Crews installed a 20-foot-tall steel Great Blue Heron at the entrance of Oso Wetlands and Preserve the first weekend of December 2015. Courtesy photo
Come dedicate “The Great Heron” sculpture at Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and Learning Center at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Created by nationally acclaimed artist Dixie Friend Gay, the sculpture stands 24 feet tall as it greets visitors to the center at 2446 N. Oso Parkway.
Guests are invited to stay after the dedication for the Coastal Bend Children in Nature’s Amazing Outdoor Abilities event inside the preserve. Activity booths to test outdoor abilities and share information about local places to explore and enjoy nature will be set up near the Learning Center. Preserve staff will also offer a guided nature walk at 9 a.m.
Gay has more than 30 years’ experience in design, fabrication and installation of public art, sculpture, painting and drawing. Her work appears in a number of public and private collections, including at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the Port of Miami, the Indianapolis International Airport, Sam Houston State University and Texas A&M University-Galveston.
Funding for the sculpture was made available through the city’s Percent for Art Ordinance, which sets aside 1.25 percent of qualifying capital construction project costs for public art.
