Covington Businesses Welcome Poetry Boxes as Community Art Project

Pat Brooks with the poetry box outside of his shop, Brooks' Bike Shop
Pat Brooks with the poetry box outside of his shop, Brooks’ Bike Shop

Poetry boxes are appearing across the parish, and Covington businesses are happy to support the community art project. The idea originated with Robin Hurston, resident of Covington, who participated in a similar project in Oregon. Poems are collected from the public and displayed in the boxes, changed on a monthly basis. Three boxes are installed in Covington with more on the way.

The boxes offer a creative channel for the public, adding to the concept of community-building through interaction with the arts. Currently, Covington has poetry boxes at Brooks’ Bike Shop (on the Covington Trace near Gibson Street), at the corner of Walker Alley and Lee Lane, and at Tripolo Gallery on Columbia Street.

“It’s a plus to our local culture – creative outlets like this help to reinvigorate the arts by presenting work in a non-intrusive way that the viewer can engage at their leisure,” said Donna Duffy, owner of Tripolo. She added that it is refreshing to see other arts represented in the project, to avoid over saturation of one particular artistic discipline.

Once the boxes are in place, a map will be created and made available to the public, detailing all locations. If you are interested in submitting poetry, or procuring a box for your business or neighborhood, you may contact Covington Weekly by e-mail, or visit our website.

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