Friday, March 29, 2024

The Arts: Keeping Flower Mound Beautiful

Traffic signal box wrap design created by students at Primrose School of NE Flower Mound.

By Elizabeth Brannon

In the fall of 2017, the Town of Flower Mound Cultural Arts Commission studied the feasibility of installing art wraps on some of the traffic signal boxes in Flower Mound.

After much research and inquiry, the Cultural Arts Commission recommended to Town Council that Flower Mound join other communities in allowing the signal boxes to serve as public art walls throughout the town.

Over the next several years, the plan is to wrap a total of 20 boxes in the town, up to three per year.  Winning designs are chosen based upon creativity, craftmanship, appropriateness and understanding of the theme.

A contest has been in process since November 2019, allowing artists who wish to participate in the Traffic Signal Box Art Contest to submit their works for consideration. The two themes for this most recent contest were, The Flowers of Flower Mound and Celebrating Cultural Diversity, giving Flower Mound artists a chance to reflect on the unique beauty and diversity represented in the town.

The first three signal box wraps were installed in the August/September 2019 timeframe, at pre-approved intersections with a traffic light. Those boxes feature art works from different Flower Mound artists and are located in various parts of the town. Here are the artists:

  • Brenda Gribbin – Her work is at the corner of Morriss & Firewheel (bright orange and yellow flowers). Brenda was the first artist chosen to display her work on the Town Hall Art Display.
  • Tammie Turner – Her work is at the corner of Peters Colony & Old Settlers (blue and green with bird). Tammie is the art teacher at Bluebonnet Elementary School in Flower Mound.
  • Krissi Oden – Her work is at the corner of Flower Mound Road & Furlong (Bright abstract flowers on white background). Krissi is the Art and Cultural Programs Coordinator for Flower Mound.

In the near future, the next three signal boxes will be wrapped and on display in Flower Mound. These artists have been chosen to be the next to enliven the town intersections.

  • Yvonne Gambino – Her work will be at the corner of Morriss & Dixon (woman with flowers). Yvonne is a Flower Mound artist who is part of “It’s Pink Not Purple” a collaboration of three local artists painting mostly in triptychs. 
  • Anita Robbins – Her work will be at the corner of Lakeside & Gerault (Sunflowers). Anita is the owner of Art House and is the artist in residence at the studio. 
  • Primrose School of NE Flower Mound Explorers – Their work will be at the corner of Morriss and Buckeye (colorful flowers). With guidance from their teachers, the students at the school created the design. When the young students were told they had won, the yelling, dancing and celebrating was pure joy brought to life.

If you want to submit art for consideration on the signal boxes, please visit www.flower-mound.com/trafficbox.

In Other Art News:

The Town Hall Art Display will change at some time in the future. The plan is for a change every two months, but that plan is on hold, pending considerations for the current health crisis.

You are invited to create a visual journal to become part of the Flower Mound Visual Journal Library! For detailed instructions and some quick tips and techniques to use when creating your journals, visit the Flower Mound Cultural Arts YouTube channel.

Create chalk art on your sidewalks or decorate your trees, bushes, windows, or lawns with artwork for our “Art Around the Mound” challenge. Email photos of your work to [email protected] to be featured on the cultural arts webpage. More details at www.flower-mound.com/arts

Art Thoughts:

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo Picasso

 

Elizabeth Brannon serves on the Flower Mound Cultural Arts Commission.

CTG Staff
CTG Staff
The Cross Timbers Gazette News Department

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