MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Most of an eight-story mural promoting ocean life and conservation in downtown Dallas is gone. The piece was covered to make way for a new mural, one that champions the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in less than a month. But instead of generating excitement in one of its host cities, the project has stirred up controversy. Marcheta Fornoff from member station KERA News in Dallas explains.
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MARCHETA FORNOFF, BYLINE: The big orange lifts have come to a halt and so have the workers wielding rollers with bright-blue paint. But most of the humpback whales and dolphins that covered the length of the building and swam onto its side are now gone. The mural was painted in 1999 by the artist Wyland. He says no one reached out to him in advance. Instead, the Floridian learned his work was being painted over when a Dallas resident reached out to his assistant.
WYLAND: As soon as I saw that picture, I mean, it was too late. They had - you know, they say whitewashed - they bluewashed (ph) it, and they had it over halfway destroyed.
FORNOFF: The new paint job blew up on social media. It prompted two high school seniors to start a petition. It also caught the eye of country music star Kacey Musgraves. On Instagram, she said, quote, "this makes me really sad. We suck the soul out of everything."
Dallas is home to the International Broadcast Center for the World Cup and the stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play is in nearby Arlington. That's where all of the tournament games will be held. Losing the mural touched nerves that were already tender. Arlington will host more World Cup games than any other city, but ticket prices are out of reach for most locals. And Dallas is several months into a debate about whether to preserve its I.M. Pei-designed city hall building or demolish it and redevelop the high-value land where it's built.
CARLOS DONJUAN: I think people just want to feel like they belong. People want to feel like people care about them.
FORNOFF: Carlos Donjuan teaches art and art history at the University of Texas at Arlington. He's also a graffiti artist and muralist.
DONJUAN: Sometimes something just as simple as a mural can bring value to the community. And it gives people a sense of pride, a little bit of beautification for the neighborhood sometimes.
FORNOFF: Wyland and his lawyer issued a cease-and-desist letter. The city of Dallas said it issued a permit to close the sidewalk but directed all questions about the mural to the local World Cup committee. The company that owns the building said they were asked to donate the wall and were told that Wyland had been contacted. Wyland and his attorney say the new paint violates the Visual Artists Rights Act, or VARA, which protects the integrity of an artist's work.
NICK ROIDE: Basically, it's a recognition of the relationship between the artist and the artist's creation, right? They're putting their passion into the work.
FORNOFF: Nick Roide is the attorney who represents Wyland.
ROIDE: So what that prevents is intentional distortion, mutilation or other modification of the work. Essentially, that's hurting the artist's honor or reputation.
FORNOFF: There is a legal way to remove a mural. They say it wasn't followed. The North Texas FWC Organizing Committee declined an interview. In a statement, it said it recognizes, quote, "the cultural and historical significance" of the mural and is committed to preserving a portion of it. The committee said the new mural was meant to capture the, quote, "energy, unity and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026 this summer." It's unclear whether the new mural will move forward. For Wyland, the partial preservation isn't enough.
WYLAND: I don't want them painting a mural - an advertisement - over that wall. That wall's sacred.
FORNOFF: He sees this as an opportunity to assert the rights of visual artists, and he says he won't back down. For NPR News, I'm Marcheta Fornoff in Dallas.
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