The giant glowing orb frequently stops pedestrian traffic on Magnolia Avenue.
Some are convinced it鈥檚 meant to be a dragon鈥檚 egg; other passersby decline to guess, while the answer is clear to some right away: It鈥檚 an acorn.
The public art piece drew a large crowd to celebrate its installation, which has been a long time coming. Fort Worth Public Art selected glass artist Clifton Crofford to work on the project in September 2019. After multiple community meetings and some pandemic-related delays, the first of three sculptures is in place.
The piece sits on the sidewalk near 1227 W. Magnolia Ave. and is just a couple of blocks from SiNiCa Studios, where Crofford has worked since 2007.
About 200 bronze hands are layered on top of one another to mimic the texture on the acorn鈥檚 cap. For Crofford, this symbolism represents working together to cultivate a brighter future.
鈥淗ands are the ultimate symbol of humanity,鈥� he said in an interview with the Report. 鈥淚f you go back in time, some of the earliest cave paintings feature handprints 鈥� that鈥檚 what鈥檚 left from the community.鈥�
The hands represented on the sculpture are those of lawyers, doctors, teachers, family members and the area鈥檚 neighbors.
鈥淚 wanted to put the acorn here, because it is a symbol of growth and of potential,鈥� Crofford said. 鈥淲e all know how this neighborhood is transformed and how it鈥檚 changed and how inspiring it has become to so many.鈥�
Just under 200 LEDs with three controllers sit under the two glass domes on the front and back of the sculpture. Anyone with a phone may connect to the sculpture鈥檚 Wi-Fi network, 鈥淎corn-wled-AP,鈥� and choose which colors shine through the glass.
A pine cone and Magnolia seed pod, also designed by Crofford, will have similar interactive elements and will sprout on the street soon.
Art is important to the city鈥檚 identity, which is why the City Council dedicates a small portion of money within each bond project to create public art, said council member Elizabeth Beck, who represents the district.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of really mighty hands in here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great representation of how a lot of little things can come together to make something much bigger and much more beautiful.鈥�Husband and wife Mickey and Patty Bradley participated in the project. Each person who took part was asked to hold something important to them while getting their hands cast; he and his wife reached for each other鈥檚 hands.
鈥淚t was a joint thing, I guess,鈥� he explained. 鈥�(Crofford) said that and I immediately thought, 鈥榃ell, something important to me is my wife, Patty, and that would be the ideal thing to hold.鈥�
Now, their hands will be part of the neighborhood forever.
鈥淲e鈥檝e lived in the neighborhood for over 20 years and watched Magnolia blossom into a vibrant part of the neighborhood,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just reinforces our commitment to the neighborhood and the area.鈥�
Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board.
This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.