The details
On Sept. 12, the Bastrop Cultural Arts Commission invited sculptors to submit designs for a veterans memorial sculpture.
“Our main request with this is that this sculpture somehow incorporates the image of Julius Thomas, who was the first Bastropian killed in the Vietnam War,” Michaela Joyce, the Main Street manager, said during a Sept. 9 Bastrop City Council meeting. “The location has not been determined.”
However, officials—who noted that the city has up to $500,000 for full completion of the project—identified three potential locations:
- In front of the Bastrop Police Department, 104 Grady Tuck Lane, Bastrop
- Next to the American Legion Post No. 533, 3003 TX-150 Loop, Bastrop
- Next to the Kerr Community Center, 1308 Walnut St., Bastrop
Zooming in
The Bastrop Cultural Arts Commission listed several guiding measures for artists to keep in mind, including:
- No minimum height and width requirements
- The call is open to all artists without geographic distinctions or restrictions
- Must be made of bronze or stone
- Reproductions of original art will be accepted
- No copyrighted logos or advertisements may be included
- Each artist can submit up to three images
Also of note
During the Bastrop City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem John Kirkland asked Joyce if the pending change for the Bastrop Cultural Arts Commission to transition to the Bastrop Cultural Arts Committee will impact the project.
“We feel like we could get more things done in more of a task force situation as a committee rather than as a commission,” Joyce told Kirkland. “We’ll still meet in the same fashion every month like we do now. It’ll just be in a committee structure.”
The outlook
Applications for the veterans memorial are due by Veterans Day, and will be judged by members of the Bastrop Cultural Arts Commission for final selection.
“Upon artist selection and design approval, the project will begin production,” the Bastrop Cultural Arts Commission said in a statement.
