Once-popular Fair Park statues to be faithfully restored.
Amid the glory of the 1936 Texas State Fair Centennial, two grand statues—Contralto and Countertenor—greeted visitors to the Esplanade. But today the 9-foot-high sculptures, originally built by Lawrence Tenney Stevens, are nowhere to be seen. Mystery? Not.
“Most likely, the sculptures were built of plaster,” says Louise Elam, Facility Development Manager for the Dallas Park & Recreation Department. “They probably just disintegrated due to the temporary nature of the material.” Once the Dallas Park & Recreation Department, the Office of Cultural Affairs, and Craig Holcomb, Executive Director of Friends of Fair Park, saw a photo of the originals, they were determined to bring back Contralto and Countertenor in all their splendor…cast in bronze. Incidentally, a contralto is a low woman’s singing voice and countertenor is a man’s voice with a range above tenor. Countertenors were required during the Renaissance and Baroque periods when women were not allowed to sing publicly.
Memorable additions.
“The finished pieces will add to the overall fabric of the park,” states Margaret Robinette, Public Art Program Manager for the City of Dallas. “Contralto and Countertenor will embody the art deco character that has made Fair Park so unique.”
Between the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Fair Park and the 2003 City of Dallas bond program, more than $200,000 was raised to bring the statues back to ‘life.’ “This pays for the pre-production and actual detailed production of the statue,” notes Ms. Elam. “It includes clay base models and long-lasting bronze casting. Everything from pylons—towers in back of the statues—to the finish will come together in time for the 2007 State Fair of Texas.”
A carefully rendered effort.
David Newton, a noted sculptor, first must prepare a maquette
(model that resembles the full-size sculpture), just as he recently did for the recreation of the Fair Park’s popular Woofus sculpture. Next, he will make a full-sized figure out of clay, over a foam base. Then the metal foundry will come to the artist’s studio and make a rubber mold that will be used in the bronze casting process. The pieces will endure for a long time, says Ms. Robinette. “This is the kind of lasting quality you’d see in the historic bronze sculptures found in Washington, D.C. The surface finish will look just like the original silver leaf.”
Behind the Contralto and Countertenor sculptures are 20-foot-high pylons that must also be reconstructed. The originals were probably made of plywood and now will be made of cast-in-place concrete. “Mineral based coatings in blue for the pylon and a darker blue for the base will provide the presumed original colors,” explains Ms. Elam. “Aluminum grills with a panel wrapped in reddish-brown fabric will replicate the originals, which housed a speaker system that broadcast information to fair visitors.”
Work on statues, bases, and pylons will commence in April 2007 and installation of the sculptures is slated for this August.
When the Contralto and Countertenor stretch out their long arms to adoring fans this fall—as if leaping from their bases—the city of Dallas will have regained two treasures. Be sure and bid these timeless singers a fond “Welcome Back!”