Starting this spring, 10 poems by local residents will be stamped onto Santa Clarita sidewalks for the 2019 Sidewalk Poetry Project.
The new public art project aims to have multiple original poems throughout the city sidewalks as part of the Public Works Department’s sidewalk rehabilitation program, a partnership between the department and the Arts Commission, according to Jennifer Thompson, arts and events administrator with the city.
Last year, the community was invited to submit original work and more than 280 submissions for the contest were received, with a theme of “Poetry of Place — let the Santa Clarita landscape and the built environment be your inspiration.”
The Artist Selection Committee selected 10 finalists: Jaclyn Bennett, Oliver Bunkell, Amy Hough-Dugdale, Katherine Kihiczak, Abby Kirby, Linda Ravenswood, Hailey Rutter, Valerie Swanson, Katherine Ward and Abi Wurdeman.
Locations of the poems will be placed include Rockwell Canyon Road, Center Pointe Parkway, Soledad Canyon Road and Via Princessa.
The winning poems can be accessed by visiting santaclaritaarts.com.
The winners will receive a $150 stipend and are invited to attend a Sidewalk Poetry project dedication to be scheduled sometime in the spring, according to the city in a news release.
To learn more, contact Santa Clarita Arts Coordinator Katherine Nestved at [email protected] or 661-250-3777.