Bohemia and business converge at ArtsGoggle in historic southside
- Jeni King
- Oct 16, 2019
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 28, 2020
by Jeni King
20 October 2018
FORT WORTH, Texas -- In Fort Worth, there are streets lined in quaint little houses with neatly manicured lawns and inviting porches. Children can be seen playing in the yards as parents relax on the large covered porches sipping iced teas. There are also streets peppered with restaurants, boutiques and small bars serving artisan cocktails and craft beer. Artists and musicians frequent these establishments which are close to home and filled with like-minded, creative individuals. These two seemingly opposite walks of life converge seamlessly in the historic Southside.
But 20 years ago, this neighborhood was riddled with run-down houses. Crime levels were high. Cheaper rent prices attracted artists and musicians to the area which was becoming a haven for imaginative types, a social scene for the creative underground.
“This area used to be a little bit scary,” Fort Worth city council member Ann Zedah says. “There was a lot of, um, disinvestment and boarded-up buildings and that sort of thing.”
With the help of non-profit organizations like Near Southside, Inc. the neighborhood is seeing steady revitalization and even being named by American Planning Association “one of the great places in America,” according to Zedah. The organization’s annual festival, ArtsGoggle, continues to play a major role in reshaping the community that lies just off of West Magnolia Avenue.
“People talk about it being an overnight success,” says Zedah. But she insists it was a process planned out over nearly 30 years. “And now we’re seeing the benefits of all that hard work.”
Resident Francisco Tobar, who lives with his wife and two young sons in the Fairmount addition, says the artistic vibe is what led them to settle in the area.
“The monthly concert series, Friday on the Green, and the street festivals like ArtsGoggle and Open Streets were a huge draw for us,” Tobar says. “The vibe has been very artsy and creative. It’s an historic neighborhood where most houses have front porches so you’re more likely to get to know your neighbors.”
Megan Henderson is the Director of Events and Communications for Near Southside, Inc. and has organized ArtsGoggle for the last five years. She says the festival began in 2003 as an all-inclusive counter effort to Gallery Night hosted by Fort Worth Art Dealers Association which required artists to be accepted by the association and registered.
“ArtsGoggle doesn’t jury the artists’ work,” Henderson says. “The only requirement is completing an application and paying a $45 fee.”
At its inception 15 years ago, the event included 10 indoor venues and only a handful of musicians. By 2013, Henderson says artists spilled out onto the sidewalks and adding new ones was nearly impossible. “In 2014, we closed the street for the first time,” she says.
This year’s festival on October 20, saw participation from more than 1,000 artists and 50 bands. Nearly 70,000 attendees flooded two square miles from Magnolia Avenue between Eighth and Main streets - all in the name of art.
Henderson says ArtsGoggle now costs approximately $100,000 to produce. In addition to the small participation fees paid by the artists, each block has one presenting sponsor like block 14’s Make A Wish Foundation.
This is an opportunity to raise awareness or drum up business while giving back to the community. At the Make A Wish booth, individuals learn more about the organization whose premise is bringing joy to children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses.
ArtsGoggle covers a large portion of the artistic spectrum in both an artist’s level of experience and the array of media used to create each piece. With methods ranging from traditional painting to glass blowing and sculpture, from simple photography to complex drawings created using tiny words or phrases in place of lines, it is easy for observers to be overwhelmed by such displays of creative beauty.
Some artists, like photographer Cliff Baise, produce pieces that span multiple mediums. Before transitioning to photography, Baise began his career in painting and drawing, elements he says influence the way he now executes his work. Not only does he take pictures with three exposures, he also applies them to canvas and paints a coat over them.
“I like to surround myself with beauty,” Baise said. “To create as much beautiful artwork
as I possibly can is my inspiration.”
His art style and modern approach to communicating and displaying his work helps keep the artist relevant. Although this is Baise’s first year at the festival, he has already established a relatively sizeable social media following with nearly 2,500 Instagram followers. He says his clients enjoy the vibrant colors in all of his pieces.
For some artists, their craft is not a full-time occupation. Thirteen-year ArtsGoggle veteran and Trimble Tech shop teacher Kirby Hicks instructs students in the art of welding. “I really enjoy seeing my students grow,” Hicks says.
His work is comprised mainly of metal and glass with some stone elements incorporated. He says most people come looking for a piece to fill empty space in their homes.
“Some people surprise me because they go with my artistic thought,” Hicks says.
And artistic thought manifests itself in more than just works intended for the eye. Sounds and smells permeate the air, reminding attendees that a masterpiece might be discovered at every turn.
Southwest High School’s Contemporary Academy of Music adds a youthful, high-energy vibe to the event with rap group YSK performing original songs for the crowd. Drew Stewart and Tyler Simon, known as Ya Boii Dru and Kid Pharoah, form two-thirds of the group along with Benjamin Ramone, or Steze, who did not perform at ArtsGoggle.
Instead, guest rappers and fellow CAM members Taylon “Gucci” Jackson, Keyundra “Lil Key” Holman, and Angelo Houze, who goes by Houzeman, would join the duo on stage for the performance.
CAM music director Marco Petrilli says the arts festival promotes positive growth among aspiring musicians. “We really appreciate that ArtsGoggle gives the students a chance to shine in the community,” he says.
But the culinary arts are not to be outperformed. Although there are plenty of festival-type staples like cotton candy, corn dogs and funnel cakes, Magnolia Avenue is known for its bevy of well-loved eateries.
Patrons in the mood for a pizza on the patio might head to Cane Rosso or Fort Brewery & Pizza. For a bit of comfort food, there’s Heim Barbeque at the far end near Eighth Street if a long
line isn’t a deterrent. Those in the center of it all queue up at Gus’s World Famous Chicken which The Daily Meal ranked No. 2 out of 75 best fried chicken places in America for 2018.
To wash down a meal, brews of all kinds are abundantly featured at ArtsGoggle with a large showing of micro-brews and craft beers. But brews of the caffeinated variety are highly sought after as the weather cools down. Luckily, both are served at BREWED.
For those looking for a cup of joe on the go, the “Pedalista Barista” Stuart Reed can be seen riding an oversized tricycle which works overtime pumping water, grinding beans and brewing coffee all powered by Reed’s own legs.
He says he provides a great experience for others by sharing his passion for three things he loves best - coffee, bikes and sustainability.
“After I got out of college, I needed something to feed my passion. So what better concept than to own a business that is self-sustaining,” he says.
Reed’s combination of quirky ideas and quarterly dividends is indicative of the community as a whole. Its people range from bohemians to businessmen.
The boom of Near Southside and Magnolia Avenue has its positives and negatives. Tobar says that more young professionals are moving in causing a change to the demographic. This is good for property values he says, but rising cost of housing is forcing out the artists and musicians that made the area desirable in the first place.
And even with the changing demographic, the Fairmount resident admits the area has its fair share of drug dealers and vagrants. “It’s definitely not perfect but we still love living here,” Tobar says.
Still, today the Magnolia area remains a melting pot of numerous cultures and subcultures, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Near Southside, Inc. and ArtsGoggle continue to dedicate efforts toward revitalizing and sustaining a thriving community rich with diversity. And there is no better way to experience the world through another’s eyes than bearing witness to that mind’s creation.
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