Traveling Man Sculpture - Waiting on a Train

Located near the DART Deep Ellum Rail Station - just east of downtown Dallas, Texas - The Traveling Man is a $1.4 million sculptural series designed by Brad Oldham, Brandon Oldenburg, and Reel FX Creative Studios. The artistic concept plants one foot in the rich history of Deep Ellum and the other foot in the neighborhood's bright future. Born of the railroads in the late 1800s, Deep Ellum took root as a diverse, multi-cultural community with a thriving blues and jazz music scene amongst meat markets, restaurants, bars, theaters, and off-the-beaten-path businesses. In a more recent incarnation, Deep Ellum consisted of trendy shops, lofts, restaurants, nightclubs, live music venues, art galleries, and tattoo parlors. Today, having suffered the loss of numerous businesses, the neighborhood seeks a revival. When DART needed to replace the railway underpass entrance to Deep Ellum, which was covered in colorful murals, to make way for the at-grade passenger rail station, DART made a commitment to the neighborhood to develop a new artistic "gateway." In September 2009, the light rail station opened concurrently with the introduction of The Traveling Man on three distinct sites along Good Latimer Avenue. The Traveling Man ushered in a new icon for the neighborhood, symbolizing Deep Ellum's history and future.