Poetry + Public Art: Making Voices Visible

“How do we proceed?”

When poets Caleb Rainey and Cory Hutchinson-Reuss asked Iowa City high school students what they wanted to say to their city, Abby Ortiz wrote a poem that included this relevant and thought-provoking question.

How do we proceed—through a pandemic, in pursuit of equity and justice, with listening and collaboration, as a community? What are your next steps, and who will take them alongside you? 

Iowa City artist and educator JJ Alberhasky took Abby Ortiz’s words and designed a vibrant fence weaving that emphasizes the collective audience of Ortiz’s question and the dynamic process of moving forward as a community. The fence’s structure determined the arrangement, lending itself to diamonds, decrescendos, and crescendos reminiscent of the weaving patterns of the indigenous peoples of North America/Native American weaving patterns. Linder Tire Service generously allowed their fence to become a site of community curiosity, delight, creativity, and dialogue. A small cohort of friends and students assisted Alberhasky with the installation, and the materials will be reused in future art projects. You can visit the installation in person at the intersection of Riverside and Benton, near the paved path that runs along the Iowa River.