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Years ago, when companies moved out of Addison office developments, some left behind massive outdoor sculptures.
Rather than let them disappear, a group of volunteers stepped in. They tracked down artists, raised money for restorations and reinstalled damaged sculptures across parks, trails and public spaces throughout town.
The effort helped build a public art collection that now spans parks, trails and developments across Addison.
“We took it upon ourselves as a board to go ahead and look at saving this art,” said Barbara Papas, an Addison Arbor Foundation board member.
Bronze jackrabbits sit inside neighborhood parks. Large abstract sculptures anchor intersections and mixed-use developments. Outside Addison Airport, a restored kinetic sculpture turns in the wind again after years hidden near Addison Circle.
Town leaders say Addison has more public art per capita than any city in the United States, alongside its longtime claim of having the most restaurants per capita.
“It’s part of our brand. It’s part of just who Addison is,” said Mary Rosenbleeth, Addison’s director of marketing and tourism.
The collection grew through partnerships between the town, developers and the Addison Arbor Foundation, a volunteer nonprofit that originally focused on beautification and green spaces before restoring abandoned sculptures from former office developments.
A former city manager moved several pieces into storage instead of disposing of them, hoping they could eventually be restored.
One of those pieces was “Aikido” by artist David Hickman. The bronze-and-glass sculpture once sat hidden outside a bar near Addison Circle, where volunteers said patrons climbed on it and damaged it.
“It was kinetic, and there was no wind to move it,” Papas said.
The foundation restored the sculpture and relocated it outside the Galaxy FBO near Addison Airport.
“We were able to save it,” said Chandler Nyp, the town’s landscape architect and certified arborist. “Putting it in that spotlight position right there in front of the airport was a great choice.”
Another restored sculpture, “Light and Energy,” was cut from its base after a property owner removed it from its original site. It was later restored and installed near Marsh Lane and Beltway Drive.
For volunteers, the restorations became about more than preservation.
“It’s actually a very well-curated collection as opposed to just popping down pieces of art,” said Dr. Jay Ihrig, president of the Addison Arbor Foundation.
Some pieces are abstract. Others are whimsical or realistic. The town regularly surveys residents about future installations.
“We’ve made a very strong push to diversify the collection,” Papas said.
Among the most popular works is “Jack of All Trades” by Texas artist Jim Eppler. The bronze sculpture features jackrabbits tucked into a man-made warren inspired by rabbits that once lived nearby before development changed the landscape.
Residents are so attached to the sculpture that they occasionally call foundation members when one of the bronze rabbits is temporarily removed for maintenance.
“People were worried because they became almost real to a lot of people,” Ihrig said.
Public art in Addison extends beyond outdoor sculptures. Inside Town Hall, rotating exhibits feature North Texas artists through the Addison Art program, curated by Addison resident and artist Fran Powell.
Mayor Bruce Arfsten said many residents may not realize the displays exist.
“There’s always an art display up there by a local artist,” Arfsten said. “That’s just a small part of it that most people probably would never see.”
Public art in Addison is also closely tied to landscaping and park design. Nyp said many installations are intentionally integrated into trails, gardens and gathering spaces.
One example is “Aerial Ballet,” a butterfly sculpture installed above a pollinator garden near Vitruvian Park.
“Having living butterflies and these cool kinetic sculptures above is really something that’s important to us,” Nyp said.
The town maintains the artwork through landscaping, lighting upgrades and restoration work, including polishing and rewaxing bronze sculptures.
“That’s also part of the quality,” Papas said. “They really do maintain the artwork very well.”
For sculptor Eliseo S. Garcia, that commitment matters.
Garcia grew up tracing newspaper cartoons and building sculptures from woodshop scraps before studying art after returning from Vietnam. He later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Texas and spent decades creating public art across North Texas. His work in Addison includes stone carvings integrated into public spaces.
“People feel pride in art that represents them,” Garcia said. “As opposed to art that is used to simply fill a space.”
Today, Garcia prefers working in stone because of its permanence.
“Carving stone is a negative process,” he said. “What is removed cannot be replaced.”
That permanence, Garcia said, is what gives public art lasting meaning inside a community.
“I want to create something beautiful that belongs to the community,” he said.
Years after volunteers pulled abandoned sculptures from storage and hidden courtyards, many of those pieces have become woven into everyday life in Addison.
Residents worry when a bronze rabbit disappears. Artists return to see their work maintained. And outside the airport, Hickman’s “Aikido” turns in the wind again.
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