If you have walked along Rockwell Canyon Road or Soledad Canyon Road, you may have encountered poems stamped into the ground. These are just two of many streets throughout the Santa Clarita community where you may have run into these engaging written works. Each poem is a part of the City’s Sidewalk Poetry Project. The Sidewalk Poetry Project serves to stamp original poetry into sections of damaged sidewalks that are being rehabilitated. The selected poems may be found near parks, bus stops, schools, shopping centers and other locations in Santa Clarita. This is an amazing way for artists to be a part of revamping aspects of the community while also displaying their talent for residents to enjoy.
The theme of the 2020 Sidewalk Poetry Project was Poetry of Place. This theme called for poems to reflect upon cultural, natural and shared spaces in our community, allowing the Santa Clarita landscape and environment to be the inspiration. The ten talented poets and works selected to be a part of the 2020 project include Ian Andersen, Ashley Alvarenga, Garry Gay, Kaelyn Peay, Jessica Rowe, Katherine Kihiczak, Amy Hough-Dugdale, Kathryn Jennings Fogg, Ojo Taiye and Andrew McCutcheon. They were selected from a total of 85 submissions and recently stamped along Via Princessa. Content addressed in the poems ranges from seasons to nature, reflection and more.
Sidewalk Poetry truly creates a perfect union between the creativity of art and community maintenance efforts. Poets of all backgrounds and experience levels are able to leave a beautiful mark on a sidewalk that was previous deemed as unsafe. The City’s Arts and Events Division continues to deliver countless art resources to artists everywhere, despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Over the course of 2020, their work with varying artists has brought the Santa Clarita community a new public art sculpture titled “California Scape” in Fair Oaks Park, countless virtual art galleries and the month-long event “ARTober,” which was dedicated to promoting and celebrating varying forms of art.
Poets interested in being a part of the City’s Sidewalk Poetry Project for 2021 should continue to monitor www.SantaClaritaArts.com for updates and information. ArtsInSCV social media accounts also serve as excellent resources for accessing and becoming a part of all available art opportunities within Santa Clarita.

Poet Jessica Rowe writes:
Who says we don’t have seasons?
When the sharp edges of summer
fade and Santa Anas spring forth
and heat-curled leaves fall gold
and cover the Earth like snow.

Poet Andrew McCutcheon writes:
Thank you for stopping to read this.
Some might think you’re dawdling,
but a poem is a place
for us to pause, reflect and see
the world with different eyes.

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