Fort Worth Public Art - Arts Council

OUR STAFF . . .

The Arts Council provides professional program administration and was instrumental in the establishment of the Fort Worth Public Art (FWPA) Program. In 2002, a unique partnership between the City of Fort Worth and the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County was formed to fulfill the vision laid out in the Fort Worth Public Art Master Plan. FWPA is fully funded by the City of Fort Worth.

Martha Peters, Public Art Director
Appointed in 2003, Martha Peters is responsible for implementing the Fort Worth Public Art Master Plan and staffing the Fort Worth Art Commission. Working collaboratively with city officials and the community, she has developed long range public art plans and manages large-scale public art projects. Peters serves on Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Council – an advisory body that develops national best practices for the field. In her previous position as Administrator of the City of Austin ’s Art in Public Places program (1991-2003), Peters managed or supervised nearly 100 public art projects for a wide range of city facilities. During her tenure, the program received the Texas Society of Architects’ Citation of Honor for contributions to the built environment in Texas . Martha Peters has a BFA degree in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin .

Jennifer Lovvorn, Public Art Project Manager
Jennifer Lovvorn recently joined the Arts Council staff to manage public art projects and implement the Community-Nominated Neighborhood Projects initiative. In her previous position she served as Public Art Program Associate at the San Francisco Arts Commission. She has served on the advisory boards of Southern Exposure, a San Francisco-based artist-run gallery, and the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery. She received her MFA in studio art with an emphasis in sculpture from UC Irvine in 2000, and she holds a BA with a double major in Film Studies and Art Practice from UC Berkeley.

Anne Allen, Public Art Project Manager
Ms. Allen joins Fort Worth Public Art staff following a six-year term as director of the Arlington Museum of Art. Prior to her tenure with the AMA, she served as Executive Director of The Old Jail Center in Albany, Texas . Her many talents include administrative management, grant writing, fundraising, marketing and programming. A passionate advocate of contemporary art, she is comfortably versed in regional art. Ms. Allen is a native of Fort Worth and a practicing artist.

Melissia Simmons, Public Art Coordinator
Melissia Simmons has a BA in Art History and Religion from Texas Christian University and interned at the Kimbell Art Museum and the Arts Council before joining the Public Art staff full time in 2004. She manages the FWPA Artist Registry and regularly facilitates selection panels for public art projects. In addition to a broad range of administrative duties, she serves as the FWPA webmaster and editor of the FWPA Enewsletter.

Jenny Conn, Public Art Collection Manager
A Fort Worth native, Jennifer Conn has worked with private and corporate collectors for over twenty-five years as a collection consultant and exihibition designer. In her private practice, she has focused on best conservation methods for collectors and artists and is committed to archival care and education. As Collection Manager, her responsibilities include the ongoing maintenance for the Public Art Collection; she supervises all conservation projects. Ms. Conn graduated with a BFA in studio art from Texas Christian University.