• PUBLIC ART

WESTBEND PUBLIC ART PROGRAM

We’re proud to announce twelve new works splashed across the property, bringing added color, character and a unique spirit. The new works showcase a variety of style and medium by both local and national artists, including ten murals by Dallas-based artist Kyle Steed, a site-specific “LOVE” sculpture by San Francisco artist Laura Kimpton, and a mural by local artist Lauren Childs. These join prior works by local artist Devon Nowlin and a rotating photography exhibit from the Amon Carter Museum.

AMON CARTER, PHOTO EXHIBIT

Trademark Property Company and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art have partnered to bring the Amon Carter’s celebrated photography collection to the heart of Fort Worth’s University District. The photographs, presented on backlit film and displayed in lightboxes, are the first in a series of exhibitions featuring the Amon Carter’s photography program. Each iteration of the series is curated by the Amon Carter and will be on display at WestBend for six month intervals.

KYLE STEED, MURALS

Born in Georgia and raised in Alabama, Kyle eventually made his way to Texas where he planted roots and delved even further into his art. In his own words: “Like the small suburban subculture in which I was raised, my work is simple in nature. My process looks more like a hot mess of mistakes and accidents than one smooth line. To trust your gut and go with a feeling requires years of experience and the testing of one’s soul.” His murals, which feature an unmistakably childlike and beautiful quality, have been displayed across the country in both outdoor and indoor venues. Kyle Steed makes his Fort Worth debut with 10 WestBend murals that include quotes and references to famous Texans. There are a total of nine murals in the parking garage, consisting of five vestibule works, three small works on stairwells including a Willie Nelson quote, as well as an illustrated Patsy Cline quote.

LAURA KIMPTON, LOVE SCULPTURE

Laura Kimpton is a California-based American contemporary artist. Her creativity stems from a desire to question traditional views on social interaction, therefore invoking through her art a reaction from her viewers that ultimately completes her projects. Her works have been exhibited throughout the United States, including solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Laura Kimpton is best known for her Monumental Word Series. Her monumental word sculptures have been purchased as permanent public installations in California, Texas, Nevada, and China. She lives and works near San Francisco, California. Kimpton’s steel “LOVE” sculpture is celebratory and optimistic in spirit, sending a positive message to WestBend visitors. The sculpture includes hundreds of programmable LED lights that change color at night. The piece is a part of Kimpton’s Monumental World Series that began at the 2009 Burning Man Festival and has since had permanent installations at the Apple store in San Francisco’s Union Square and Santa Rosa, Calif.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; and additional appearances at dozens of art and music festivals across the globe.

DEVON NOWLIN, PHOTO MURAL

Devon Nowlin created five photographic murals that capture the shopping and dining experience, health and fitness, and the natural surroundings of the WestBend property. Nowlin’s murals are displayed throughout the property, focusing on the areas facing the scenic Trinity River and Trinity River Trails.

LAUREN CHILDS, MURAL

Lauren Childs began her academic art training at age twelve studying classical figurative drawing and still-life drawing at TCU. Throughout her early teens, she continued making art and studying under artists John Moore and Dale Conner at Trinity Valley School, two of her very early and important influences. She continued her education at Northwestern University, studying Theatre Arts, and University of Texas at Arlington, receiving her BA in Art History. She began studying traditional European painting under the instruction of Master Grigor Sabka, and his son Laert Aleksi of Albania. Lauren has owned and operated a specialty painting company since 2004, and has worked on murals, verre eglomise (reverse glass gilding), faux bois, leafing and marbling. Childs’ mural, “The Little Things,” depicts succulents with vibrant color and texture, bordering on the sculptural. An advocate for local art, Childs co-founded Fort Works Art, which began as an event-based pop up organization and has now opened its first permanent gallery space in the Cultural District in Fort Worth.

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