Local artists from Pearland and the Bay Area were commissioned for a public art installation dubbed the Pear-Scape Art Sculpture Trail.

The public art project was designed to celebrate Pearland’s history as an agricultural Eden by honoring the fruit its founder, Wilhelm von Zychlinski, named the city after.

“We literally wanted to landscape Pearland with pears,” said Kim Sinistore, executive director of the Pearland Convention & Visitors Bureau. “What we’re hoping to do with this is to beautify Pearland, highlighting our artistic talents and nature here, and to bring art and nature together to create a trail that when visitors come here they will enjoy seeing artistically painted pears in our parks.”

The PCVB, which spearheaded the yearlong project, revealed 10 of the 20 painted pears planned for the Pear-Scape trail during a private event Nov. 2. The 11 commissioned artists were collectively paid $9,900 for the 10 painted pears.

The 4-foot-tall painted fiberglass pears will be placed at Independence Park, Shadow Creek Nature Trail, Southdown Park and Zychlinski Park. A “community” pear, which was open to small donations from the public, will be placed at the City Hall gazebo after being painted by a local artist.

“I think this is something very special to Pearland. We have grown from a little town in 1965 with 4,000 people to 140,000 today. … I think it’s time for us to step up on the stage, and this is one of those steps,” Pearland Mayor Tom Reid said. “This is Pearland moving to the next level.”

Each pear has a unique design. Although some pears emulate the aesthetic of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Vincent van Gogh, others celebrate the area's natural landscape and culture.

Installation of the 10 pears is expected to take about a month.

The project is funded through the PCVB, the Pearland Alliance for Arts & Culture, and private sponsorship. Seven remaining pears require sponsorship and three are near completion.