Friday, March 29, 2024 Mar 29, 2024
58° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Publications

The Rescuers

By Elizabeth Robbins |

Dallas will play a pig part in Save Outdoor Sculpture, a national program in which 25,000 volunteers in 36 states will assess the condition of the nation’s public art, much of which is Crumbling. The Smithsonian! and the National Institute for Conservation of Cultural Property are spearheading the project with the help of a $4 million donation from the Getty, Pew and Luce Foundations.

Dallas’ own Adopt-A-Mon-ument received $24,000 to coordinate the local SOS chapter. Project director Mary Ellen Degnan, an urban planning consultant and founding member of Adopt-A-Monu-ment, solicited the help of SMU art history department head Greg Warden. Around 60 undergraduates, along with 10 art history graduate students, will photograph, measure and describe 300 sculptures in six North Texas counties.

“They have to learn how to describe and analyze real sculpture,” Warden says. “They will be researching the history of a sculpture they can actually see, and not just something in a museum in Europe.”

When the Smithsonian has its inventory, Degnan says, “it can be used for public art guides, maps, walking tours, research and as a promotional vehicle for both city and state.” Most of all, she hopes to increase the number of people who care about public art.

Related Articles

Image
Arts & Entertainment

Here’s Who Is Coming to Dallas This Weekend: March 28-31

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend. Pencil in some live music in between those egg hunts and brunches.
Image
Arts & Entertainment

Arlington Museum of Art Debuts Two Must-See Nature-Inspired Additions

The chill of the Arctic Circle and a futuristic digital archive mark the grand opening of the Arlington Museum of Art’s new location.
By Brett Grega
Image
Arts & Entertainment

An Award-Winning SXSW Short Gave a Dallas Filmmaker an Outlet for Her Grief

Sara Nimeh balances humor and poignancy in a coming-of-age drama inspired by her childhood memories.
By Todd Jorgenson
Advertisement