‘American Tifo’

A new art exhibit might have the chance to set a new soccer world record: longest continuous use of a tifo.

Up now thru Aug 30 at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, American Tifo consists mostly of huge supporter-created works of art previously unfurled for brief periods of time at various U.S. soccer stadia.

“A tifo can range from a handheld banner size that maybe somebody holds up throughout the whole game, but it can also range to be a, like, 100-foot-by-60-foot or even bigger size,” said American Tifo co-curator Maria VanDyken Li, “basically a portable mural that soccer supporters work together collectively to sew and paint and design, and they raise it up for only a couple minutes before kickoff before it drops down again, and it’s gone forever.”

The job of VanDyken Li and co-organizer Justin Witte was to provide a second life to many of the multiple tifos that make up the exhibition.

If you’re an American new to soccer (and that’s totally cool — with the World Cup here, there are a lot of you), you might be puzzling over whether “tifo” is one of those international acronyms that signifies “federation de” something-or-other. In fact, some signage near the front of the hall explains the term’s origins: “In the early 20th century, Italian sportswriters began describing deeply devoted soccer fans as tifosi, likening them to those who suffer from typhus, because of their delirious commitment to their teams. … Today, ‘tifo’ refers to the large banners, card mosaics, flags, and painted signs made and displayed by soccer fans around the world.”

VanDyken Li and Witte’s Chicago-based company, The Footy Museum, develops soccer-related exhibitions and content. The two soccer aficionados sourced these particular fabrics from followers of United States clubs. VanDyken Li said their research clued them in to the significance that tifos can hold.

“We were like, ‘Wow, this is bigger than we thought it was,’ ” she said. “These supporters’ groups go deeper than we thought they did, the amount of impact [the tifos] have, not just in the stadium atmosphere but also in their communities.”

The artworks’ immense scale alone gives some idea of the devotion supporters feel toward this expression of their fandom. You don’t go to that much trouble if you’re not truly bought in. Though the museum gave VanDyken Li and Witte a large gallery in which to work, the organizers still often had to carefully select and fold large canvases not originally designed for long-term durability.

“They’re meant for a temporary display,” VanDyken Li explained. “You can see the wrinkles, where after it was done being shown, it gets folded and rolled away, and put in storage, and everybody goes and has a beer, and they’re like, ‘Great job. Well done.’ ”

Any noticeable imperfections speak to the original purpose of the artwork and do not obscure the legitimate artistic skill that’s apparent in many of the pieces.

“There’s a lot of really creative people out there, and they form these communities because they love soccer and they love their city, and they find a place where they can come together and do things together,” VanDyken Li said. “If they’re creative and they have the means and the talent, they can channel that into proving their devotion to their team through artwork.”

The artists often communicate that devotion in ways unique to their particular city or club. For instance, one might question the presence of a cuteish semiaquatic mammal on one of the banners near the front.

“ ‘What is this baby hippo doing on this Cincinnati banner?’ Like, ‘I don’t understand where this came from,’ ” imagined VanDyken Li about a possible attendee reaction. “But then you dig into it, and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is a local hero, the baby hippo from the Cincinnati Zoo.’ ”

That the intrepid Fiona the hippo shows up on a tifo speaks to the mix of soccer and community inherent in local club supporters’ groups. Detroit City FC’s Northern Guard Supporters example bears the verbiage “it has never been just about sports,” the motto of their NGS Cares offshoot community-support organization.

The art also makes club-specific soccer references. The “8” on the Chicago tifo signifies the supporter group’s section in the team’s original stadium. Chicago, Cincinnati, and Austin all depict iconic players. The last is one of four Texas clubs represented, with local teams FC Dallas, Dallas Trinity FC, and Atlético Dallas all paying testament to the strength of the sport in North Texas.

The exhibit extends beyond the club level to also include a work of the American Outlaws, who support the United States national teams. It, too, reflects a bigger picture beyond the pitch.

“We have one in support of the U.S. women’s national team that, to me, speaks very loudly about just the spirit of support, supporting a group, and how that can be meaningful,” VanDyken Li said. “The full image is of a women’s national team player heading a ball into a glass ceiling that shatters. We had to fold it and make it smaller, but I think it contains all of this very powerful, simple imagery.”

American Tifo has the potential to appeal to all ages. The children who make up much of this museum’s primary customer base may not yet have a grasp of the nuances of a sport, but they may well relate to splashy, colorful artwork, especially when they can make their own versions at a table adjacent to the exhibit. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History generally looks to create opportunities for kids to explore and discover. VanDyken Li hopes the exhibit also feeds young people’s curiosity.

“Just, like, the joy of entering a room with so much vibrancy and color and stories, learning something about this niche world that maybe they haven’t been exposed to, and maybe feeling a little bit inspired,” she said. “Maybe you get siloed into ‘you’re a sports kid’ or ‘you’re an arts kid.’ Well, here’s an example of where you can be both, like you can love sports and use your art to express that, and I think that’s a really valuable lesson to take with you through life. … You don’t have to just be one thing.”

American Tifo

Thru Aug 30 at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy St, Fort Worth. $12-16. 817-255-9300.