In Celebration of National Poetry Month, Amherst Together and the Amherst Public Art Commission presents the 2015 Eyes Are The Window Digital Poetry Exhibition
Submissions are now being accepted through April 30, 2015
AMHERST – Submissions are now being accepted for the 2015 Eyes Are The Window Digital Poetry Exhibition, sponsored by Amherst Together and the Amherst Public Art Commission. Poets of all ages are welcome to participate. Submissions will be accepted from through April 30, 2015.
Boltwood Poem Windows is a public artwork, installed in the exterior wall of the headhouse of the Boltwood Walk parking garage in 2002. The artist, Ritsuko Taho, collaborated with architects and engineers to create urban sculptural installations, using public art to encourage community participation within her installations. Funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and The Amherst Cultural Council, the poems were originally presented character by character in green liquid crystal in five digital display windows. Today, the poems will be programmed remotely and displayed on mini iPads, which were installed behind the garage windows in January, 2015. The purpose remains for audience interaction and inspiration to be part of the art work.
“Revitalizing Ritsuko’s poem windows is one great way to engage our community in a deeper reflection of identity,” says Carol Ross, Director of Amherst Together. “My hope is that a diversity of expression in poetry will give us a glimpse of who we are here in Amherst.”
The theme this year is identity. Inspired by Shakespeare’s quote, “The eyes are the window to the soul”, poets are asked to answer the question, “When I look into your eyes, what will I see?”. For information on how to submit, visit amhersttogether.org/eyesarethewindow. Poem drop boxes will also be available at Jones Library through April 30. The first five (5) poems selected for exhibition will be announced in May. Another 125 poems will be selected and displayed in rotation through March 2016.
About Amherst Together
Amherst Together is a creativity hub for advancing community, collaboration, equity and inclusion in Amherst. Through collective impact, Amherst Together will continue to evolve as an organizing infrastructure for effective community engagement, connecting people, ideas, and resources for building sustainable progress in everyday social practices. For more information, please visit amhersttogether.org.
About Public Art Commission
The Amherst Public Art Commission fosters a greater community awareness of the interaction with public art, and through public art, promotes cultural diversity and an improved quality of life for Amherst's citizens. For more information, please visit www.amherstma.gov/1212/Public-Art-Commission
Follow Amherst Together on Instagram at instagram.com/amhersttogether or on Twitter at twitter.com/AmherstTogether.
AMHERST TOGETHER | 170 Chestnut Street | Amherst, MA 01002 | 413.362.1820
Media contact:
Carol Ross,
Rene Theberge,