Addison, Texas found acclaim in 1975 when residents pushed for alcohol to be served in public areas, when many nearby towns were dry. With an almost immediate surge in visitors, about five years later the Town launched an aggressive beautification program. Fast forward to present day, and every corner of this small town has a unique theme or landscape, and the city is teeming with public artworks.
Conveniently, visitors can download the Otocast app, which offers guided audio and a full map of all the public artwork found throughout the town. The guided tours come complete with photos, descriptions, and audio of the artists discussing their work. Below is a list of places from which to start your journey.
A Profound Secret celebrates the original town’s cotton gin facility which was built in 1902. The installation uses salvaged pieces from the original gin, developed by Eli Whitney, that once stood 150 yards south of the current location. The artwork’s name reflects the agreement between Whitney and his father to keep the cotton gin “a profound secret” until a patent was secured for the device. Nic Noblique, the artist behind this sculpture, added a nearby bench to complement the piece and add a place to sit in the shade or watch planes take off from the nearby airport.
15301 Addison Rd, Addison, TX 75001
This installation celebrates the history of aviation: In 2016, local artist Eric McGehearty designed an art piece based on the Wright Brothers’ Flier aircraft. The sculpture, which sits near the end of the runway, includes 232 miniature versions of the Lockheed Vega plane and highlights the aircraft that American aviator Wiley Post used to fly solo around the world.
15502 Wright Brothers Dr, Addison, TX 75001
Addison is the stage for many live performances and festivals throughout the year. Whether it’s for Taste Addison or Oktoberfest, crowds come out ready to dance the night away and the Tango Fantasia sculpture highlights exactly that. Dallas artist Art Fairchild's inspiration was two dancing figures, and the work is made up of two 15-foot-tall stainless-steel geometric columns, with a beautiful swirl pattern on the exterior surfaces. The two interior surfaces have a mirror panel helping visitors understand Fairchild’s primary objective of unity and cooperation.
15650 Addison Rd, Addison, TX 75001
Whether it’s the wiggling shape, the bright yellow, orange, and red colors, or the fact that the 24-foot-high art pieces tower over a busy intersection, the Light and Energy installation is hard to miss. The artwork, with each of its serpentine towers weighing a mammoth 1,750 pounds, was once installed at Liberty Plaza in Addison. After the piece was decommissioned and sat in storage for a number of years, the Addison Arbor Foundation led its restoration and brought the piece to its current location in 2013.
14914 Marsh Ln, Addison, TX 75001
Quorum Park is something of a hidden gem. Tucked away behind nearby office buildings, Reminiscent of a Roman Garden, the multi-level circular fountain, which lights up at night, is at the center of several carved stone monuments set at the same elevation, to highlight the change in topography throughout the park. Being in the park is an immersive experience that allows you to not just relax, but also reflect on how quickly our world is moving and changing.
16201 Quorum Dr, Addison, TX 75001
Day or night, this steel sculpture measuring more than 4 stories high is awe-inspiring. Considered one of the most photographed art pieces in Addison, it took over four years to complete, and over 650 gallons of “Sharpie Blue” paint. On April 13, 2000 the arduous labor of hundreds of artists, engineers, and architects was celebrated with the official unveiling of the sculpture. It’s not an uncommon sight to see visitors laying on the grass in the middle of the roundabout taking in all its glory. The design resembles the branching pattern of a grove of oak trees; the panels’ designs come from actual blueprints from parks, bridges, municipal buildings, and water pumping facilities in Addison. “I chose to represent in this the physical representation of blueprints, the infrastructure that you don’t see—and to celebrate the ideas floating above you,” says Mel Chin, one of the artist designers behind the sculpture.
Blueprints At Addison Circle, Addison, TX 75001
This post is sponsored by Visit Addison. Click here to explore more.