The Dallas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has selected Dallas native Brad Oldham as their Artist of the Year for 2016. Oldham is the first recipient of the CVB’s award, which serves to recognize local artisans and their creations. Perhaps best known for his Deep Ellum sculpture “Travelling Man,” Oldham’s submission, “SkaterBIRD” is almost exactly as it sounds: a skateboarding bird. The sculpture consists of the seven-inch skating bird, hand-cast of pewter and mounted atop a salvaged brick taken from a historic Dallas structure.

This rendition of “SkaterBIRD” is modeled after Oldham’s 22-foot stainless steel original, an installation on the roof of his store in Downtown Dallas.

The Dallas CVB is set to commission 25 additional SkaterBIRDs from Oldham to serve as “thank you” gifts for new businesses in Dallas. Phillip Jones, CVB President and CEO, celebrates the gifts as a token for clients to “remember the great time they had here and the optimism and energy of our city.”