WCI
Special
Projects
Moving Forward
A Public Art Project for Indiana Poets
THREE POEMS SELECTED FOR NEW
PUBLIC ART BUS SHELTERS IN FOUNTAIN SQUARE
A FOURTH POEM CHOSEN FOR
“POET'S PLACE” ON ALABAMA STREET
The Indianapolis Cultural Trail:
A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick announced today the three
poems that will be featured on each of the three new public art bus
shelters located on the south side of Virginia Avenue near Lexington
Street, McCarty Street and Woodlawn Avenue along IndyGo bus routes 12,
14 and 22. The bus shelters and poems were commissioned as part
of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail’s public art installation entitled
“Moving Forward” by
Indianapolis-based architect
Donna Sink.
The following poets and their poems were selected and each will receive
$1,000 honorarium and placement on a bus shelter:
“Invisible Movements” by Karen Kovacik
of Indianapolis
“The Painters” by Richard Pflum of
Indianapolis
“The Bowl of Possible Peas” by John
Sherman of Indianapolis
Sink and the Cultural Trail management team were so impressed with the
submissions that they selected a fourth poem,
“City Generation” by Elizabeth Weber,
to
display
at
“Poet’s Place,” located on Alabama Street near Marsh the
Marketplace. “Poet’s Place” is dedicated to Jim Shackelford, a retired
civil engineer and planner with the City’s Department of Public Works
and early Cultural Trail leader and champion. “Poet’s Place” name
comes from Shackelford’s designation as the Cultural Trail’s unofficial
poet. He referred to the trail as “the canvas on which the
community can contribute its character and creativity.”
The Writers’ Center of Indiana managed the selection process that began
with a call for poets who either live in Indiana or have ties to
Indiana and who have been previously published. Submitted poems
had to have a thematic connection to the Indianapolis Cultural Trail
and the “Moving Forward” public art project.
From 120 applications received from around the state and beyond,
approximately 30 semi-finalists were sent to three national
judges:
Allison Joseph
of Carbondale, Illinois,
Barry Silesky
of Chicago, Illinois, and
Ingrid Wendt
of Eugene, Oregon. The judges selected 14 poems to be
considered for the final three selections, which were ultimately chosen
by Donna Sink and the Cultural Trail management team.
The artists are thrilled to have their work appreciated in such a
permanent public forum.
"It is very gratifying to have one’s work seen and felt, out in the
open world,” said Richard Pflum. “It helps the artist justify, to
himself at least, all of the effort he has put himself through during
the years. It suggests that perhaps it has all been worth while."
"I'm thrilled to have my poem selected for the Cultural Trail, which
has already enlivened the downtown landscape and brought people
together,” said Karen Kovacik. “The contest was challenging, yet
inspiring. I hope my poem challenges and inspires its readers to become
more active in the life of the city."
“I am so pleased that poetry is being included as a permanent feature
of the Cultural Trail,” said John Sherman. “Personally, I am flattered
and delighted to have one of my favorite poems featured!”
“Indiana is blessed with a remarkable number of talented contemporary
writers,” said Barbara Shoup, executive director of the Writers’ Center
of Indiana. “I applaud the Cultural Trail team’s decision to
recognize their role in Indianapolis’s lively arts scene by making
poetry a part of the daily lives of people in Indianapolis. This
is great news for everyone who loves the written word.
Each shelter will be comprised of ecoresin panels, which are made using
40 percent post-industrial re-grind content, mounted in a stainless
steel frame. The shelters will be installed on TX Active
photocatalytic cement pads. These pads will be self-cleaning and will
help reduce many pollutants deemed harmful to human health and the
environment. In addition to displaying the full poem inside the
shelter, Donna Sink will select words or phrases from the poem to embed
in the resin that will be reflected onto the ultra-white cement pad.
The shelters will be installed during construction of the Southeast
Corridor of the Cultural Trail, from Pennsylvania and Washington
streets to Shelby and Prospect streets on Virginia Ave.
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall and be completed in late
2011.
To read the poems and for more information visit
www.IndyCulturalTrail.org/Moving_Forward
or call 317.713.3333.
Click here to
download poems and poets bio information.
Click here to
download the judges bios.
http://files.me.com/gailpayne/nen0t0
