Upcoming Regular Meeting | Monday, December 11, 2023
The public is always welcome to attend Fort Worth Art Commission Meetings, which typically take place at 5:30 p.m. on the third Monday of the month. For more information on how to connect please review the agenda. Due to the holiday season, the December meeting is being held one week early.
Meetings are held in-person only at the Fort Worth Community Art Center, 1300 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, TX, 76107. There are several parking options in the Cultural District.
Members of the public who wish to make comments during an Art Commission Meeting regarding a specific agenda item or a general topic pertaining to public art must fill out a comment card prior to the start of the meeting or by emailing a request to comment that includes your name, address, and agenda item to be commented on, no later than 12:00 noon on the day of the meeting. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.
The Art Commission advises and makes recommendations to Fort Worth City Council regarding the Fort Worth Public Art program. They oversee the implementation of the Fort Worth Public Art Master Plan Update, including project planning, artist selection, design review, and collection management. The commission also recommends fund-specific public art plans and the program’s Annual Work Plan.
The Fort Worth Art Commission is comprised of nine (9) members appointed by the City Council, including five (5) arts professionals [with at least one (1) practicing artist, one (1) a curator, and two (2) design professionals] and four (4) community representatives, all of whom must reside in Fort Worth. Commissioners are appointed for two (2) year terms and may be reappointed up to two (2) times.
Individuals interested in serving on the Fort Worth Art Commission are encouraged to attend Art Commission Meetings and seek to become involved with the program.
Applications are accepted via the City of Fort Worth’s website.
MEET THE COMMISSIONERS
James Talambas is a multidisciplinary new media artist, composer, and DJ who creates site-specific, multidimensional, and multi-sensory sculptures and murals. He owns New Media Recordings, a studio in Fort Worth. Talambas also writes scores and sound design for films and has produced and arranged for international artists. He consistently employs technology, improvisation, and space into the pieces he composes, creating site-specific, and musician-specific electro-acoustic works.
James Talambas | Chairman
Arturo Martinez is a nationally award-winning designer, artist and a culturally-connected strategist who brings a rich and diverse experience to conceptualize creative ideas through his passion for design thinking, visual communication, and an understanding of emerging social, cultural, and industry trends. Martinez holds a B.F.A. degree from Sul Ross State University specializing in Graphic Design with a minor in Mathematics. Martinez currently serves as Director of Creative Services with Tarrant County College District and is accountable for the overall departmental work, growth and deliverables. Martinez is a lifelong resident of Fort Worth, Texas and continues to advocate for his community.
Arturo Martinez | Vice Chairman
Margaret (Maggie) Adler is Curator at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas where she has organized exhibitions on Audubon, hunting and fishing in American art, Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington, Samuel F.B. Morse, Gabriel Dawe, Justin Favela, and Mark Dion among others. Prior to the Amon Carter, Maggie held the Barra fellowship at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
She started her career in college and university development. She then served as Director of Development at the Addison Gallery of American Art during a $30 million building and endowment campaign while simultaneously revamping the annual appeals process as well as spearheading the public relations and communications aspects of the museum. She brings her experience having worked in most museum departments throughout her career to her work as a curator, with keen attention to strategic planning and institutional goals.
Maggie Adler
Dr. Jennifer Giddings Brooks has a distinguished record in both Educational Administration and community service. An educator by avocation and training her experience runs the gamut from Founder/CEO of Brooks Educational Consultants to administrative positions in all levels of education from elementary to university.
Deeply committed to her community, Dr. Brooks serves or has served on the Boards of Directors of numerous non-profit agencies. These include (partial list): Performing Arts Fort Worth (Bass Hall)—Education Chair, THR Methodist Hospital Board—Vice Chair, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Visit Fort Worth, Jubilee Theater, Opera Association—Education Chair, Terrell STEM/Performing Arts Academy—Secretary, Amon Carter Museum—Advisory Council, The Society: Supporting the Arts—Founder and UNCF—Leadership Chair and African American Museum and Cultural Center—Steering Committee.
Dr. Jennifer Giddings Brooks
Branigan Contreras is a Fort Worth native and graduate of Texas Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She has over 10 years of experience in higher education grant management, non-profit fundraising, community outreach and advocacy. She is an artist and art enthusiast taking after her mother and grandmother’s painting skills and love of art. She’s proud to be third generation from the city of Fort Worth supporting arts initiatives and events in the community. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Women’s Network (HWNT). As a member of HWNT, Branigan has given her time and experience to serve on the Education Committee that executes and plans the Latinas in Progress Education Series (LIP). Ms. Contreras is a member of MANA and will serve on the Board of Directors for the Texas Wesleyan Alumni Association. She is thrilled to be a part of the FWAC where she can bring an array of diverse experiences to the Public Art program. Ms. Contreras believes that art is a mirror and gives us a way to process through things, to find out what we think, what we value and what we’re still questioning.
Branigan Contreras
Randle Harwood had used his experience as a landscape architect and government administrator to lead and advise the City of Fort Worth on many projects. After having been in the roles of Parks and Community Services Director, Trinity River Vision Director, and Program Management Office Director, he became the City’s Planning and Development Director in 2010. In this role, Mr. Harwood helped guide and facilitate the short, medium, and long-term direction of the second largest City in DFW that is known for its unique and historic identity. He looks forward to continuing this effort as a member of the Fort Worth Art Commission.
Mr. Harwood received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph in Canada, and a Master of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
J. Randle Harwood
Libby Tilley Hogg joined the Fort Worth Art Commission in 2023. She has 30 years of experience in corporate and non-profit arts development/fundraising, marketing, communications, and special events working with organizations such as the Amon Carter Museum of Art, the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, the Linda Pace Foundation, The Contemporary Austin, the Southwest School of Art, Streams and Valleys, and the Waller Creek Conservancy/Waterloo Greenway among others. Tilley currently acts as the owner and operator of Libby Tilley Hogg Projects and Lottie Mae Lounge, LLC, a mobile pop-up art gallery housed in a fully renovated 1979 Airstream Sovereign.
Libby Tilley Hogg
Hady Mawajdeh joined the Fort Worth Art Commission in 2023. He is a producer for Vox.com’s daily news podcast and radio show Today, Explained. Hady has produced shows profiling weapons dealers and the WWE’s Vince McMahon. And when there’s news pertaining to Disney or rap icons, you can bet he’ll be making shows about them too. He’s an audio-obsessed Texan who loves storytelling, sports, and all things pop culture. Some of his other passions include criminal justice, visual arts, and cinema. Before joining Vox.com, Hady worked in public media as an editor, reporter, and producer.
Hady Mawajdeh
Raul Pena is a licensed engineer and a Fort Worth native. He serves as Senior Vice President for TranSystems Corporation and is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He and his firm’s local projects include; TEX Rail, Hemphill Lamar Connector, Berry Street Corridor, DFW Airport Improvements and Trinity River Vision. Raul is a firm believer that the use of public art can positively transform the urban environment. Mr. Pena is active in both Professional and Community Activities. His activities include Downtown Fort Worth Inc. Board, Texas Engineering Foundation Board, Leadership Fort Worth, Main Street Arts Festival Committee, The Modern Art Museum – Ft Worth, Georgia O’Keefe Museum- Santa Fe, and Past Executive Board of the Longhorn Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Raul enjoys travel and collecting Southwestern and Latin American Art.