Well, that's a question that can’t be answered in one blog post. We suppose it's really rhetorical. But what can be said is that in Monrovia, we
like to approach things from a different angle, take a broader view and think outside
the box…but stay in the room. Although, occasionally we've been known to go out on a limb.
That’s the
approach the Art in Public Places Committee takes with when considering new art
projects. Which have you noticed? They’ve
been busy. There is art going up all around town...and more to come.
Not too long ago, the City Council approved a new program
to celebrate the art of words: poetry.
This translates into the Monrovia sidewalk poetry program, recently
dubbed Footnotes.
It takes Monrovia residents’ original short poems and stamps them into newly poured sidewalks all over town, eventually creating our own, city-sized book of poems by Monrovians.
Working in conjunction with ongoing sidewalk repair or new development, poems will be stamped as sidewalk panels are installed or replaced. Since the program follows the repair needs, the randomness provides an “element of surprise” for pedestrians.
We're soooo excited about this, that we devoted our last two posts to the program! So if you'd like to find out more, check out the links found in a haiku we composed just for the occasion.
It takes Monrovia residents’ original short poems and stamps them into newly poured sidewalks all over town, eventually creating our own, city-sized book of poems by Monrovians.
Working in conjunction with ongoing sidewalk repair or new development, poems will be stamped as sidewalk panels are installed or replaced. Since the program follows the repair needs, the randomness provides an “element of surprise” for pedestrians.
We're soooo excited about this, that we devoted our last two posts to the program! So if you'd like to find out more, check out the links found in a haiku we composed just for the occasion.
understanding, all.
Clearly we won't be winning any contests. Moving along...
Winning poet Kathee Henigan Bautista with Councilmember Gloria Crudgington who coined the term Footnotes. |
Kai Armstrong (age 15)
Kathee Henigan Bautista
Juliette Fang (age 10)
Paula Gemme
Rhia Hernandez
Megan Lundgren
Gayle Montgomery
Annette Simpson
Carol Steiner
John Vorhaus
The first poem to be immortalized in cement was “The
Mountains” by Kathee Hennigan Bautista, imprinted in front of 238 West Palm
Avenue.
All ten poems can be read on the City’s website, www.cityofmonrovia.org/art or better yet, look for them when you are
walking around town. We hope you’ll be
pleasantly surprised.
Get your creative juices going! The next contest will be rolling out in the
late fall.
P.S. We're sorry you haven't heard from us in a while and we're humbled that we've been missed by a few (thanks mom!). We've got lots of terrific stuff to share, so stay tuned.