fort Worth Board. “Initially, Arts Fort Worth engaged an independent executive search firm to help determine who should replace Karen Wiley by providing the Board a list of qualified candidates to interview for the role. However, after viewing the high level of work that Wesley has delivered since taking on the interim role, we no longer believe that an external candidate would add a greater value to the organization than what we have already seen from him.”
Wesley Gentle joined the staff of Arts Fort Worth in 2018, bringing with him prior experience fundraising for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Fort Worth Opera, in addition to his career as a performing artist.
As Interim Managing Director, Mr. Gentle implemented a new strategic plan, oversaw the organization’s finances and operations, strengthened partnerships, and led fundraising. As executive director and president, Mr. Gentle will continue the work of navigating the unique challenge surrounding the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. For twenty years, the Arts Center’s expansive galleries, unique theater amenities, and multiple office and classroom have served the arts community and beyond. The building, which is owned by the City of Fort Worth and managed by Arts Fort Worth, requires an estimated $26 million in improvements, and Fort Worth City Council has appointed a task force to recommend future uses for the property.
Arts Fort Worth offers consulting and managerial services and provides arts education, research, and advocacy programs to Fort Worth-area residents. In partnership with the City and other organizations, Arts Fort Worth’s competitive grants program supports arts nonprofits of every size to foster a culture of creativity and innovation throughout the city. Additionally, Arts Fort Worth partners with the City of Fort Worth to administer the Fort Worth Public Art program- bringing Fort Worth residents together to commission works of art that represent their communities’ stories. incubate numerous arts programs and empower the careers of thousands of individual artists and performers.
“When everyone in Fort Worth has the resources, opportunities and empowerment to share their stories through art, and when everyone here can see part of their own story reflected in the art around them, then Arts Fort Worth has succeeded in our mission. Fort Worth is a big city. We’ve got some work to do. But our organization has a long history of changing our city for the better, and I know this community is filled with amazing people who are ready to partner with us to see that vision through.”
Mr. Gentle also serves as president of the board for the Association of Fundraising Professional Fort Worth Metro Chapter, as a board member of Texans for the Arts, and as an active member of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth.
Arts Fort Worth is excited to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023 under new leadership with Wesley Gentle, which will continue to move the organization toward an inclusive, expansive, and sustainable future.
Guests will have a new option to explore the 120-acre Fort Worth Botanic Garden in comfort as a free, daily shuttle service begins on May 14, Mother’s Day.
The branded “Beauty Bus” route will transport guests from the Garden Center to two other stops: the Japanese Garden and the Shelter House above the Rose Garden. Shuttles will run every half hour from 11 a.m. until close each day the Garden is open.
Staff hope the bus will make the Garden more accessible to all guests.
“The Beauty Bus will be a great addition to the Garden and our overall guest experience,” said President and CEO Patrick Newman. “It will help anyone who is mobility impaired explore our lovely grounds—or anyone who could simply use a lift getting around our expansive campus.”
Garden guests have long requested a shuttle service. From the Garden Center to the Rose Garden is under half a mile as the crow flies, but by foot and on meandering paths, the route can seem much longer. This is especially true for individuals in wheelchairs or pushing strollers–or if the weather isn’t cooperating.
Beauty Bus service will be free with Garden admission.
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Presents
Jammie Holmes: Make the Revolution Irresistible
On View August 11–November 26, 2023
FREE Opening Weekend August 11-13!
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents the exhibition Jammie Holmes: Make the Revolution Irresistible, on view August 11 to November 26, 2023. This is the first solo museum exhibition of the artist and is accompanied by a publication with contributions by exhibition curator María Elena Ortiz, Dr. Lauren Cross, Emory Douglas, and the artist.
Holmes creates captivating paintings that show the visual and conceptual significance of the Black figure. Challenging stereotypes, Holmes explores notions of masculinity, mourning, childhood, and race. His works are filled with emotion and painterly gestures; his figures are often depicted in vulnerable situations or simply engaging in moments of contemplation. Rooted in the lived experiences of Black communities in the United States, Holmes is part of a continuum of painters that explore the human figure in current social and political conditions.
Highlighting Southern histories and contemporary realities, the exhibition includes approximately 15 paintings ranging from early to recent works, showcasing the breadth of Holmes’s signature approach toward painting. An early work that references his hometown of Thibodaux, Louisiana, BOX FAN HEROES, 2019, is a vignette of Holmes's Southern upbringing that garnered national attention. The exhibition features striking paintings and deeply personal works; Blame the Man, 2021, captures a spiritual moment that alludes to how groups form bonds for resistance, while one of Holmes’s most recent works, Lefty, 2023, is a composition honoring veterans and the 1960s civil rights movement. Collectively, these works represent Holmes's community—the lens through which the artist explores this nation's history and invokes connections to essential themes of human existence.
Inspired by the culture of his hometown, Jammie Holmes's figurative and expressive paintings elevate common events in everyday life such as death, grief, faith, and family, into scenes of conviction and compassion. He garnered national attention in 2020 for a public artwork in which he hired planes in Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York to display banners with the last words of George Floyd, killed by police days before in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
His work has been exhibited at institutions including Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; Dallas Museum of Art, Texas; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; Nassima Landau Foundation, Tel Aviv, Israel; and National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. His work is included in the collections of Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, East Lansing, Michigan; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Nassima Landau Foundation, Tel Aviv; Pérez Museum of Art Miami, Florida; and Xiao Museum of Contemporary Art, Rizhao, China.
Share your thoughts on the future of 1300 Gendy Street
There are three convenient ways to provide feedback and help imagine the future of the City-owned building at 1300 Gendy St.:
Earlier this year, City Council appointed a task force to study future uses of the City-owned building located in the Cultural District at 1300 Gendy St. That building, currently leased by Arts Fort Worth for use as the Fort Worth Community Arts Center and the W.E. Scott Theater, consists of architecturally significant facilities constructed in three phases:
Current situation: Relying on a building condition assessment conducted in 2022 by architectural firm Bennett Partners, the City’s Property Management Department has determined that 1300 Gendy St. requires repairs with a combined cost of about $26 million.
Considering these repair needs and the scarcity of resources with which to address them, Mayor Mattie Parker proposed that the City Council appoint a task force on future uses of 1300 Gendy St.
The task force will:
FORT WORTH, Texas (March 6, 2023) — The Fort Worth Botanic Garden announces today its first-ever Zimbabwean sculpture exhibit, ZimSculpt, which will run April 15 through July 30, 2023.
ZimSculpt will feature more than 100 exquisite sculptures by several dozen contemporary Zimbabwean artists. Known as Shona sculpture, these contemporary pieces are carved from various types of serpentine and semi-precious stone, often weighing tons, and can be as large as seven feet tall. This is the most collected form of African art that can be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Rodin Museum and in the homes of the Prince of Wales, the Rockefellers, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover and the late Michael Jackson.
“Botanic gardens are the perfect venue for sculptures, and we’re thrilled to feature these impressive stone statues throughout the Garden,” said Executive Vice President Bob Byers. “We’re also elated that this exhibit is making its premiere in Fort Worth. We expect visitors to come from miles around.”
ZimSculpt is an exclusive exhibit from southeastern Africa for a limited engagement and does not showcase its collection in any galleries in the United States. It affords visitors a unique opportunity to view and purchase these amazing sculptures onsite.
ZimSculpt is passionate about promoting the work of some of the finest Zimbabwean sculptors. This exhibit supports 300 sculptors and their families in five different regions of Zimbabwe. As part of the exhibit, onsite sculptors will demonstrate their artistry by carving statues using chisels, hammers, files and sandpaper to create beautiful works while guests watch and learn about the art.
“Once a sculpture in the exhibit is sold, it is replaced with another sculpture, perhaps by a different artist,” said ZimSculpt Founder Vivienne Prince. “Therefore, the exhibit changes constantly. What visitors experience the first day of the show may be altogether different later in the exhibit.”
Visitors may purchase any of the sculptures on display in the Garden as well as the ones created by the onsite artists and those for sale in The Marketplace, a large tent located in the parking lot in front of the Japanese Garden. The Marketplace will be open to guests seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering hand-held to medium-size sculptures. Commissioned pieces may be ordered and made onsite by the artists.
This limited engagement sculpture event is included in the price of Garden admission. Members receive free entry. For more information, visit fwbg.org/zimsculpt.
FORT WORTH, Texas (Feb. 15 , 2023) — Following a yearlong communitywide effort, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden submitted a final master plan Jan. 24 to the Fort Worth City Council, which approved the plan last night.
Highlights of the 20-year plan include creation of a family garden, a new arrival and entry sequence from University Drive, a permanent stage for art and cultural performances, a culinary garden, new educational spaces and more. The process took just over a year working with a Master Planning Committee comprising consultants, local garden associations, Fort Worth ISD, Garden and BRIT board and staff members, along with other community advocates who submitted feedback during nine public engagement meetings or via online.
“This plan belongs to the people of Fort Worth, and we are grateful to all of those in the community who participated in creating an extraordinary vision of what this beautiful botanic garden could become,” said Fort Worth Botanic Garden President and CEO Patrick Newman. “One of the things that came out in the master planning process is that this is much more than a place to see plants — it’s a place where the community gathers to create emotional souvenirs.”
Key goals for the master plan included:
Studio Outside landscape architects led the consultant planning effort, along with architects from Bennett Partners, and public engagement facilitators from DEI Consultants, LLC.
The City of Fort Worth Park & Recreation Advisory Board endorsed the plan in late 2022.
For more information about the planning and public engagement process, visit: fwbg.org/masterplan
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