[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17121]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       PAULA BLINCOE COLLINS' ART SELECTED FOR THE CITY OF DENTON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 22, 2007

  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, it is my greatest pleasure to announce 
that Paula Blincoe Collins of Denton has been selected by the Denton 
Public Art Committee to create its first commissioned piece of public 
art which is to be displayed in the lobby of the Denton Civic Center. 
The piece is a mural that portrays Quakertown, an African-American 
settlement that stood where the Denton Civic Center is before it was 
relocated to Southeast Denton in the 1920s.
  The artist Paula Collins is well known for her skills in brick 
sculpture. Among her many creations are two previously completed 
projects for City facilities, the ``Woman of Justice'' installed in 
1994 and two entrance monuments erected in Denton at the Pecan Creek 
Waste Management facility in 2000.
  For this project, which is expected to be completed in spring 2008, 
Ms. Collins will consult with the descendants of the original 
Quakertown residents. Together they will select a wide assortment of 
images that represent life in that community and which will be depicted 
on the brick mural.
  The nine-member Public Art Committee was appointed by the City 
Council in 2006 to promote the cultural environment, tourism, enhance 
community aesthetics, improve the quality of life by allowing people to 
experience art in public places, showcase cultural diversity, and 
create a distinctive city identity. It serves as an advisory committee 
to the Parks, Recreation, and Beautification Board, which are also 
council appointed. The director of the Greater Denton Arts Council 
serves as an ex-officio member and the director of the Denton Parks and 
Recreation Department is staff liaison to the committee. Its funding 
comes from the hotel tax funds allocated annually for public events and 
projects that make Denton an attractive tourist venue.
  I am honored to serve such a talented individual like Paula Collins, 
and I know that her art will beauty our great city.

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