This Saturday, Sept 12 DART is having a celebration at each of the 4 new Dart Stations. Each station will have something special taking place, so be sure and visit all four. Check out the link to see what each stop will offer. http://www.dart.org/about/expansion/greenlinesupersaturday.asp Service to these destinations will officially begin on Monday Sept 14th, just in time for riders to take the train to Fairpark for the Texas State Fair at the end of the month.
I moved to Dallas in 1974. For the first six months I lived n Dallas I did not have a car. I took the bus to work which meant that I left my apartment on Fitzugh and went directly downtown. If I wanted to travel say, to Northpark Mall I had to take a bus downtown and then transfer to a bus that would take me north. There weren’t even busses that went east/west.
Fast forward to 2009, 34 years later Dallas now has 2 functional train lines that travel to communities north and south of downtown. Now, Dallas has the beginnings of a line that goes east and eventually west to DFW Airport.
What I really want to tell you about is the art found at each station. The Dallas Rapid Transit Authority has made it a practice to incorporate art at each station. Dart hit “out of the park” on these 4 new stations.
First of the four stops is the Deep Ellum Station. In order to fully appreciate the creative thought that went into designing this station art, please read the article that appeared in the Dallas Morning News.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-travelingman_0817gd.ART.State.Edition1.4bdb6c2.html
The collection consists of three separate sculptures. The artists Brandon Oldenburg and Brad Oldham are the creative talents behind Reel FX, an animation studio here in Dallas. Their studio is in the Deep Ellum area so they have obviously used their talent to enhance their community. As you look at the three sculptures it is possible to imagine the leap from animation to the “Traveling Man” trilogy.
The sculpture that could be considered the first in the series is “Awakening” (4½ft. tall). At first I couldn’t figure this one out. It looked more like an aluminum chaise sticking in the ground. After doing my research I discovered that “Awakening” is the headstock of a guitar emerging from the gravel. You can sit on it though, so I wasn’t too far off base. The guitar “head” is used on all of the three characters and refers to the entertainment venue of Deep Ellum. There is a story that a train is buried beneath what is now Main and Good-Latimer. An elm tree grew near by, where people gathered and birds nested. Thus the artists incorporated birds at all 3 of the sculptures at this location. You can sit on those too. You can imagine the rest of the body of our “Traveling Man” emerging from the train underneath the street.
Number two in this trilogy is “Waiting on a Train” (9 ft. tall). Our subject is now playing a guitar and chillin’ against a piece of concrete with the inscription “1930”. This arch was once part of the tunnel that, not too long ago, lead into Deep Ellum. Birds also keep him company. 
The third sculpture is our “Traveling Man” in all 38 feet of glory. Although he is frozen in his stride you get the feeling he is going somewhere with his companion bird on his arm..jpg)
The Deep Ellum area is once again in transition. If you have lived in Dallas for more than 5 years you probably visited Deep Ellum to shop, eat or listen to good music. Nearly all of those restaurants, bars and shops are gone. Trees, a favorite Deep Ellum night spot, has reopened for concerts. That is hopeful. Now that the DART station is open, maybe two of the problems, namely, parking and traffic, will be solved. There are loft condos and apartments that have been developed in the area. Deep Ellum needs to reemerge as a destination for entertainment. It needs keep its bohemian atmosphere but temper that with being a safe and clean place for everyone to enjoy. It is a fine balance, but the inability to strike that balance is what led to it’s downfall in the first place. Let’s hope having the DART Rail Station in Deep Ellum will help revive the area. If nothing else you must go see the “Traveling Man” sculptures. They really are spectacular.
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