Submission Deadline: 5 p.m., November 7, 2025
The Dallas “Sidewalk Poetry Project”, a poetry-centered public art installation that commemorates the historical significance of twenty-eight locations throughout the city of Dallas and provides opportunities for all Dallas residents to participate.
Through the project, poems written by Dallas residents will be stamped into freshly poured sidewalks all across town using an accessible, new, Dallas-centric poetry form invented by Dallas Poet Laureate Mag Gabbert, called the “2-1-Form”. Each featured installation location will be chosen with a focus on equity and inclusion, and with the intention of addressing and healing past instances of harmful erasure.
The City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture’s Public Art Program request the submission of poems from Dallas area residents.
Poems must follow the “2-1-Form”, a poetic structure created specifically for Dallas by the 2024-2026 City of Dallas Poet Laureate, Mag Gabbert.
What is the "2-1-form"? (Click the image below to view an explanation video)
2-1-Form DETAILS
This form is comprised of 2 groups of lines (or “stanzas”)
It includes 1 line of blank space in-between the stanzas
There are 4 lines in each of the 2 stanzas (with a maximum of 30 characters per line, including spaces)
And there are 4 words per line
Finally, 2-1-Form poems do not have titles, because Dallas defies any one label
Scope of Project
- Poems must follow the 2-1-Form as laid out in the RFQ
- Poems must be family friendly and appropriate for a general audience
- Poems should be informed by experiences, histories, feelings about Dallas neighborhood
- English, applicant must also submit a translated, English version of the poem
Poem Use and Information
Locations will be city wide, and placement of poem will be communicated to selected poets. Poems will be placed into a Poetry repository. Poems selected for imprinting in the sidewalk will receive a $150 honorarium.
Selection Process
The Artist Selection panel will review qualified submissions. The artist selection panel is comprised of arts professionals, city employees, and community members relevant to the project site.
Eligibility
All Dallas area residents are eligible to apply, with the following exceptions:
- Employees of the City of Dallas and their spouses,
- Members of the Public Art Committee, or
- Undergraduate students
- Minors (persons under 18 years old)
TERMS AND CONDITIONS (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)
Application for any project advertised by the City of Dallas Public Art Program constitutes acceptance of the terms and conditions outlined in this prospectus as well as recognition of ordinances and policies of the City of Dallas. The City of Dallas reserves the right to reject all submissions and to terminate the selection process without prior notice.
