TCU Frog Fountain Mosaic Art Mural at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU Brings Inspiration And Beauty To Fort Worth’s Medical Innovation District

FORT WORTH – The archway arcade space outside Arnold Hall at Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University honors the TCU Frog Fountain with a nearly 21-foot-tall mosaic art design referenced from realistic photography of the landmark.

It is an impressive visual design incorporating one of TCU’s most well-known landmarks on its main campus in Fort Worth’s Medical Innovation District (MID) and Near Southside, according to Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., Founding Dean of Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.

“I think that was the perfect image to have on this campus that reflects just beautifully and connects us with the TCU campus,” Dean Flynn said.

The nearly 100,000 square-foot new medical education building was completed in June 2024 serving as the home for 240 students and hundreds of faculty and staff. As TCU’s Facilities Planning, Design & Construction team worked on design plans for the building they realized the archway arcade was an opportunity to do something special.

In August 2023 they began going through ideas for different types of art installations, according to Brooke Ruesch, Director of Project Management at TCU.

“We looked at whether it should be a painting but paintings can fade into brick over time and just lose that special feeling,” Ruesch said. “But to me, the mosaic really started to feel like it can be bold and stand the test of time but also just be that special touch.”

After a lengthy search, they hired Mosaicos Venecianos de Mexico (MVM) to design, fabricate, and install the mosaic art. Malena Perdomo Ventura, Director at MVM, selected Romeo De Candido, a mosaics installer from Italy, to perform the installation.

Next, they needed to choose an image to represent TCU in its first building to be built away from its main campus. TCU’s Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr., who has a tremendous passion for budlings on the TCU campus, wanted the medical education building to have a similar message, Dean Flynn added.

“We’ve all seen the fountain and to know what that feels like, what it sounds like when you’re on central campus,” Dean Flynn said.  “The mosaic connects us to the university. It emulates that same kind of feeling here at the medical school.”

The mosaic art encompasses TCU Frog Fountain’s historical reference. Each flute of the fountain represents a different class at TCU and the knowledge flowing from the seniors down to freshman. Historically, the fountain’s lotus motif was chosen for its association with education. The mosaic art highlights the stylized flutes topped with lotus petals, as well as visually representing them with unique visual angles.

“Students can walk out the door and see that and feel like they’re instantly connected to TCU and the rich history and tradition,” Ruesch said.

From a distance the mosaic art looks as if it is one painting. But as you get closer the detail becomes more evident. The mosaic is made up of several hundred thousand tiny quarter inch by quarter inch glass tiles making the incredibly vivid image. It took MVM six months to lay the tiles at their studio in Mexico City, Mexico.

“They would send me progress photos every month and it was it was really amazing to watch,” Ruesch said.

The mosaic’s deeply saturated color and tones are crisp, but not so bold that they take away from the serenity of the archway arcade space. The mosaic art complements and is cohesive with the architecture and materials of the archway.  The design team felt like a rich pop of color would be very important, Ruesch added.

“We figured that people would be eating their lunch out there or leaving the office or school every day,” Ruesch said. “There’s a lot of neutral tones on the exterior of the building so we really wanted something that would pop and catch your eye as you’re leaving or as you’re driving by on Rosedale.”

Romeo De Candido came to Fort Worth for the on-site installation process where crews had to reassemble the tiny glass tiles of the mosaic art inside the archway. It stands approximately 20 feet by 6 inches tall and 19 feet by 10 inches wide. It took 10 days for the crew to reassemble it.

The mosaic art serves to be an inspiration for collaboration and community.

“I think this is going to carry through the decades and how our visitors and our students feel about this environment,” Dean Flynn said. “I’ve never been in such an inviting medical school building before and I love this.”