One Vision: Art and Poetry Show

“One Vision: A Fusion of Art and Poetry in Lake Country” brings together fifteen pairs of artists and poets for a fine art exhibit and poetry reading at 7 p.m. Saturday, October 16 at the Oconomowoc Arts Center, unveiling the final results of a summer-long collaboration between the selected artists and poets.  A reception with live music and refreshments will also be part of the evening’s event, which is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a preview and meeting with the artists and poets.

Called “ekphrastic” (that is, art or poetry inspired by other creative mediums), the project’s goal is for the artists and poets to interact with each other to create a new expression of art or poetry from that experience.  Poets and artists have spent the summer viewing/reading each other’s work as they got to know each other and how the creative process works in each of their respective mediums.  From this exploration, a poet could write a new poem to a piece of artwork, the artist create a new piece inspired by a poem, or the two could craft a whole new expression of art and poetry.  Part of the adventure of ekphrastic art/poetry is to see where it leads creatively. 

“The inspiring effort of collaborating and creating something new is what matters,” says Cristina Norcross, co-editor of the project.

Sponsored by the Pewaukee Area Arts Council, this is the second year for the program, which had a successful debut at the The Raven Gallery in Pewaukee last year.  Long range plans are to continue the project in order to give many area artists and poets the opportunity to participate, and to bring awareness of the diversity of the arts to the community as part of PAAC’s ongoing mission. A call for submissions will be announced each winter.

“Artists and poets found working together to be very enriching last year,” says co-editor Liz Rhodebeck.  “There’s quite an exciting buzz going on this year as well.”