The New Year's Eve countdown is on, and in a year that's seen political and social turmoil many people can't wait to flip the calendar from 2016 to 2017.
A group of artists in Fort Worth is putting its own positive stamp on what's to come, in the form of one big party.
The artists are transforming a warehouse on the Near South Side into a venue for live music and art exhibits that organizers are literally calling "The Future." The new generation of artists making their mark in Fort Worth say that future looks bright.
"This is our time machine from the past to the future," explained Fort Worth artist Jay Wilkinson, walking through a tunnel he and a crew are constructing.
It's an art installation that's a symbolic cleansing of what's been a turbulent 2016.
"It was a rough year all the way around," Wilkinson said.
That is part of the promise of a new year.
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"You can come out fresh and clean like a clean slate, and you have a lot more place to take on new things," said Wilkinson.
He and a group of young artists say their city is going through that transition, too, coming into its own as a cultural and artistic hub.
"We feel like we're at home here because Fort Worth cares about art," said event producer Nicole Ofeno.
On Saturday night the best of the local art and music scene will be on display when the warehouse transforms into a blowout New Year's Eve bash that organizers hope will make a mark.
"We would love for Fort Worth to be a national city, where people come from all over to play and see art in Fort Worth," said Ofeno.
They want it to be a place where art is something you can touch and feel, and where we're building hope for what's coming next.
"It kind of brings people to a place of feeling like art is for them," Wilkinson said.
"The future is all of ours to make together," said Ofeno.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Saturday at Shipping and Receiving, 201 South Calhoun St., Fort Worth. Tickets are $30 in advance, $50 at the door. For more information, visit www.futurenye.com.
