Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture announced that they plan to turn a 12-acre median along Kell Boulevard into park for art and learning with permission of the Texas Department of Transportation. Contributed video
Like a magnet drawing people together, Nexus Square art park could transform the gateway to downtown into a destination location.
On Tuesday, the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture announced to the city council their plans to turn a 12-acre median along Kell Boulevard into a space for people to engage in art in an outdoor setting.
WFAAC Executive Director Margie Reese said the idea came about two years ago when she would drive through this area to get to work.
Looking around, she wondered why such a great space was not utilized. Reese learned that median is owned by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Decades ago, this median was a bustling neighborhood lined with houses, until the highway department bought up land over time for potential expansion.
Plans for the land started small
WFAAC organized a “Don’t Fence Me In” wooden post community art project and were given permission by TXDoT to place the posts temporarily in this median.
The fence posts went up in July 2017 and were supposed to come down in August after Hotter’N Hell.
WFAAC asked if they could keep the posts up for longer and were given approval.
“It’s like that theory you learn when you’re three – if you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll ask for a glass of milk," Reese said. "If you give him some milk, he’ll ask for a straw.
"Well, we’re the mice and we have that cookie and milk and now want to give this space some purpose."
A park for art, learning in downtown
TXDoT, she said, has been receptive to a park-like use for the space, but wants all changes to be temporary.
Reese and a team of artists planned possible use of the median in four quadrants.
The section nearest the highway would house an amphitheater where local or visiting musicians could play.
The next area would be a formal sculpture park where large and small pieces could be displayed.
Third is a children’s “playscape” with seating and creation stations for kids to make their own art.
The last section is slated for parking.
The perimeter of the park would be lined with a “heritage path” – a walkway tracing the history of Wichita Falls back to the original residents.
“Beginning with the Wichita Nation, we will have a timeline," Reese said. "From pre-Kell/Kemp and beyond. This is a space for learning and teaching."
Cross streets at Austin and Travis could be painted eye-catching colors with a nod to the old neighborhood that used to be here.
“It will be an inviting place for tourists, neighbors and children to come play with art being the centerpiece," Reese said.
She said the city needs this project because art brings people together and attracts new businesses.
Nexus Square is still in the idea stage, but Reese is confident it will be a reality someday.
“This gives the city an identity and helps the long-term goal of creating a reason to stop here and not just drive past,” she said.
The WFAAC wants input from the community on what they imagine could be in Nexus Square.
Ideas for Nexus Square can be submitted at the WFAAC website at http://wichitafallsarts.org/.