The City of Fort Worth is set to reveal a new sculpture by a local artist this Saturday at the north edge of Trail Drivers Park.
Fort Worth announced this week that the new sculpture called Seed the Future would debut at the park this weekend at 9 a.m. on December 9. The structure forged from mirrored stainless steel is inspired by the shape of a dandelion but also incorporates cattle horns in a nod to the city’s history.
Dallas-based artist Karla Garcia is behind this new addition to Fort Worth’s public art scene. She specializes in creating sculptures and other pieces using materials inspired by Mexico, where she was born, as well as the desert characterizing part of its border with the United States.
She received her MFA in Ceramics and a Museum Education Certificate from the University of North Texas in May 2019. That same year she received the Top Prize at the Sixth Annual Artspace 111 Regional Exhibition in the same year, according to her website.
“Through my artwork, I am creating a bridge between plants, the body, and the places they inhabit. I reference the barrel cactus, the nopal or prickly pear, and the Sahuaro, all representing Mexico’s cultural identity and the Texas landscape,” read Garcia’s artist statement.
By reimagining the dandelion in her latest sculpture, Garcia draws from this flower’s reputation for widely casting its seeds into the wind to capture the idea of movement and dispersal. The T-shaped rod clusters are joined by cattle horns, forming “a symbol of the legacy and history of the area while reflecting today’s community as one,” read a news release from the City of Fort Worth.
Garcia told Glasstire that incorporating the longhorn design with the dandelion’s structure was the best way to tell a visual story of the history of the area with both its cattle migration and its connection to Mexico.
“The sculpture’s steel symbolizes strength and the historical industry, while its reflective quality captures the environment and park visitors today,” said Garcia. “Seed the Future becomes a tribute to the workers who used to travel here while also connecting the present-day tight-knit community and planting a seed for the next generations.”
Garcia will be present at the debut event this Saturday and will elaborate on her studio.
This summer another public art piece in Fort Worth, Concentric Harmony in Rosemont Park, was named a finalist by the international CODAawards program, as previously reported in The Dallas Express. The piece by Austin-based artist Virginia Fleck is a colored maze of 97 columns arranged in three concentric circles, creating a sensorial experience.
