RELEASE: Public Art Installation Honoring Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan Approved for Kiest Park in Oak Cliff

PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION HONORING
STEVIE RAY AND JIMMIE VAUGHAN
APPROVED FOR KIEST PARK IN OAK CLIFF

DALLAS:  The Dallas Park Board has approved a contract with the Oak Cliff Foundation confirming contributions of $68,000 for a new public art installation honoring Dallas natives and world-renowned blues musicians, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan to stand at Kiest Park in Oak Cliff, near the brothers’ childhood home. The move comes just two days before the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble are to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cincinnati, OH. A call for artists will be issued this summer.

“We are pleased to be able to develop a public art commission to honor the lives and contributions of Dallas’ own Vaughan Brothers,” says Office of Cultural Affairs Interim Director, David Fisher. “Placing the work at Kiest Park, near their childhood home, is exactly the right location.”

The project will honor the Vaughan Brothers as important contributors to the history and culture of Dallas. The sibling blues guitarists Jimmie Vaughan (born in 1951) and Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990) were born and raised in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. They began playing guitar during their childhood and by their mid-teens were semi-professional musicians. The brothers relocated to Austin in the mid-1970s, forming individual bands that influenced the blues revival of the 1980s. Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash in August of 1990.

“The Dallas Park Board enthusiastically supported moving ahead with the contract for the Oak Cliff Foundation to contribute partial funding for the project,” says Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Manager, Kay Kallos. “I think everyone felt this kind of recognition in Dallas is long overdue.”

The total project budget of $142,000 includes $74,000 from the 2006 Bond Program for  public art projects in parks and $68,000 from the Oak Cliff Foundation. Of that, $87,200 will be allocated for the artwork, $40,000 for maintenance and $14,800 for administrative costs.

Oak Foundation Board Member, Kirby Warnock helped move the project forward. “We’re pleased the Oak Cliff Foundation could help bring this project to fruition,” says Warnock. “Now we’re calling on the public to join the campaign.” Donations to the Vaughan Brothers Art Project can be made online at http://vaughanbrosart.com/donate/

ABOUT THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM
The Public Art Program works to enrich the quality of life for the citizens of Dallas and enhance the cultural appeal of the City to visitors by overseeing the integration of high-quality visual art into public spaces. The Program provides opportunities for local and regional artists as well as visual artists from around the globe through commissions of works of public art. The program also supports donations of public art to the City of Dallas that are subject to a review process for acceptance that includes members of the Public Art Committee and the Cultural Affairs Commission. The Public Art Program is a division of the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. http://www.dallasculture.org/publicArt.asp

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) provides opportunities for all Dallas citizens and visitors to have access to the arts and the means of cultural expression. The Office of Cultural Affairs works with its citizen advisory board, the Cultural Affairs Commission, to foster the development of the cultural system in Dallas. OCA provides a variety of programs and services, including the management and operations of seven cultural facilities, a public art program, cultural funding programs and WRR Radio. More information on the Office of Cultural Affairs’ programs can be found on its website at http://www.DallasCulture.org.

ABOUT THE OAK CLIFF FOUNDATION
The Oak Cliff Foundation was founded in 1973 as the philanthropic arm of the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce. Our mission remains to improve life in Oak Cliff through the creation of a culture of philanthropy and volunteerism. The vision of the foundation is to assist budding volunteer organizations get off the ground, and to be a resource to existing groups focused on bettering Oak Cliff. In 2001, the foundation took a big step to improve life in Oak Cliff by purchasing the historic Texas Theatre on Jefferson Boulevard. This purchase, combined with the mission of the foundation, will become the heart of Jefferson Boulevard and an inspiring source of energy and beautification of the surrounding community.  http://www.oakclifffoundation.org/