By Elizabeth Brannon
Walt Disney said, “It’s not the days in life we remember, rather the moments.”
Tammie Turner, longtime creator of memorable art moments for Flower Mound, recently retired from Place 4 on the Cultural Arts Commission. Tammie held the position since 2014, the inception year of the commission.
In her years on the commission and the years leading up to the formation of the commission, Tammie has been creating, driving and leading arts moments for the town. She has lived a life of leadership and service to both the town and the students and her work has brought art to life throughout the town.
Tammie has been a Flower Mound area resident since 1979 and graduated from Lewisville High School. She has taught art for 32 years in the Lewisville and Coppell ISDs, and is still the art teacher at Bluebonnet Elementary in Flower Mound. This several time “Teacher of the Year” is proud to give her students a voice through art.
At various times, Tammie has been an art teacher, Girl Scout leader, soccer mom, animal rescue volunteer, PTA member, mother and muralist. Through these, Tammie became known to the town leaders, and the Flower Mound Parks Commission approached Tammie in 2012 and asked her to design and guide the art work for the community-built park, Fort Wildflower. This steering committee made Tammie the lead designer and the park was based on her drawings and the input she solicited from adults and students alike. Tammie even selected the paint colors and painted most of the murals! While Tammie was on the steering committee, the idea for the bronze animals in Heritage Park was born. Tammie was instrumental in the process of selecting animals to be featured in this project. This permanent public art represents animals that are indigenous to this area.
Tammie has served as co-chair of Art Party, now in its ninth year at the Flower Mound Library. In celebration of Art Month, Art Party includes LISD schools in the Flower Mound and Marcus High School feeder patterns and features a K-12 art show as well as community performers and artists.
The Traffic Signal Box project has been a popular public art project in town and Tammie was part of the original committee to propose this to the Town Council. Additionally, Tammie was one of the first three artists to have her work appear on a signal box. Tammie’s work, “Flourish,” chosen without her knowledge, is on the signal box at Peters Colony and Old Settlers, at Flower Mound High School.
Tammie has helped select murals for Gerault Park, helped start the successful Chalk the Walk tradition, has selected artwork for display on the Town Hall Art Wall and contributes to the May Art Festival in Heritage Park. This year, Tammie had the 700 Pinwheels for Peace her students created on display at the entrance to the festival.
In 2018, Tammie was a part of the Cultural Arts Master Plan team and the Cultural Arts Steering Committee. The work of the Master Plan continues today and will into the foreseeable future. Tammie’s work and commitment to art in the town has touched the past, the present and the future. We’ve been fortunate to have Tammie and her commitment to art as part of the Cultural Arts Commission and the town. We salute Tammie for her years of quality and creative service and look forward to other art moments in the future.
Elizabeth Brannon serves on the Town of Flower Mound Cultural Arts Commission.
 GIF.gif)
