Just days before the official start of Fall, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership and its Public Spaces Committee have completed our latest public art installation, The Haiku Project.

A volunteer committee selected ten “Fall in Little Rock” haiku from a total of 72 entries to be displayed on temporary, outdoor signs throughout parts of downtown Little Rock and SoMa. The poems capture the insights of what “Fall in Little Rock” means and create a temporary community art installation providing pops of color and visual inspiration to pedestrians and passersby in the area.

Downtown Little Rock Partnership Executive Director Gabe Holmstrom says the project is an example of how a dedicated group of volunteers can help to make our downtown special.

“Installing public art -- whether it’s a series of 10 poems or a 10-story mural – encourages people to look around and notice all the amazing things that make our downtown unique,” Holmstrom said. “Our public spaces committee came up with this idea and Teresa Carlisle at the New Gallery really brought the Haiku Project into existence.”  

Originating in Japan, haiku is the shortest form of poetry in the world. Often focusing on natural images, haiku emphasizes simplicity and can capture complex moments and emotions in three short lines.

Here are the winning entries:

there is no such thing