STATUE DISPUTE SETTLED: Way back in June, we told you about a dispute going on in Fort Worth over a piece of public art. The dust up concerned a 10-foot-tall sculpture called Vaquero de Fort Worth – and the fact that the depiction of the Mexican cowboy included a gun and bullet belt. Fast forward eight months and we’ve finally got a resolution to the problem. The City of Fort Worth has reached a settlement with the artists that pays them for the commission, storing the sculpture and their attorney fees. And, maybe even more significantly, the pistol and holster will stay when the piece is dedicated in north Fort Worth.

ONE TO WATCH: Graphic Design USA has come up with its list of designers to watch for 2012. And making the list is Jimmy Ball, art director of [x]cube labs in Dallas and a recent president of the DFW chapter of AIGA. In the interview, he talks about how living in Texas has affected his design sensibility and what he’d be doing if he wasn’t a designer.

SAVING THE SIGNS: Dallas artist Stephen Hartzler has found a material to use in his sculptures that has become his signature – discarded street signs. “A kind of evolution takes place that allows the material to continue to function in a new and unusual way,” he tells Green Source DFW, which is dedicated to environmental news. You can see more of his work on his website.