FORT WORTH, Texas — Cowboys and cowboy culture have long defined this city’s identity, but this summer, Sundance Square Plaza is making room for another kind of passion — one measured in stoppage time and settled on grass.
More than two dozen giant, hand-painted soccer balls now fill the plaza, each one a splash of color and culture as Fort Worth braces for the global fanfare of the FIFA World Cup. The installation, which debuted May 23, marks the start of what organizers are calling the “Summer of Soccer at Sundance Square,” a months-long celebration designed to turn the 37-block downtown district into the city’s premier gathering spot for the international game.
Local Fort Worth artist Erik Gomez spent weeks crafting his contribution to the installation, drawing inspiration from a sport he has known all his life…