The City of Takoma Park has begun the installation of sidewalks featuring poetry from local residents, as part of an interactive public art project organized by the City’s Arts and Humanities Division.
The poems were chosen in a contest held earlier this year, with the winners receiving a $100 award in addition to their poetry stamped in sidewalks around Takoma Park.
“It’s exciting to see poetry by local residents in unusual locations,” Arts and Humanities Coordinator Brendan Smith said in a press release. “Takoma Park is a very walkable city so we wanted to bring some poetry to people where they live.”
Three poems have been stamped so far:
- Nala Miller’s poem about her little green ball is stamped at the entrance to Opal Daniels Park at 7414 Carroll Avenue. Nala just turned 8 years old and was very excited to see her poem on the sidewalk. She will be a third-grader at Piney Branch Elementary School this fall.
- Richard Weil’s sidewalk poem is located at 8106 Flower Avenue. “My wife and I moved here 40 years ago because we discovered a beautiful wooded place where there is a diversity of creative people who look out for each other,” he said.
- Aissatou Thiam is 7 years old, and her short, funny poem about ants in her pants is located on Flower Avenue across the street from the Sligo Seventh Day Adventist Church near the Carroll Avenue intersection.
According to the press release, more poems will be stamped soon along Philadelphia Avenue during new sidewalk construction there and in future sidewalk projects. All 20 of the winning poems can be read on the City’s website.
Photo courtesy of The City of Takoma Park