Public art doesn’t always ask you to stop and look. Sometimes, it just gives you a reason to notice what was already there. A tree you have passed a hundred times suddenly catches your attention. A light pole becomes something worth photographing. Along Cedar Springs, the Dallas Yarn Bombers are turning those everyday pieces of the streetscape into colorful knit and crochet installations created in connection with Oak Lawn Live.
For Cedar Springs Merchant Association (CSMA) Board Member Chad Mantooth, the project represents more than decorating the street for a festival. It is part of a larger conversation about how art can become woven into the identity of the Gayborhood itself.
“I want people to know they’re somewhere special when they turn onto Cedar Springs,” Mantooth said. “Public art gives people a reason to slow down, look around, take pictures and hopefully smile.”
Creating Something Specifically for Oak Lawn
The Dallas Yarn Bombers approached the project with the neighborhood itself as inspiration.
Sally Ackerman, founder of the Dallas Yarn Bombers, said the sense of community in the Gayborhood inspired the artists to incorporate a rainbow palette into many of the pieces. They also looked at Cedar Springs as a whole, concentrating some of their work around the entrances to the the heart of Strip.
That connection between the artwork and its surroundings can be seen in one of their favorite pieces: a knitted rainbow placed on the post of the neighborhood’s historical marker. “It’s a small piece, but we felt strongly that the neighborhood’s history should be highlighted and honored,” Ackerman said. “It felt amazing to see our vision come to life up and down Cedar Springs. We absolutely love creating feelings of joy and wonder with our knit and crochet art form, and we hope everyone enjoys the installation.”
Art You Discover Instead of Visit / A Little Yarn Bombing Magic
Unlike art inside a museum or gallery, the Cedar Springs installations do not require anyone to seek them out. People encounter them on the way to lunch, while heading into a neighborhood business or simply walking down the street.
For the Dallas Yarn Bombers, creating that unexpected moment is part of the appeal. “We like to make our installations seem to appear effortlessly overnight. Like MAGIC!” Ackerman said. “Of course, we all know that magic takes a lot of prep, planning and practice, but let’s not discuss all that. We’d rather leave you with a childlike sense of surprise and delight.”
That surprise was also part of what appealed to CSMA when the organization began planning the art component of Oak Lawn Live. “Oak Lawn Live is all about music, art, creativity and celebrating this neighborhood, so the Dallas Yarn Bombers just seemed like a perfect fit,” Mantooth said. “We wanted to bring some color and fun to the street and give people something unexpected to discover.”
What makes a neighborhood feel distinct? “Personality. Fun. Color for color’s sake. Let’s face it, if there’s one neighborhood in Dallas that should never be beige, it’s the Gayborhood,” Mantooth said of public art’s role on Cedar Springs. “Who knew we could make a pole fabulous? Apparently all it needed was a sweater.”
Building Oak Lawn Live Beyond One Day
The decision to install the pieces weeks before Oak Lawn Live was intentional. Rather than have the festival simply arrive on September 19, CSMA wanted people to begin experiencing it as the event approached. “We didn’t want Oak Lawn Live to just magically appear on September 19 and then be gone,” Mantooth said. “We wanted to start building some excitement ahead of time and let the neighborhood become part of the festival.”
The installation gives people a reason to experience a piece of Oak Lawn Live now, long before stages, performers and festival crowds fill Cedar Springs. The art also reflects a broader goal of creating more reasons for people to explore Cedar Springs, linger a little longer and see familiar surroundings differently.
The Cedar Springs Merchant Association hopes public art can become an increasingly visible part of Cedar Springs, from murals and temporary installations to other creative ways of transforming the neighborhood’s streetscape.
“I would love for the Gayborhood to basically become one big outdoor gallery that celebrates our community, our history and the wonderfully weird people who make this place what it is,” Mantooth said.
Art With a Message
For the Dallas Yarn Bombers, there is one other message stitched into the installation. Ackerman said the group hopes everyone who encounters the work enjoys its beauty and quirkiness, but they had a particular feeling in mind for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We especially want the gay community to feel like they are receiving a BIG mom hug from us,” Ackerman said. “We want you to know that we love you and support you.”
It is an unusually personal message for public art, delivered through an equally unusual medium. Yarn wrapped around trees and poles may be temporary, but the feeling the artists hope to create is not. For now, Ackerman has a simpler message for the neighborhood: “Thanks for letting us yarn up the place!”
And if Mantooth has his way, this will not be the last time Cedar Springs becomes a canvas.
More color. More art. More gay.
The installations can be found throughout Cedar Springs now, giving visitors plenty to discover before Oak Lawn Live takes over four blocks of the Gayborhood on Saturday, September 19. Learn more at oaklawnlive.org.