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Major Art Installation Coming to the Foundry District in June
M2G Ventures announced today a major lineup of immersive art experiences and placemaking initiatives to take place in their hallmark development project, The Foundry District, beginning with the unveiling of The Sweet Tooth Motel on June 5, 2021. Known for a reputation of innovation and bringing the best Fort Worth has to offer into one central location, The Foundry District (a collection of 98,782 SF of redeveloped mid-century warehouses within Fort Worth’s vibrant Cultural District) is spearheading a plan centered around providing North Texas residents and out of town visitors extraordinary experiences that elevate the unexpected. The project will officially launch in early June with the opening of The Sweet Tooth Motel, an expansion of Inspiration Alley, and a newly forged partnership with Fort Worth Bike Sharing.
Art is a primary pillar of what The Foundry has been built on and this will be the first step in its continued bold vision. Projects will include new exciting placemaking initiatives like landmark signage, district-wide wayfinding, and tenant expansions, among others. These important integrations will signal to experience seekers that they’ve arrived in a district unlike any other in the city! The curated touchpoints will be rolling out throughout 2021 and will provide detailed markers allowing visitors to navigate their way through the area.
When asked about the district’s ambitious plans for expansion and how that aligns with the company’s larger vision, M2G Ventures Co-President Jessica Miller Essl said, “The moment for growth and reestablishing connections is upon us. The team at M2G has always prioritized the community’s experience and the unique offerings of our diverse lineup of entrepreneurs and businesses beyond solely the development of buildings. From the early stages of The Foundry, we realized that the district became a sort of beacon for innovative businesses and patrons seeking something new. The Foundry has been a place where tastemaking brands are laying down roots while immersed in culture. So our choice to double down on the success and bring new art and events to The Foundry was a simple one to make. Our team understands that inspiration, beauty, and connection are possible through art, innovative ideas, and curious conversation and that is something that will carry us into the next phase of our city’s expansion.”
The artistic collaboration and partnership with Sweet Tooth Motel results from a long-standing relationship with Sweet Tooth Hotel’s founder and creative director Jencey Keeton and M2G. The Foundry District will bring Keeton’s private, mini-pop up concept inspired by her success with the Hotel into “The Yard” for an experiential art unlike anything else in the nation. The Sweet Tooth Motel is a portable art experience that provides the creator with a new way to travel and safely showcase the amazing art installations from the past two years of their Sweet Tooth Hotel exhibits, as well as new work. The Foundry Sweet Tooth experience will seamlessly integrate into the existing art and structures of the district while inviting guests to experience art in technicolor.
To enhance the visitor experience to the district, The Foundry will simultaneously unveil the expansion of what Forbes noted as one of the “15 Best Places to Experience Art” — Inspiration Alley. As Texas’ largest outdoor art gallery, Inspiration Alley is a place where walls serve as canvases and has been established as a destination for art lovers and Instagrammers alike. Over 60 art pieces can be found meandering the Foundry District, and it is the reason that USA Today named Inspiration Alley a “must-see place” when visiting Fort Worth. Each piece was hand-selected and commissioned to leave its audience thinking and inspired. The new expansion includes the long-anticipated walkthrough from Carroll Street to Vacek Street and the exciting addition of a number of new murals from DFW artists along its walls. This outdoor gallery will transport everyday visitors and Sweet Tooth Motel goers into a total sensory takeover from start to finish.
The cultural experience and newly formed partnerships don’t stop in The Yard. Beginning early June, The Foundry District will now be home to a new fleet of specialty bikes thanks to Fort Worth Bike Sharing. The collaboration will include a new cycle station with a few signature Foundry additions including specialty branded bikes and the creation of “unicorn” cycles that will be released for city-wide use. These unicorn bicycles will integrate design and art by artist and M2G Ventures Chief Creative Officer Katie Murray. The Fort Worth Bike Sharing collaboration will also bring curated bike ride events and programming that start and end in The Foundry District allowing locals and out of towners alike to experience the city from a novel vantage point. These new additions will work in tandem with the existing cultural attractions and continue to elevate the district as a canvas for culture where even the most mundane moment can become an inspirational movement.
The summer launch marks the beginning of bigger plans for culture-casting from M2G Ventures. Their team is committed to developing projects that focus on growth and prosperity through limitless creativity while developing authentic, self-sustaining ecosystems at their core. This creative undertaking marks a new phase of development in one of Fort Worth’s fastest-growing areas.
“We are, now as much as ever before, committed to the success and prosperity of the city we love,” said Jessica Miller Essl.
“Our hope is that this new expansion will excite and spark new energy among our neighbors and community while continuing to put Fort Worth on the map for innovation. This launch is just the beginning of what we have planned for 2021. We decided to set our plans into motion with a focus on art, but this phase is the first of many exciting placemaking initiatives that will include landmark signage, district-wide wayfinding, Fort Worth bike share partnership, anchor tenant expansions, with more details coming over the next few months.”
