Celebration of the Americas

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• MúsicArte Garners 2009 Downtown Trailblazer Award

  9/21/2010 11:00:00 PM

  By Sandra Baker

  sabaker@star-telegram.com

  The Fort Worth foundation that funded the Burnett Park renovation, a Latino musical festival and an app for Sundance Square were among several winners honored Wednesday with Downtown Fort Worth Trailblazer Awards.

  In their fourth year, the awards honor the most successful and innovative efforts in city center development and other contributions. The nonprofit advocacy group Downtown Fort Worth Inc. presented the awards.

  "Even in the midst of a downturn, our center city has continued to grow and thrive in the past year," said Bob Jameson, chairman of Downtown Fort Worth Inc.

  Bob Simpson and XTO Energy were honored with the top Renaissance Award for making "remarkable contributions" during the past 24 years.

  During that time, the company, now owned by Irving-based Exxon Mobil, has bought several buildings and renovated more than 758,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. Those include 714 Main, the Bob R. Simpson Building, the Petroleum Building, the W.T. Waggoner Building and the Binyon-O'Keefe Warehouse.

  In accepting the award, Simpson said that XTO Energy always embraced the tradition of Fort Worth in renovations and that its new owner will continue to support the community.

  "There's value and treasure in our inheritance," Simpson said. "I've been reassured ... that this participation will continue under [Exxon's] leadership as it has in the past."

  XTO was also presented the award for Preservation and/or Adaptive Reuse, honoring the work at 714 Main St. The 24-story office building was originally the Farmers and Mechanics Bank and then the Transport Life Building. XTO Energy bought the building in 2007 and has since renovated the property using original drawings and old photographs.

  Former advertising executive Jack White was presented the Unsung Hero award. In 1972, White began gathering old photographs and taking pictures of the city. His collection of thousands of photos and slides is housed at the University of Texas at Arlington and is a resource for historians, architects, researchers and others.

  The Chairman's Award went to Tarrant County. The Tarrant County Commissioners Court has been sensitive to the character of downtown in planning and executing expansions, the judges said.

  For example, the new family law center features classic architecture, the new maximum-security jail is being built with pedestrians in mind, and the county's new Civil Courts Building has also won praise.

  Other award winners and their categories were:

  Green Space -- Burnett Foundation for Burnett Park

  Samuel Burk Burnett deeded the land for Burnett Park, at Seventh and Lamar streets, for a public park. With the support of the Burnett Foundation, the park has been renovated, and it reopened in May. It now has a great lawn for concerts and other events, playground equipment for children, updated lighting and landscaping, and new tables and chairs.

  Placemaking -- Musicarte, a Celebration of the Americas, presented by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

  Musicarte is a two-day festival in Sundance Square where people learn about Latino history, heritage and culture. There are musical performances, winemaking demonstrations, culinary creations and artwork.

  Promotion and Marketing -- Sundance Square Mobile Application

  Sundance Square, the downtown entertainment, residential, shopping and office district, created an app that operates on smartphones with Internet access to keep customers up to date. Users can view event schedules, get information about shops and boutiques, check out Sundance Square restaurants and more.

  Urban Design -- Caceria Building, Cotulla

  Wagner Oil Co. developed the building three years ago at Fifth and Commerce streets on the site of the Mexican Inn restaurant. It has the feel of a 1920s midrise but features 21st-century amenities. The project also included facade improvements to the adjacent 500 Commerce St. building.

  Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727

  
  
  Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/09/15/2471709/downtown-fort-worth-trailblazer.html#ixzz10Fud9v5c

  Sandra Baker, Star-Telegram

• Poncho Sanchez confirmed to headline Fourth Annual Latino Heritage Festival

  6/23/2010 11:00:00 PM

  Press Release

   

  MUSICARTE DE FORT WORTH – FIESTA IN SUNDANCE SQUARE!

  Poncho Sanchez confirmed to headline Fourth Annual Latino Heritage Festival

  FORT WORTH, Texas—The food, art, music and family fun of the Americas--South, Central and North—come once again to the heart of Texas Oct. 8-9, 2010 during Musicarte de Fort Worth – Fiesta in Sundance Square, a celebration of Latino heritage and culture in Sundance Square. 

  Whether it's salsa, straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz, or even elements of soul and blues, the mesmerizing array of sounds and colors from Poncho Sanchez’ youth have telegraphed across the decades and continue to inform his creative sensibilities to this day. "There's room for a lot of different sounds in our music," he says. "I think people have come to know that that's what Poncho Sanchez is all about. We put it all together in a pot, boil it together and come out with a big stew. This isn't some marketing strategy to sell records. These are the sounds I grew up with. So when I play this music, I'm not telling a lie. I'm telling my story. This is the real thing."

  Poncho and his band bring their unique Latin style to the Sundance Square Stage on Friday evening.  The Tejas Brothers will perform immediately prior to Sanchez’ headline show.

  The visual, performing, culinary and vintner’s arts of Latin America will be featured. Expect the finest ceramics, painting, photography, woodcarving, glassworks and jewelry as well as multi-media compositions along Main Street in Sundance Square, an International Bazaar showcasing cultural demonstrations and heritage exhibits, as well as the popular International Danza Pavilion with .  Live music will be featured on two stages.

  Musicarte is produced by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with downtown Fort Worth’s business and cultural community, and returns for an encore performance in the heart of Sundance Square. The event will welcome thousands downtown with a Latin beat and flavor, and benefits the Scholarship Fund of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

  “Musicarte de Fort Worth celebrates the proud history, values and creative Latino heritage that give the Southwest its savor,” says Sandra McGlothlin, chairman of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  “Here is an opportunity to bring incredible art and a broad range of music, culture and cuisine to the Downtown area in the fall, while at the same time providing urgently needed resources for scholarships throughout the community.”

  Larry Anfin with Coors Distributing Company of Fort Worth adds, “We are pleased to bring this signature event back to downtown Fort Worth in October.  It has become a fall tradition for the entire Metroplex, and we are very excited to be working with so many fine partners to bring another cultural celebration to North Texas.”  Anfin co-chairs the Musicarte Steering Committee with Lupe Arriola of McDonald’s Stockyards.

  Jay Downie, producer of MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, produces Musicarte. Steering Committee members include:

  Larry Anfin, Co-Chair	Coors Distributing Company
  Lupe Arriola, Co-Chair	McDonald's Stockyards
  Adam Adolfo	Artes de la Rosa
  Marvin Branch	Coors Distributing Company of Fort Worth
  Patricia Castillo	Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  Chester Cox	Del Frisco's
  Jeff Cuales	Cuales Video Productions
  Carlos De La Torre	At Large
  Andrew De La Torre	Embargo
  Mitchell Espinosa	BNSF
  Tracy Gilmour	Sundance Square Management
  John Gonzales	Texas Wesleyan University
  Julia Hendrickson	Sundance Square Management
  Maru Ichabelu	BNSF
  Tammie Marceleno	JP Morgan/CHASE
  Estela Martinez-Stuart	Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau
  Sandra McGlothlin (FWHCC Chair)	Empire Roofing
  Jodi Perry	City of Fort Worth
  Rene Smith	Concussion Advertising

   

  Musicarte de Fort Worth is produced by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and, as of June 15, 2010, is made possible by the financial support provided by these generous sponsors:

  
  

  Sundance Square

  Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc.

  Fiesta Mart

  Coors Distributing of Fort Worth

  CHASE

  Bell Helicopter

  
  

  For more information please go to www.MusicArteFW.com, jdownie@fwhcc.org or call 817 625 5411.  Sponsorships are available at all levels. Exhibit space, restaurants, entertainers and volunteers wishing to participate should go to MusicarteFW.com for more information and complete an application for participation.

  Jay Downie, CFEE

• Learn Latin when Main Street Comes Alive with the Music and Art of the Americas

  9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM

  Press Release

   

   

  MÚSICARTE DE FORT WORTH – A CELEBRATION OF THE AMERICAS!

  Learn Latin when Main Street Comes Alive with the Music and Art of the Americas

   

  FORT WORTH, Texas— Expect street closures in downtown Fort Worth starting at 6 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 and get ready to feast the senses on sights, sounds and flavors of Latin America in Músicarte de Fort Worth 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-4 in Sundance Square.

   

  Main St. will be closed between 2^nd and 5^th streets starting at 6 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 for set-up and staging of the event, a celebration of the Americas; 3^rd Street will be closed between Houston and Commerce streets beginning at 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3; 4^th Street will be closed between Houston and Commerce streets beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3. All streets will reopen at 6 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.

   

  Free admission is the passport to fine food and wine, music and dance, and the work of juried fine artists at Músicarte de Fort Worth. Eat and drink, then browse and buy works of art in a street scene that pulses with Latin music and dance.  

   

  Músicarte de Fort Worth is produced by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Downtown Fort Worth’s business and cultural community and is coordinated by the same team that produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival.

   

  It’s your chance to learn Latin--Latin cuisine, Latin dance, Latin art and the many variations on the theme of Latin music at Músicarte de Fort Worth.

  Opportunities for coverage include:
  

  Learn Latin art

  Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School art teacher and painter Maria Patino makes her art show debut as an exhibitor at Músicarte de Fort Worth and will let that be a lesson for her students. Patino, who this spring supervised youth curators of the Art on Tour exhibit of work shown and purchased at MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, encourages her art students to go to area festivals to study art and artists there. This is the first time she'll be among the exhibitors she hopes will inspire her students.  Preview all the artists exhibiting at http://www.musicartefw.com/Artists/Artists-Gallery.aspx.

   

  Learn Latin music

  Salsa is hot, but Latin music runs the gamut from jazz to rock and folk music. Preview the entertainment line-up, including headliners Tito Puente, Jr., Grupo Fantasma, and North Texas favorites like Latin Express, Latin Breed and Grupo Sueño at http://www.musicartefw.com/Entertainment.aspx.

   

  Learn Latin dance

  So you think you can dance? Watch and learn Latin steps like salsa and tango at Músicarte de Fort Worth.

   

  Learn Latin cuisine

  The great chefs at Ocho Rios Jamaican and Caribbean Grill and Cantina Laredo will serve up good tastes for Músicarte de Fort Worth, preparing familiar as well as unexpected pleasures for a public hungry for Latin fare.

   

  Músicarte de Fort Worth is produced by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is dedicated to creating, promoting and enhancing economic opportunity and prosperity for the Fort Worth Hispanic business community, in collaboration with Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., and the team that produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival. Sponsors include Sundance Square, Coors Distributing Company, State Farm Insurance, American Airlines, the Star-Telegram, D Magazine, Univision and TeleFutura, Coca Cola Bottling Company of North Texas, The T, Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., Devon Energy, Green Mountain Energy, General Motors, and DFW Professional Musicians Association. Hotel sponsor is Courtyard by Marriott/Blackstone Hotel.

• Learn Latin via Musicarte de Fort Worth

  8/13/2008 12:00:00 AM

  OPPORTUNITIES FOR COVERAGE

   

  MEDIA: LEARN LATIN VIA MÚSICARTE DE FORT WORTH

  Explore unexpected pleasures of Latin cuisine, music, art and dance

   

  FORT WORTH, Texas—Músicarte de Fort Worth invites media to learn Latin, whether in the unexpected pleasures of Latin cuisine, classic Latin dance steps, or the many variations on the theme of Latin music revealed in interviews with those who’ll make downtown’s newest event sizzle.

   

  Músicarte de Fort Worth celebrates the Americas from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Oct. 3-4 on Main Street in Sundance Square. Admission is free. Live music and dance will share the spotlight with fine food and wine and exhibits by juried fine artists from across the Americas, all in Fort Worth’s central business district.

   

  The festival is produced by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Downtown Fort Worth’s business and cultural community and is coordinated by the team that produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival. Músicarte de Fort Worth will welcome thousands back to Main Street in downtown Fort Worth, this time with a Latin beat and flavor, and benefits scholarship programs of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

    

  Opportunities for coverage include:

   

  Learn Latin music

  Salsa is hot, but Latin music runs the gamut from jazz to rock and folk music. Interview members of Fort Worth’s Latin Express, your guides to all the variations on the theme of Latin music. Contact Diane Wolfe at 817-577-1779 or dianewolfepr@sbcglobal.net to schedule interviews or in-studio appearances by Latin Express, musical ambassadors of Músicarte de Fort Worth, then hear it all at the festival. Headliners include Tito Puente Jr. and Grupo Fantasma as well as Latin Express. 

   

   

  Learn Latin dance

  So you think you can dance? You could learn Latin classics like the tango and merengue at Músicarte de Fort Worth, but why wait? Media can preview dance instruction, one of Músicarte de Fort Worth’s main attractions, in a private lesson with instructors Jim LeMay and Grace Forester. To schedule interviews or in-studio appearances by the duo, contact Diane Wolfe at 817-577-1779 or dianewolfepr@sbcglobal.net.

   

  Learn Latin art

  Watch the Artists Gallery at www.MusicarteFW.com for the latest on who’s showing at Músicarte de Fort Worth. Contact Diane Wolfe at 817-577-1779 or dianewolfepr@sbcglobal.net to schedule interviews with the artists of Fort Worth’s newest art festival.

   

  Feast the senses on sights, sounds and flavors of Latin America in Músicarte de Fort Worth 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Oct. 3-4 in Sundance Square. Free admission is a passport to fine food and wine, music and dance, and the work of juried fine artists at Músicarte de Fort Worth. Eat and drink, then browse and buy works of art in a street scene that pulses with Latin music and dance.  Visit MúsicarteFW.com for more information.

   

  Músicarte de Fort Worth is produced by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is dedicated to creating, promoting and enhancing economic opportunity and prosperity for the Fort Worth Hispanic business community, in collaboration with Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., and the team that produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival. Sponsors include Sundance Square, Coors Distributing Company, State Farm Insurance, American Airlines, the Star-Telegram, D Magazine, Univision and TeleFutura, Coca Cola Bottling Company of North Texas, The T, Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., Devon Energy, Green Mountain Energy, General Motors, and DFW Professional Musicians Association. Hotel sponsor is Courtyard by Marriott/Blackstone Hotel.

   

  Creating, Promoting and Enhancing Economic Opportunity and Prosperity for the Fort Worth Hispanic Business Community.