ARTWalk
Poets Walk and Story Walk were built as part of the ARTWalk Extension Project, a cultural collaboration with the City of Rochester to create interactive public art spaces. The sidewalks are embedded with artistic content gathered from Rochester residents and artists across the region, and thousands of Rochester residents were involved in choosing which poems and stories to use.
Poets Walk
Poetry is engraved onto granite bands in the Poets Walk, as well as small medina stones scattered the length of the block. Each carving is associated with a recording of a community voice performing a work created by either an area poet or a historically significant poet who visited locally.
Writers & Books, the project design team, the selection panel, and members of the public researched and compiled a list of poets. Nominated passages for each poet were considered in 2010 by the public as well as the selection panel. No one “collection” of poems can do complete justice to the tapestry of poets who have been active in Rochester throughout history, but this project sought to represent a cross-section, including American Sign Language poets.
Many living finalists recorded their own poems. Where this was not an option, the project planning committee asked the Rochester public to nominate individuals who should read the poems instead. Many of the poems are therefore read by a variety of contemporary poets and community members.
Story Walk
Certain stones in the Story Walk are engraved with words that correspond to Rochester stories, memories, family histories, character studies, and other true stories gathered from community members.
Hundreds of Rochester residents of all ages and backgrounds submitted their stories for consideration by a selection panel led by Writers & Books. Stories were collected in 2010, finalists were chosen in Winter 2011, and the public was invited to share their feedback again in Spring 2011 to narrow down the finalists.
Credits
Poets Walk is maintained by the Memorial Art Gallery, thanks to a gift from Robert and Joanne Gianniny.
Story Walk is maintained by the Memorial Art Gallery, thanks to a gift from the Louis S. & Molly B. Wolk Foundation.
The infrastructure project was funded with federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds. It received funding through the Transportation Enhancement Program. It received funding through the National Endowment for the Arts through the Mayors’ Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative grant program, which rewarded programs with excellent planning, design, and arts engagement.
Prime Contractor: Bergmann Associates
Senior Artist (concept & design): William Cochran, Cochran Studio
Facilitator & Project Manager: Teresa Cochran, Cochran Studio
Landscape Architect (design integration): Mark Bayer
ArtDrop website: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Lead community cultural organization: Writers & Books
Selection Panel:
Dale Davis, New York State Literary Center
Joe Flaherty, Writers & Books
Hazeldene Hercules, City of Rochester, Cultural Liaison
Grant Holcomb, Memorial Art Gallery
Arlette Miller Smith, St. John Fisher College
John Roche, RIT, poet
William Cochran, Senior Artist, Design Team Liaison