Rebecca Lowry's Poetic Street Signs

From WEHOville:

You are most likely to come across the work of artist Rebecca Lowry when you least expect it. My first experience was when parking in West Hollywood; looking up at the sign hovering over my parking spot to check the restrictions, I was instead treated to a poem:

WHEN
AUTUMN WINDS BLOW
NOT 1
LEAF REMAINS THE
WAY IT WAS

I experienced a beautiful pause at the moment I was assessing my risk of punishment.

These street sign poems are collectively titled “REGARD.” and are scattered around West Hollywood. They were part of the show “Communication In The City,” which opened Jan 13, 2010. Organized by ArtLab21 and the LA Art Association as part of their Urban Intervention Project, the show’s opening featured Lowry’s signs, both in a gallery setting and installed around the city.

But the street signs almost didn’t happen.

Lacking funding, Lowry originally thought she would have to manufacture and install the signs herself as guerrilla pieces — not a preferred route, as the signs would be of a lower quality, not likely to stay in place and because not everyone likes creeping around in the dark causing trouble.

Through a lucky meeting (Lowry happened to have one sign in the trunk of her car at the right moment) the signs caught the attention of West Hollywood Cultural Affairs Administrator Andrew Campbell. Campbell recognized the beauty these subtle gestures could bring to the pedestrian culture of West Hollywood.

With the support of West Hollywood’s “Art on the Outside” program, the signs were manufactured like any other street sign and officially installed by the city’s own workers.

Full article here.