05/19/26 04:46:00
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05/19 16:44 CDT An outcry erupts as a whale mural beloved by many in Dallas is
replaced with art for the World Cup
An outcry erupts as a whale mural beloved by many in Dallas is replaced with
art for the World Cup
By JAMIE STENGLE
Associated Press
DALLAS (AP) --- As Dallas pulls out the stops for the World Cup this summer,
one makeover is causing an uproar: the sudden disappearance of a beloved, giant
mural downtown of swimming whales.
"I see that mural almost every day on my way to school and then one day they
were painting it over," Katy Rose Cusick said. "And it was just so incredibly
shocking to me that that could happen so quickly."
Work has been underway this month to paint over the mural that's graced two
entire walls of a parking garage for nearly 30 years to make way for art
related to the upcoming World Cup matches. Wyland, the artist who created the
mural, said in a statement that its destruction has left him "deeply
disheartened."
"When a piece that has carried meaning for generations can be erased without
dialogue, it raises serious questions about how we value public art, artists,
and the communities these works were created to serve," Wyland said.
Cusick and Joshua Hurston, seniors at a local performing and visual arts high
school, started a Change.org petition hoping to raise awareness to protect
history and art. The petition has gotten hundreds of signatures so far,
including from those with fond memories of spotting the mural as children.
"If we couldn't save necessarily the mural, making sure that something like
this doesn't happen again," he said.
A spokesperson for the area's World Cup organizing committee said in a
statement they were looking forward to "unveiling a new piece that captures
this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global
spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026," adding that a "portion" of Wyland's
mural will be preserved "as a tribute to its lasting impact on the city."
Dallas is hosting more World Cup matches than any of the other sites in the
event co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with nine matches set to be
played at AT&T Stadium in suburban Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The
retractable roof venue will be called Dallas Stadium for the World Cup.
Downtown Dallas Inc. said in a statement that it was part of the early
discussions about the mural and confirmed it wasn't part of the city's public
art collection before introducing the World Cup organizing committee to the
building's owners. A spokesperson for the building's owners, Slate Asset
Management, said they were approached by Downtown Dallas Inc. and the
organizing committee earlier this year about donating the wall for a new public
art installation by a local artist.
The mural, titled "Whaling Wall 82," was dedicated in 1999. Wyland has painted
over 100 similar murals known as Whaling Walls around the world as part his
mission for the conservation of ocean life.
"This was more than paint on a wall --- it was part of my work, alongside the
Wyland Foundation, to bring people together to protect our oceans and clean
water," he said.
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