Public Art

A group of people gather in a park under a red, arch-shaped structure with yellow circular lights, engaging in writing and discussion, with a chalkboard sign nearby.

A Walking Poets Library (2016)

Hosted by Poets House as part of Josiah McElheny’s Prismatic Park installation, A Walking Poets Library was a week-long residency in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park. Inspired by my ongoing interest in walking poetics, I created a week of free programming that included poetry and bookmaking workshops with myself and writers Emily Skillings and Hossannah Asuncion, and three “Walking Salons” in which artists, scholars, and writers presented short talks and led activities on the topics of “The Public and the Private,” “Intimacy,” and “Bodies in Cities.” On the residency’s last day, I invited all participants in the week’s programming to share their work in intimate one-on-one readings around McElheny’s sculptural pavillion.

A Walking Poets Library Gallery
Sunlit sandy beach along a calm river, with trees lining both banks and a clear blue sky overhead.

Mississippi Walking Poems (2016)

Mississippi Walking Poems was an interactive art piece and an artist book of poems that I made as part of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts gallery show, The River. My contribution to the gallery show was a postcard that invited guests to the gallery to take a walk with me along their favorite stretch of the Mississippi over a ten-day stretch in July. After our walks, I wrote a poem for each of my co-walkers and published the ten poems that I wrote in a small handmade book, from which I gave a reading in the MCBA gallery. The poems captured not just the spirit of the places that my co-walkers showed me, but also their personal stories of connection to the Mississippi, from a pastor who took me to the 35W bridge collapse memorial to an artist who makes work from non-biodegradable materials he finds on the riverbank.

Mississippi Walking Poems Gallery
A sign with the words "ENTER PRESS" silhouetted against sunlight, on a dark background, outside on a clear day.

Letterpress Shanty (2012)

Part of the 2012 Art Shanty Projects, the Letterpress Shanty produced a collaboratively-authored free daily broadside newspaper of news, ideas, and poetry. This paper,The Shantyquarian, was hand-typeset by Letterpress Shanty crew members from texts submitted by shanty visitors, artists, and friends via Twitter (#Shantyquarian). Each morning, the Letterpress Shanty team members identified the tweets and on-ice submissions they wished to incorporate into that day’s broadside and typeset these texts to be printed in the afternoon in the shanty’s sign press. Visitors were invited to pull their own prints, and “shanty criers” circulated copies throughout the shanties, publicly reading the contents and distributing copies around the shanty area. The Letterpress Shanty was a collaboration between myself, Jeff Peterson, and Jonathon Peterson, with key support from Sara Parr, Sarah Fox, and a team of volunteers from Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

Letterpress Shanty Gallery

A Walking Poets Library (2016)

People gathered in a park under a red, arched structure with circular cutouts. Some are sitting on chairs and talking, others are browsing printed materials on a stand, with trees and tall buildings in the background.

Hosted by Poets House as part of Josiah McElheny’s Prismatic Park installation, A Walking Poets Library was a week-long residency in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park. Inspired by my ongoing interest in walking poetics, I created a week of free programming that included poetry and bookmaking workshops with myself and writers Emily Skillings and Hossannah Asuncion, and three “Walking Salons” in which artists, scholars, and writers presented short talks and led activities on the topics of “The Public and the Private,” “Intimacy,” and “Bodies in Cities.” On the residency’s last day, I invited all participants in the week’s programming to share their work in intimate one-on-one readings around McElheny’s sculptural pavillion.

A group of people gathered outdoors in a park on a sunny day, sitting and standing around a seated elderly man with a hat, holding papers, with others listening and looking at the papers. There is a green table with flyers in the foreground, and trees and buildings are visible in the background.
Group of people gathered outdoors in a park, some seated and some standing, holding papers, with trees and tall buildings in the background.
Group of people gathered under a large red Connect Four game in a park.
People gathered in a park under a red metal arch structure, with trees, tall buildings, and the Empire State Building in the background, during daytime.
People gathering in a park near a red arch structure with a blackboard sign and a bookstand, surrounded by trees and tall buildings.

Mississippi Walking Poems (2016)

Part of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts gallery show, The River, Mississippi Walking Poems was an interactive art piece and an artist book of poems written over the course of ten days of walks along the river. My contribution to the gallery show was a postcard that invited guests to the gallery to take a walk with me along their favorite stretch of the Mississippi. After our walks, I wrote a poem for each of my co-walkers and published the ten poems that I wrote in a small handmade book, from which I gave a reading in the MCBA gallery.

A black and white logo for Mississippi River Walk Poems featuring a stylized river outline, with text including MC Hyland, the title 'Mississippi River Walk Poems', and contact information including an email and Tumblr address.
Silhouette of two people holding hands walking on the street, with a person standing in the distance
A riverside park with a walking path, trees, and a bench. A large stone sign reads 'HASTINGS' in front of a body of water. A bridge with red arches extends over the river, with a partly cloudy sky above.
A small plant with long green leaves growing in mulch soil, with a white flag that says 'free! I'm growing' in a red speech bubble.
Two women smiling for a selfie inside a room near a window with outdoor scenery in the background.
Flyer about a community poetry project called Mississippi Walk, encouraging participation through emails, walks, and poetry sharing, with details about dates, locations, and how to get involved.
City skyline viewed over a river with a stone arch bridge, surrounded by green trees and a partly cloudy sky.
Diagram showing river elevation levels in feet above sea level from 900 to 150 miles above the mouth of the Ohio River, with labels for dams, locks, and different city districts along the river.
Sign for Novelty Languages, interpreting and translating services for all languages, with contact information including email, phone number, and fax.
Display of promotional materials for Mississippi River Walk Poems, including a stack of white cards, a green booklet with a river design, and an informational poster on a blue wall.

Letterpress Shanty (2012)

Part of the 2012 Art Shanty Projects, the Letterpress Shanty produced a collaboratively-authored free daily broadside newspaper of news, ideas, and poetry. This paper,The Shantyquarian, was hand-typeset by Letterpress Shanty crew members from texts submitted by shanty visitors, artists, and friends via Twitter (#Shantyquarian). Each morning, the Letterpress Shanty team members identified the tweets and on-ice submissions they wished to incorporate into that day’s broadside and typeset these texts to be printed in the afternoon in the shanty’s sign press. Visitors were invited to pull their own prints, and “shanty criers” circulated copies throughout the shanties, publicly reading the contents and distributing copies around the shanty area. The Letterpress Shanty was a collaboration between myself, Jeff Peterson, and Jonathon Peterson, with key support from Sara Parr, Sarah Fox, and a team of volunteers from Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

Three people holding a large cardboard sign that reads 'REGISTER PRESS' in reversed letters.
A small wooden structure with a sign that reads 'LETTER PRESS' in large black letters, built from plywood and oriented backwards. The setting is outdoors during winter, with snow on the ground and leafless trees in the background.
Snow-covered outdoor scene with small buildings and structures, including a letterpress shop, a yellow tent, and a wooden booth, with a cloudy sky and trees in the background.
Group of people, including children and adults, gathered around a table with small objects, possibly learning or observing something. They are wearing winter clothing and hats, indicating cold weather.
Group of six people smiling and waving at the camera, indoors in front of a window, with a table holding a laptop, a mug, and stacks of books or boxes.
Two people working on a fabric banner that reads 'LETTER PRESS' with the background showing a workshop with tools and equipment.
Four women standing on an outdoor paved area near a building and shipping containers, with clear domes on the structure, in winter.
A metal type press with various metal blocks or types arranged on it, used for printing.
Group of people gathered around a table working on a mosaic project with small tiles.