SAN ANTONIO – A community space combining prose and visual art will open to the public after a dedication ceremony on Saturday.
Poet’s Pointe is a pocket park located at 2509 W. Mistletoe Ave. on the West Side. The project is a collaboration between San Antonio artists Kim Bishop and Luis Valderas.
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“This project gave us an opportunity to create a place where the future of this community can gather, meditate and perform while they look up to the sky and contemplate the most important question — ‘What if?’” collaborating artists Bishop and Valderas said.
The small park will also incorporate an initiative by former San Antonio Port Laureate Octavio Quintanilla.
A dedication ceremony is set for Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the park. A ribbon cutting by District 7 Councilwoman Rosie Castro, refreshments and a poetry reading from Quintanilla are also part of the ceremony.
The City of San Antonio’s Arts & Culture Department initiated the project as part of a capital improvements project for the Seeling Channel floodplain. The department worked with Bishop and Valderas to create a community space of beautification and placemaking.
“This is an example of how thoughtful and intentional public art design can be used to create a multi-use setting for enjoying the outdoors, socializing, reading and creating,” said Department of Arts & Culture Executive Director Krystal Jones. “Through this functional artwork, we hope (to) contribute to a healthy, connected community and creating memorable experiences for all.”
Bishop and Valderas invited artists and poets from District 7 to assist with the project.
The art and poetry displayed draw inspiration from the elements and nearby street names.
Poet’s Pointe will feature the work of artists from several disciplines, including:
- Lead Artists and Curators: Kim Bishop and Luis Valderas (Bishop & Valderas, LLC).
- Poems curated by Octavio Quintanilla and created by poets Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, Dr. Carmen Tafolla, Eddie Vega, Octavio Quintanilla, Jenny Browne, Joshua Robbins and Natalia Treviño.
- Artworks curated by Kim Bishop & Luis Valderas and created by artists Brandy Gonzalez, Cody Vance, Debora Kuetzpal Vasquez, David Zamora Casas, Jose Balli, Margaret Craig and Norma Jean Moore.
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