Millions of dollars will now be allocated to Fort Worth’s public art program after voters approved an $845 million bond package over the weekend.
Nearly $10.8 million from five of the six bond propositions are designated for future public art projects at some of the city’s parks, libraries, streets and fire stations. Proposition D, which funded affordable housing, didn’t include any dollars for public art.
Fort Worth policy requires that new infrastructure funded by bonds include aesthetic elements to reinforce community identity. Typically 1% to 2% of the dollars are set aside for creative projects.
Anne Allen, public art program manager with Arts Fort Worth, said it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that the bond package passed, because it paves the way for her team to start conversations around specific projects.
How much money from the 2026 bond propositions will be used for public art?
$4,898,700 from streets and mobility infrastructure improvements
$3,140,000 from park, recreation and open acquisitions and improvements
$286,000 from public library improvements
$1,253,300 from public safety improvements
$1,174,000 from animal care and shelter improvements
Source | 2026 Bond Program Booklet
Allen said the public art team will spend the next several months meeting with city departments, elected officials and community members to determine the exact locations and scale of new projects. Public artworks typically range from murals to sculptures to interactive installations.
The goal is to equitably place artworks in as many council districts as possible, Allen said. There are more than 160 commissioned, acquired and donated art projects across the city.
“Where do we have public art already? Where do we not?” she said. “We have to distribute the wealth, if you will.”
During last summer’s early planning of the 2026 bond, Fort Worth City Council briefly suggested reducing or cutting funds for the public art program, but plans didn’t move forward. Some council members questioned why the city allocates dollars for public art when street repairs are a top concern among residents.
Public art advocates argued projects are an essential part of the city’s culture and don’t detract from “essential” services.
The 2022 bond program allocated $7.1 million for 16 new projects, according to the Fort Worth Art Commission’s public art plan. Some of those artworks are near completion, including a ram sculpture for the new fire station in northeast Fort Worth and a community mosaic at Ciquio Vasquez Park.
This summer, the public art managers will present their first draft of project locations and budgets to the Fort Worth Art Commission. The advisory board’s meetings are open to the public to provide feedback and are typically held at Ella Mae Shamblee Library, 1062 Evans Ave.
The public art plan for the 2026 bond program will be presented to City Council for final approval in October or November, Allen said.
Local artists interested in designing upcoming projects will find opportunities on Culturalyst, a free digital business directory from Arts Fort Worth.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/05/nearly-10-8m-allocated-for-new-public-art-as-fort-worth-voters-approve-bonds/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=529101&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/05/nearly-10-8m-allocated-for-new-public-art-as-fort-worth-voters-approve-bonds/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>