The Poetry Sidewalks consist of 45 poems inscribed in concrete pavement in the open courtyard of Hendrix’s Creative Quad—in keeping with that building's theme of “to dwell with the arts.” The selected poems, which come from a variety of cultures and periods, all relate to themes of journey, nature, and the arts.

This unique installation is a gift from the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation to the physical campus of the college. In keeping with the foundation's mission to enhance and enrich literature and language at Hendrix, the goals of the project are

• to encourage the awareness and contemplation of poetry;

• to signal that poetry has a home at the heart of our creative and intellectual common life; and

• to manifest the linkage that literature and language provide across disciplines.

Working closely with Hendrix staff, Nabholz Construction engaged McGee Monument Co., Inc., of Russellville to carry out the project through a stencil and sandblasting process. To avoid disrupting student life (because inscribing poems in cement is loud and dusty!), the work took place over summer 2020.