The Wylie Public Arts Advisory Board on a consensus vote asked artist Sunny Bihan to revise a proposed deer sculpture for the city’s walking trails by removing several arrow elements and proposing native grasses or plantings instead.

Board chair Carol [last name not specified], Wylie Public Arts Advisory Board chair, told members she had asked Sunny Bihan to explain how the deer and arrow elements would be installed; in an email read to the board, Sunny wrote that “the deer will be mounted onto a plinth base plate made of angle iron, clad in stainless steel,” and that the deer piece and the arrow elements would be welded and mounted on-site with an internal armature and “engineer sign off to confirm this.”

The board discussed cultural concerns raised by artist Seth [last name not specified], who said in earlier meetings that arrows could imply an inhumane or unsuccessful shot. As relayed at the meeting, Seth said he “really don’t like the arrows because it looks like my hunter has missed their shot” and that, after reading about Native American hunting practices, “it would be unthinkable to take a shot on an animal if they weren't absolutely certain it would be a clean kill shot.”

After members reviewed Sunny’s explanation of materials and stability, the board reached consensus to ask Sunny to remove the arrow elements and to propose alternative treatments — several members suggested grasses or bent plant forms to preserve visual movement without implying an injurious shot. Member Esther [last name not specified], Wylie Public Arts Advisory Board member, suggested grasses “coming out” of the installation; another member recommended tall prairie grasses that would both reference the blackland prairie and discourage climbing.

Carol said she has completed contracts for both Seth’s and Sunny’s pieces and sent them to the city attorney; she said if the artists submit revised designs, staff will attach them to the contracts before execution. The two sculptures were described in the meeting as a paired installation: Seth’s piece, titled Prairie Hunter, and Sunny’s piece, titled Echoes of the Prairie.

Board members also discussed siting. The proposed placement would put the two pieces close enough to read as related when trail users approach a small grassy island near a tree-covered area on the trail loop. Members discussed square versus round bases for the hunter and Deer and agreed to a square base for better visual conformity with the deer form. The board agreed staff should add planting and landscape details to deter climbing around statues; staff recommended plants that are tall and textured rather than spiny cactus.

Members confirmed placards and longer interpretive plaques will accompany the pieces. The small bronze plaque will note the Wylie Public Art Program and year plus the artist and title; a larger plaque will present contextual material about the Caddo hunter theme, and board members said they want to include some of the artist’s development photographs to show authenticity of the referenced items.

The board also discussed timeline and next steps: staff will request the artist’s revised design, incorporate any accepted changes into the contract, and present both pieces to the city council on the 28th of this month; the board asked members to attend that council meeting to show support. No final alteration or construction began during the meeting; the board’s instruction was a request for design revision and engineering confirmation.

Why it matters: The board’s direction affects final sculpture design, interpretive context and the durability and safety of installations along a public trail. The discussion included cultural-accuracy concerns tied to Native American hunting traditions and practical questions about installation stability and visitor safety.