Once More Unto The Streets Of Jamestown.

3rd Street Canvas will return this Spring!!!

Arts Council For Chautauqua County is accepting submissions for “3rd Street Canvas – An Urban Literary Trail,” a public art installation that will display the writing of community members on buildings and other structures on and around Third Street in downtown Jamestown. The goal of the project is to give the community an opportunity to participate directly in a public art installation created from their own writing. This will be the second “3rd Street Canvas”  art installation in Jamestown since 2011.

Described by national studies as “Creative Placemaking,” the project uses the businesses and public spaces in downtown Jamestown as an art gallery for local talent. Public art is developed and intended to animate public and private spaces using a common theme, ours is literary, while having it accessible to the entire community. The Urban Literary Trail will provide the “canvas” for community writers of all ages who are willing and eager to display their work.

Submission details are as follows:

All entries must be received by April 1st to: 3rdstreetcanvas@gmail.com.  Submissions should not exceed 100 words and can be of any genre: poetry, prose, micro-fiction, autobiography, etc.  Each submission must have a title  A brief narrative describing the author’s inspiration behind the submission must accompany the writing.  Only original material will be accepted.  Include your name, address and telephone number with your submission and a few sentences about yourself.  Only two submissions per person will be accepted.

A panel of community members  will review the entries, choosing up to 40 for downtown display.  Some of the submissions will also be interpreted by local artists into original art that will be displayed alongside the literature.  Those not chosen for submission will be featured on the 3rd Street Canvas website:  3rdstreetcanvas.wordpress.com  No prior professional writing experience is necessary.

By submitting a writing sample, the creator acknowledges that the work may be edited for grammar and punctuation but not for content. The sample may be used in a commemorative booklet, artwork, calendar or other written or media based productions along with other submissions.   Beyond reprinting for the installation and booklet, the creator will retain ownership of the submission. Work will not be sold individually, however it may become part of a collection that may be sold to raise funds to support the arts in Chautauqua County. Credit for all work used will be duly noted.

There is no guarantee that submissions will be used. No feedback from the review committee or the Arts Council will be provided to those submitting.  All writers will be notified of inclusion or not through email.   The chosen work will be displayed as part of the “3rd Street Canvas” beginning in early June and continuing through August  2013 and may be displayed in other installations or works of art in perpetuity.

Local organizations or businesses interested in displaying or sponsoring the printing costs of a piece should call 716-664-2465, extension 227 or email lbarry@artscouncil.com.

3rd Street Canvas is made possible by Arts Council For Chautauqua County through a Community Service Grant from Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and support from Reg Lenna Civic Center.

 

And So It Begins….

The 3rd Street Canvas – An Urban Literary Trail is officially open for business. 

If you travel to downtown Jamestown, you may pick up an official booklet with a map of the trail at the Reg Lenna Civic Center, Cooper’s, Jones 212 Bakery, Labyrinth Press Company, Quick Solutions, the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena and the James Prendergast Library.  You may start on the trail at any point and read the original poetry, prose, fiction and more from several area writers.

Over 170 submissions were received when the call for writing went out.  On these pages you will find original pieces by several writers whose work did not make it on to the official trail.  Just click on a name to the right and start reading.

 

The Trail Will Begin Here

Corner of 3rd and Spring Streets in Jamestown.
Arts Council For Chautauqua County and Reg Lenna Civic Center are pleased to unveil the new public art installation, “3rd Street Canvas – An Urban Literary Trail”. A community-wide effort, the Literary Trail will feature 42 selections of poetry, prose and other writing styles prominently displayed on windows and walls throughout Jamestown, New York. All of the writing is original and written by residents in the Chautauqua County area. Original visual art and photography by local artists will accompany some of the selections at their downtown locations.

A public ribbon-cutting with Jamestown Mayor, Sam Teresi, will officially open the trail on Wednesday May 4 at 4:30pm at the southwest corner of 3rd and Spring Streets. The installation spans 3rd street businesses from the Reg Lenna Civic Center to the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena and up to the Prendergast Library. Selections will also be located on businesses on Pine Street, Potters Alley, Main Street, 4th Street and Cherry Street. Trail guides will be available at participating businesses, featuring a map and information about each selection.

Over 170 submissions were received by over 140 writers from the area. A panel, led by Catherine Way of the Prendergast Library, narrowed the selections down to the ones featured on the trail. The remaining submissions will be published online on this website.

“3rd Street Canvas – An Urban Literary Trail” will be open to the public 24 hours a day through mid-August. The installation was conceived by the board and staff of the Arts Council For Chautauqua County and Reg Lenna Civic Center and realized with design work by Ray Downey with printing by Chautauqua Sign Company and Quick Solutions. Support for the installation was provided by Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Jason Stronz and the Renaissance Corporation and several sponsors acknowledged in the trail guide.

 

Quite A Lineup

10 of the selections were installed yesterday….

 

There will be art with the words.

 

Words, words, words…..

 

Almost there….

After several months of planning, reading submissions, getting support from artists and businesses, the 3rd Street Canvas – Urban Literary Trail is close to being unveiled.

“What is 3rd Street Canvas?”,  you ask.  Good question.

3rd Street Canvas is a public art installation based in Jamestown, New York, U.S.A.  It is the first of its kind in the city and will publicly showcase the original written words of several of the city’s, um…. citizens.

144 writers submitted poetry, prose and more to a panel of community members.  Between 35 and 45 of these will be displayed prominently on buildings and in windows throughout the downtown area.  This art will primarily be seen on and around 3rd Street, while several others will be displayed on adjoining streets such as Cherry, Pine and Spring.  We’ll even display a few in some choice pedestrian alleyways.

A handful of these selections are being interpreted by local visual artists and photographers.  This art will accompany text where it lives.

The locations of each writing will indicated on a map that will be available at the Arts Council For Chautauqua County, Reg Lenna Civic Center and Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena.  The map will also be found at several participating businesses in downtown Jamestown.

That is all for now.  Keep watching this space as we’ll post an official announcement here when everything has been installed.

We’ll also be hosting the remaining submissions that did not make it into the installation.

Yup. That's a logo all right.