HURST — The Hurst Public Library dedicated a new stained-glass mural in its lobby on July 17, adding a fourth piece to the city’s growing collection of public art and honoring a woman who spent years shaping the library and the classroom alike.
According to the city, the vibrant mural was made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Hurst Public Library, donor Julie Dial, and a third donor. The piece honors the late Lou Dodson, described by the city as a longtime member of the Library Board and a beloved teacher within Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. It was designed, fabricated, and installed by Casa Loma Art Glass, a family-owned stained-glass studio based in Florida.
The mural joins a public art collection the City of Hurst has built deliberately over the years through its Art in Public Places Initiative, a program designed to weave civic art, cultural enrichment, and historical storytelling into the community’s shared spaces. The library itself was the starting point for that effort. The initiative’s first piece, “Poems & Promises” by sculptor Rosalind Cook, is a bronze sculpture that has greeted visitors at the library’s entrance since the program’s inaugural phase, reflecting what the city describes as the spirit of the library and the inspiration available to those who seek it in the written word.
The city’s public art collection grew from there. Phase II brought “Temujin,” a bronze eagle sculpture by Pati Stajcar rising from the fountain outside City Hall, its name meaning “rider of the heavens.” Phase III delivered “Remembrances of My Home Town” by Janice Hart Melito to the Heritage Village Historical Plaza, three monolithic columns banded with sculptural reliefs that trace the city’s past, present, and future.
The new library mural extends that tradition into stained glass for the first time, and does so as a tribute rather than a standalone commission, tying the artwork directly to a member of the community who helped build the institution it now decorates.
The Hurst Public Library encourages residents to stop by and see the new piece in person, and the city has said all of its Art in Public Places installations remain open for public viewing.
A note on sourcing: everything on Lou Dodson’s specific role and history comes directly from the city’s dedication announcement — I wasn’t able to independently verify further biographical detail on her through search. If you have additional background from local sources or HEB ISD you’d like folded in, send it over and I’ll work it in.
