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Poet's Pointe
designed by Bishop & Valderas, LLC
San Antonio, Texas, 78228
dedicated in 2023
 

At the Seeling Channel Pocket Park on the corner of Magnolia and Mistletoe we created “Poet's Pointe”, a community space that utilizes the right triangular shaped parcel with the movement of the sun. The meandering paths lead pedestrians past newly planted trees and around a carpet of green and up to a blue gray stained concrete pad in the shape of an eclipse or protective eye. The north side of the shaped pad is lined with a gently curved public ledge with a back wall that staggers in height. Within the staggered areas seven tile murals are inlaid into the cool gray concrete form while the bottom ring of the ledge is covered with creek-like natural stones. These two foot by five foot fine art ceramic murals, produced by local community artists, emphasize the themes of the neighborhood; Magnolia, Mistletoe, Morning Glory, Mulberry, Huisache, Sun and Water, and are flanked with poems of the same theme written by local poets. Behind the ledge, the earth is raised to reach the top of the mural ledge where three large trees are planted to create shade for the ledge, give a nod to the poet Shel Silverstein and create a beautiful meadow-like view for the neighbors. Reflected on the opposite side of the ledge, across the watery blue concrete platform are three twelve foot high cantilevered metal overhangs that mirror the curve of the ledge. The curve of these structures echo the movement of the sun at this latitude and will be an inviting stage-like area for poetic readings during the beautiful pastel sunsets that grace this neighborhood every evening. The floating powder coated white overhangs are meant to softly wave and bow to emulate a reference to a lightly blowing piece of paper. Cut from the floating white metal shades are excerpts from the poems featured in the mosaiced wall. Each day the text from this poem will shine and move onto the blue gray platform below making an interactive experience for the readers. The visitors will be able to read the text as if we wrote the words in the sky with a field of wildflowers below, and then be able to locate and match the inspirational lines to the texts in the muraled wall along the rock bench. The posts holding up the paper-like cantilevered roofs are aluminum gray and shaped to represent a writing utensil or the mast of a sailboat, thus creating the metaphorical reference to the title of the space “Poet’s Pointe” while alluding to the lighthouse in nearby Woodlawn Lake. With this collaboration of poets and artists from the surrounding community, we have created a space for gathering, reading and creating; a place of communion, education, and collaborative sharing for the City of San Antonio.

More Public Art by Kim Bishop

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