NYC Parks and The Poetry Society of America have unveiled one of the five poetry installations now on display in New York City parks through the Park Poems program.
Parks Poems in NYC
Park Poems is a new initiative by NYC Parks and The Poetry Society of America that transforms poems into site-specific works of public art. The program features selected poems installed in harmony with the surrounding landscape and park infrastructure around the five boroughs of New York City.
The poems collectively focus on the theme of reflection, inviting parkgoers to pause and contemplate.
In this first year of the Parks Poems project, the Poetry Society and NYC Parks are displaying poems in the following five public parks:
Bronx: Clason Point Park, “Twilight” by W.S. Merwin
Brooklyn: Valentino Pier, “I Was Never Able to Pray” by Edward Hirsch
Manhattan: Sunken Playground, “Oscura luz / Dark Light” by Francisco X. Alarcón (Spanish/English)
Staten Island: Clove Lakes Park, “我坐在這裡 / I Sit Here” by Liu Xia (Chinese/English)
Queens: Francis Lewis Park, “Six Tankas” by Harryette Mullen
The poetry installations will remain on view for approximately one year.
The poets selected for the program come from around the world, and non-English poems are presented in both the original language and English translation.
Poems in Public Spaces
Matt Brogan, Executive Director of The Poetry Society of America said, “Literature is the most democratic art form, and when we place poems in public spaces, we affirm that democratic spirit, creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to encounter imaginative language in unexpected and intimate ways. Nowhere is that promise more abundant than in our public parks.”
“Our public parks are important oases amid the hustle of New York City life, and these poetry installations will invite park patrons to pause, reflect, and connect with their environment in new ways,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Making beautiful poetry accessible to New Yorkers in all five boroughs fits perfectly with our mission at NYC Parks, and I am grateful to The Poetry Society of America for their partnership on this project.”
Where to View Parks Poems
Here’s a map of where to view parks poems.
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