Poems on Glass

Applications for the 2020 Poems on Glass have closed.

Poems on Glass Program Description

The City of Urbana Arts and Culture Commission and inaugural Urbana Poet Laureate Will Reger invites poets residing in Champaign County to participate in the newly released initiative, Poems on Glass, a project to feature local poetry alongside Urbana-area murals. This program invites area writers to submit poems interpreting select murals in the Urbana Arts and Culture Program's Murals on Glass Initiative. The murals selected for this initial cycle of Poems on Glass include:

• In the Sunshine - Stacy Robinson & Kamau Grantham (Cunningham Township 205 W Green St. Urbana)
• Portrait of Chip McNeill - by Chris Evans (Parking Deck tower, Elm Street and Broadway Avenue, Urbana)
• Arles Morning - Phil Strang (Urbana Business Association Office at 111 West Main Street)
• South Farm No.9 - by Kelly Hieronymus (Phillips Rec Center 505 Stoughton St, Urbana)

Program Goals

•  Integrate creative writing into the urban environment, creating a sense of place and purpose and promoting tourism and commerce;
• Offer unique opportunities for writers to showcase their poetry work as public art;
• Encourage collaborative relationships between poets and visual artists;
• Preserve and commemorate local and multicultural traditions and histories;
• Enrich the lives of Urbana residents and visitors;
• Increase opportunities for residents to engage in poetry in its many forms.

Eligibility

Applicants must reside in Champaign County. Applicants can submit up to 3 poems for consideration. Poems must be 10 lines or less; approx. 150 words. Selected poets will have their poem on display next to their selected mural for a guaranteed period of 2 years and will be featured in Poems on Art, a small publication curated by the Poet Laureate & Arts and Culture Coordinator.

Application Submission

For the 2020 cycle of the Poems on Glass Program, applications will be accepted online through the web form here by 5:00PM on Friday, February 21st, 2020 for Poems on Glass. No hard copies will be accepted.