Free, immersive public art installation features work from more than 40 poets
Marks 10-Year Anniversary of Poets House in Battery Park City
Poets House and the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) today announced the launch of the Poetry Path, an immersive public art installation running the northern length of Battery Park City, from Nelson A. Rockefeller and Teardrop Parks to the North Cove Marina. The Poetry Path features poetry fragments from more than 40 poets reproduced on bench slats, banners, pavers, pathways, and signs. Its virtual opening celebrates Poets House’s 10th Anniversary at 10 River Terrace in Battery Park City, and features the launch of in-depth Poetry Path web resources and a series of virtual events. Free and open to the public, the Poetry Path will run through 2021. Visit the Poets House Poetry Path in Battery Park City here: poetshouse.org/poetry-path
“The Poetry Path is like a treasure hunt! It displays poetry spanning different epochs and cultures – enriching our personal paths with opportunities for reflection as we walk through Battery Park City,” said Poets House Executive Director Lee Briccetti. “What a joy to finish out the 10-year celebration of Poets House at 10 River Terrace with this fabulous gift to visitors: poetry spilling out from the doors of our nation’s poetry library, into the park, celebrating our collective and individual paths toward each other and the world.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Poets House on an installation that is sure to enrich the experiences of all who visit our parks. It’s wonderful that the vision of Lee Briccetti and her Poets House team has come to fruition, and I’m so grateful for the contributions of my colleagues at the Battery Park City Authority for helping to make this possible,” said BPCA President & CEO B.J. Jones. “I hope you enjoy these works, whether they be on signs, benches, the walkways – even our handball court! It really goes to show that poetry and parks are better together.”
To celebrate official opening of the Poetry Path, Poet’s House is presenting the following virtual programming on Friday, September 25:
– 1PM: Welcome and Introduction to the Poetry Path – Join us for a behind the scenes look at the Poetry Path in Battery Park City featuring some of the craftspeople responsible for making it happen!
– 2PM: Poetry Path Micro Reading with Rita Dove – Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove reads from her poem “Transit,” now on display on the Poetry Path
– 3PM: Poetry Path Writing Workshop for Youth and Children – Children’s poet, author, actor, and educator Charles Waters takes us on an educational tour of the Poetry Path in Battery Park City
– 5PM: Poetry Path Craft Talk with Lawrence Joseph – In this craft talk, poet and legal scholar Lawrence Joseph celebrates 40 years of his path through writing and life, exploring the ways his Lebanese and Syrian Catholic heritage, his professional life as a lawyer, and his working-class background have impacted his writing.
The latest in a series of collaborative path installations Poets House has embarked on with museums, libraries, and zoos across the country, the Poetry Path in Battery Park City celebrates more than a decade of partnership and collaboration between Poets House and BPCA. This includes the recurring Raining Poetry installations on Battery Park City’s streets and sidewalks, readings, writing workshops, poetry/movement performances, and more. With signage designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the Poetry Path represents the voices of more than 40 poets transcending time, geography, and culture, whose work considers the relationships between people, nature, and the urban landscape.
The Poetry Path begins opposite Poets House’s front door and extends from Rockefeller Park’s North Esplanade down to the North Cove Marina behind Brookfield Place. Even as Poets House’s library remains closed to the public for the safety of its staff and patrons, the Poetry Path makes it possible for visitors to step into the living tradition of poetry. In the words of Antonio Machado, an early 20th-century Spanish poet, “Traveler, the path is made by walking.”
The Poetry Path is made possible through a partnership with the Battery Park City Authority, partners in design and fabrication. The project is also made possible with additional support from Outreach Partner, Goldman Sachs. Special thanks to the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation for funding the Poetry Path planning process, and to the Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation for supporting Poetry Path educational initiatives for youth and children.
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