A Community Anthology

The City of San Luis Obispo’s Public Art Program, in partnership with SLO County Arts and the 2025-2026 SLO County Poet Laureate, Caleb Nichols, created the Poetry Walk program to celebrate local voices through original short-form poetry displayed in public spaces throughout the community. For its inaugural year, the program invited writers and poets of all experience levels from across San Luis Obispo County to respond to the theme “Place and Belonging,” exploring the landscapes, memories, histories, and lived experiences that foster connection and community. Ten selected poems, along with a poem by the 2025-2027 Poet Laureate are featured in sidewalk installations, on City buses, and in a downloadable map and zine, creating an accessible, self-guided public art experience for residents and visitors alike.

Celebrate Poetry as Public Art

Art in Council Chambers Exhibit - Jason Towne, Local Stencil Artist

WHEN: Friday, October 2 - Opening Reception and Art After Dark

TIME:  5-8 PM

WHERE: 990 Palm Street - City Council Chambers

Art in Council Chambers will be showing the stencils used to install the poems for the Poetry Walk program. The exhibit will be exploring stencil art as a medium and the process behind installing SLO's first literary public art program. Exhibit runs October - December 2026.

Guided Tours

• Wednesday, October 7th with Public Art Coordinator
• Saturday, October 24th with poet, Daniel Bulone

Tours will begin and end at Triangle Park and the walk will be 2.2 miles -mostly flat.

WHERE: Triangle Park: 1701 Osos Street, SLO

WHEN: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Kickoff Event

Join us at Triangle Park for a kickoff event including a guided tour with the poets of the Poetry Walk anthology. The walking group will stop at each of the eleven (11) poem locations to hear a reading of the poem by the poet. A short reception will follow at Triangle Park after the walk.

WHEN: Sunday, November 15, 2026  

TIME: 1 - 4 PM

WHERE: Triangle Park; 1701 Osos St., SLO

_________________________________________________________________________________

Poetry Walk Map & Zine

Make. Explore. Read.

Get creative and make your own Poetry Walk zine featuring all of the 2026 Poetry Walk poems and a map of the route! Relax in a hammock and immerse yourself in local poetry, or take your zine on a self-guided adventure through Downtown and the Railroad District. Your next favorite poem is just around the corner!

Download the mini front-pocket zine (2.75" x 4.25") and instructions.

Download the quarter-page back-pocket zine (4.25" x 5.50") and instructions.

Art Selection Process 

RFP Released: A Request for Proposal is released outlining the requirements of the design request. The RFP can remain open for many weeks, with deadlines commonly extended.

RFP Closes:  In the weeks after the RFP closes, the submissions are sorted and labeled with random ID numbers by the Public Art Coordinator. A jury of community members including local arts orgs, local artist(s), interested community member(s), and other city stakeholders is complied.

Art Jury Meets:  An art jury gathers, reviews the artworks using a criteria and rating rubric. Based on the criteria rubric scores and jury discussion, the jury selects the finalists to be recommended to the Community Development Director.

Community Development Director Review: The Community Development Director reviews the recommended finalists and either approves or denies the designs. They are looking for any significant engineering or maintenance issues that may arise out of the placement of art

Artists Notified: The finalists are notified and awarded an honorarium for their design. Contracts are signed during this time.

Application of Art: Installation of art can take weeks to months depending on what is being installed. A ribbon cutting or kick-off event is commonly held once the art installation is complete.