The new artwork, all from Texas artists, was placed on the pedestrian area on the west side of Old Town Keller between US 377 and Lamar Street in June and July, according to a city news release. The artwork will be there for the next two years, part of the 11 that are in the area.
The Public Arts Board Chair Brenda Wyatt said the funding for the art comes from the art development fee adopted by Keller City Council in 2015, which is tied to residential and commercial development.
The details
Wyatt said the board did a call for art, and the artists selected are paid a $1,500 stipend for the use of the artwork for two years. She did point out that the artwork on display is also for sale and if the artist sells the piece, they would get an opportunity to bring in another piece.
The rotating artwork program started in 2017 and next year, six will cycle out and new pieces will be installed.
The new pieces this year are:
- Elizabeth Akamatsu—“Ice Cream Castles in the Sky”
- Jessica Bell—“Bond”
- B.C. Gilbert—“Relic No. 7 Realized”
- Pascale Pryor—“Mushrooms”
- Laura Walters—“Yellow Roses”
There are 15 permanent pieces in the city of Keller, from walking trails to city hall to the police station, according to Wyatt. She added three of the city’s pieces were made by artists who were ranked in the top 50 sculptors and public artists in the United States by Collaboration of Design & Art in 2023.
Wyatt said the next big art project will be murals at the soon-to-be renovated Keller Sports Park.
“We love all the wonderful people that support Public Art by sponsoring projects and you will see their names on many of our permanent sculptures around the city,” Wyatt said. “Great cities are known by their art.”
