At the outset of the construction season, in late spring, Public Art Saint Paul brought on Justin Barisonek as our Sidewalk Poetry Field Coordinator, to work alongside the City’s Public Works pour team and he’s been hard at work all season stamping poems. We thought to share more about Justin with our followers and supporters.
About Justin:
Justin and his wife moved to Saint Paul ten years ago from St. Louis. They arrived in Minnesota without much knowledge of Saint Paul, only that they knew that they wanted to be closer to family and had been impressed with the city on a pervious visit. As they settled into their new place, the vibe of the West Seventh neighborhood quickly grew on them and they emersed themselves into the creative network of Saint Paul, attending Saint Paul Art Crawls, joining the art community at Schmitt Artist Lofts, and attending other gatherings and events on West Seventh.
What’s a typical day as a Field Coordinator like?
Pouring concrete is incredibly weather dependent, time-sensitive, and collaborative. Factoring these elements into sidewalk stamping makes a typical day for Justin a unique mixture of routine and unpredictability. Every morning, he checks in with the lead at the jobsite to confirm details. Then, he loads up the truck with poems and meets the pour team at the jobsite. Once arrived, he begins to take an assessment of where the crew is at. He’s learned how to follow their routine and recognize the signs of when a site is ready to be poured. Finally, he goes in with a stamp when the concrete has been smoothed and cured to the correct texture. Maneuvering the stamp is precise work, with larger stamps often requiring another set of hands to reveal a legible imprint. Through this process, Justin has noted that no two stamps look the same. Even if he recycles the same stamp at another site the conditions of the craft do not permit perfect uniformity, and he sees a beauty in that.
What’s Justin’s favorite thing about being PASP’s Field Coordinator?
One of Justin’s favorite things about being Sidewalk Poetry Field Coordinator is interacting with the community. Delighted in being a part of the process he says, “I really enjoy the creative act of leaving something behind… Each stamp is its own piece of art and there’s fun in planting a seed for people to interact with later.” He frequently has conversations with community members about what he’s doing and feels enlivened by the resounding appreciation residents have for the program.