{"id":99050,"date":"2025-12-23T23:07:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T23:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/99050\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T23:07:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T23:07:08","slug":"sundance-christmas-tree-decorated-with-ornaments-from-north-texas-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/99050\/","title":{"rendered":"Sundance Christmas tree decorated with ornaments from North Texas artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

by David Moreno, Fort Worth Report
December 23, 2025<\/p>\n

Fort Worth artist Cole Gunter, 33, typically paints on large-scale canvas when creating scenes inspired by his Texas upbringing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the holidays, he pushed his artistry to a new level by painting on an unfamiliar surface: a beach ball-size ornament.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gunter was among 40 North Texas artists invited this season to decorate a unique ornament for Sundance Square\u2019s 86-foot-tall Christmas tree. The pieces range in themes from colorful pi\u00f1atas to mischievous Labubus \u2014 a popular plush toy collectible \u2014 to fluttering hummingbirds.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fort Worth artist Cole Gunter poses with his Fort Worth-inspired ornament during Sundance Square\u2019s painting session in early November 2025. He said he used an old photo of Hispanic cowboys as a reference for his design. (Courtesy photo | Daniel Kwaw)<\/p>\n

Gunter illustrated vaqueros on horseback to highlight Fort Worth\u2019s diverse Western culture. Painting an ornament felt like a \u201csentimental opportunity\u201d to honor his family\u2019s artistic legacy, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth my grandmothers were artists, and I\u2019d like to think they would be really proud and honored that I had an ornament on the Sundance Square tree,\u201d Gunter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sundance Square has invited local creatives \u2014 both emerging and established \u2014 to hand paint ornaments for the past five years<\/a> to build community and spotlight the diverse artistic talent in the region, said Simone Fisher, the downtown district\u2019s gallery manager and curator.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Norway spruce, 11 feet taller than this year\u2019s tree at the Rockefeller Center<\/a> in New York, is decorated with old and new ornaments.<\/p>\n

The most recent pieces are placed lower for guests to get a closer view, which is tempting for some would-be Grinches. An ornament by artist Arely Morales was stolen in late November but returned a few days later.<\/a> Sundance security now frequently patrols around the tree to prevent other thieves from stealing Christmas.<\/p>\n

\u201cSundance really cares about incorporating local artists into the tapestry of the city,\u201d Fisher said. \u201cWhy would we go to a store and buy a bunch of ornaments? Why don\u2019t we activate our community and have our artists contribute?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Notable past Fort Worth contributors of the seasonal artworks include Daniel Blagg<\/a>, Letitia Huckaby<\/a> and Erik Gomez<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gomez, who has painted an ornament for three years running, said he loves participating because it gives him a platform to expose his art to more people. This year his design features traditional Mexican flowers and butterflies to represent transformation and his journey as an immigrant, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSundance Square\u2019s tree has grown every year, and I\u2019ve kind of grown with it as an artist,\u201d Gomez said. \u201cArt isn\u2019t necessarily valued as much as other professions, and the fact that Sundance is willing to look at us small artists and foster the community is so significant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Fort Worth artist Erik Gomez, right, paints yellow flowers on his blue ornament as other local creatives worked on theirs in early November. (Courtesy photo | Daniel Kwaw)<\/p>\n

In order to attract new artists, Fisher and Sundance Square\u2019s creative team spend months scouting local talent. They contact artists directly and pay them for their contributions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The end goal is to treat the Christmas tree decorations like an exhibition in the plaza, Fisher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFort Worth is mostly known for its rodeo and for cowboy culture, but we have an incredibly strong arts scene that is the fabric of this community,\u201d she said. \u201cI really want our viewers to connect with the artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sundance Square Christmas tree will be on view through New Year\u2019s Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are the North Texas artists that painted new ornaments in 2025:<\/p>\n

Katayoun Hosseinrad\u00a0
\nOrbtii
\nAmy Jenkins
\nDesire\u00e9 Vaniecia
\nSarah Ayala
\nMinji Kang-Watrous
\nChristina Hahn
\nLeili Arai Tavallaei
\nTatyana Alanis
\nMandla Senzanje
\nArely Morales
\nKarla Ramirez-Santin
\nAnna Joy Pham
\nClaire Fuentes
\nBrian Dickenson
\nGaurii Kumaar
\nMichelle Cortez Gonzales
\nJoy Reyes
\nKatie McKay
\nJose Vazques<\/p>\n

Victoria Gonzales
\nFreddy Ortega
\nTuba Koymen
\nKylie Nash
\nKelsha Reese Brown
\nEliana Miranda
\nDahlia Horne
\nJack Daw
\nLaShonda Cooks
\nLauren Fleniken
\nKimberlyn Moore
\nCole Gunter
\nErik Gomez
\nEmily Kenney
\nBrenda Melgoza Ciardiello
\nEllie Cerwin
\nDayna Bee
\nNajee Rodgers
\nLetitia Huckaby
\nPatrick Flynn<\/p>\n

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2025\/12\/23\/sundance-christmas-tree-decorated-with-ornaments-from-north-texas-artists\/”>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&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n

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