A new piece of public art should be completed next year outside of the historic Bushong cabin in Grapevine.
Council approved a contract worth $103,700 with sculptor John Rule to create a bronze sculpture of “Jeff the Horse” during the July 21 meeting.
The details
The sculpture will commemorate a horse named Jeff who belonged to George E. Bushong, an early settler of Grapevine, said Paul W. McCallum, executive director of Grapevine’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. The sculpture will be life-sized and sturdy enough to support visitors sitting in the saddle, he added.
McCallum said the sculpture will be placed outside the Bushong log cabin, which was originally built in 1858, in Liberty Park Plaza along Main Street.
Bushong and Jeff deployed in May 1861 as part of the First Texas Cavalry and spent four years deployed during the Civil War, according to documents from the Grapevine Historic Society. McCallum said the sculpture will depict the horse as it returned with Bushong from the deployment across Texas and Louisiana.
More details
Funding for the sculpture comes from the city’s special revenue fund for public art, according to city documents. Revenue for the fund is collected from cellphone companies renting space on water towers to provide cell service.
Council member Duff O’Dell said using the special revenue fund has allowed the city to place art across Grapevine.
“That we can use that money for public art has really benefitted Grapevine,” O’Dell said. “The fact that we’re not spending taxpayer money, that we’re using money earmarked for art in Grapevine is a good thing.”
What’s next?
The sculpture is expected to be completed next spring, McCallum said.
