DALLAS (AP) — Dallas residents are expressing outrage over the removal of a treasured downtown whale mural as the city prepares to host World Cup soccer matches this summer.
“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.”
Crews have been working this month to cover the massive artwork that has adorned two complete sides of a downtown parking structure for almost three decades. The space will be used for new artwork connected to the approaching World Cup games. Wyland, who originally painted the mural, expressed his disappointment in a public statement, saying the elimination 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.
Two high school seniors, Cusick and Joshua Hurston, who attend a local arts-focused school, launched an online petition through Change.org to bring attention to protecting historical artwork. Their effort has collected hundreds of supporters, many sharing childhood memories of seeing the whale artwork.
“If we couldn’t save necessarily the mural, making sure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
A representative from the regional World Cup planning organization stated they anticipate “unveiling a new piece that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026.” They noted that a “portion” of Wyland’s original work will remain “as a tribute to its lasting impact on the city.”
The city will host more World Cup games than any other venue in the tournament shared between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Nine matches are scheduled at AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington, the home field of the Dallas Cowboys. During the World Cup, the stadium with the retractable roof will be renamed Dallas Stadium.
Downtown Dallas Inc. confirmed in a statement that they participated in initial conversations about the artwork and verified it was not included in the city’s official public art collection before connecting the World Cup organizers with the property owners. A representative for the building owners, Slate Asset Management, said they were contacted by Downtown Dallas Inc. and the organizing committee this year about donating the wall space for a new public art piece created by a local artist.
The whale artwork, called “Whaling Wall 82,” was unveiled in 1999. Wyland has created more than 100 similar whale-themed murals worldwide as part of his efforts to promote ocean conservation.
“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.
