The City of Bainbridge Island is seeking poets to be part of an exciting public art project that will bring original poetry into a shared community space. This opportunity invites poets to submit a portfolio of their work for review, with the goal of selecting voices that reflect creativity, diversity, and a strong sense of place. In the second phase of the project, up to ten poets will be chosen to create a new, original poem based on specific project criteria (outlined here), each receiving a $50 honorarium for their contribution. From these submissions, three poems by adult poets and one poem by a high school student will be selected for final inclusion in the public art installation, with each of those poets receiving $500. This is a unique opportunity to have your work experienced by a broad public audience while being recognized and supported as a contributing artist.

In 1998, an art installation was commissioned for Bainbridge Island City Hall’s Council Chambers. The piece consists of alternating shiny aluminum and rusty steel floor-to-ceiling panels. A description of the work reads, “Inlaid within [the] rusty panels are shiny aluminum shapes of vegetation typical of Bainbridge Island: rhododendron, salal, sword fern, bracken fern, and cattails. Alder and maple leaves seem to float down the panels. All were here long before the settlers and are still here now.” A timeline of Bainbridge Island history is affixed in gold vinyl letters on the four aluminum panels. The events on this timeline describe some significant moments in Bainbridge Island’s history, but there are also many missing narratives.

In 2016, the City’s Indigenous People’s Day resolution called for modifying the existing timeline art in Council Chambers to be more inclusive and representative of Indipino and Suquamish histories.

In the spirit of that directive, and at the recommendation of a diverse group of community members consisting of the original artist; arts professionals; and the Indipino, Suquamish, Asian American, African American, Latine, Disability, Interfaith, and LGBTQ community; the City Council in 2025 authorized the replacement of the timeline with commissioned poetry reflecting an inclusive representation of history, identities, experiences, and the natural environment of Bainbridge Island.

Deadline to apply: June 10, 2026
Application Details