Artist Beliz Brother was commissioned by the City of Fort Worth to create an artwork for the Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex, a training facility and headquarters for both the Fort Worth Police and Fire Departments. Known for engaging and thoughtful artworks that draw upon and reflect the experiences of different communities, Brother’s work As One embodies the close, supportive working relationship between the departments and our City.
While doing research for the project, Beliz Brother was immediately drawn to the collection of Police and Fire patches that were framed and displayed in the former Fire and Police training facility. She found them to be not only engaging objects, but objects with a rich history of community among police and fire personnel, exchanged with and collected from various cities. These patches, typically worn on the shoulder, are uniquely designed for every town; shape, color and imagery are all used to tell department and local history.
The resulting dramatic sculpture is based on the shape of Fort Worth’s Police and Fire Department patches; two halves intersect and support each other, expressing solidarity between the departments. Inside the large, curved forms, unique shapes of numerous patches collected by the departments are water-jet cut into 1 inch thick COR-TEN steel. The subsequent overall pattern creates intricate shadow play on the plaza at the entrance of the building, animating the ground throughout the day. The sculpture material will continue to develop its rich texture and color as it completes its curing process over time. The 9 x 14 ft. work rests in a stone bed and is scaled to create a backdrop to celebrate graduates of the department training programs.
This public art project was supported by the Public Art Fund and dedicated to the City of Fort Worth on November 15, 2018.
See projects currently underway by visiting the Art In Progress page.