“Words on Words” is an exhibit of art that combines words and visual elements that respond and reflect upon language and/or writing.
Words on Words is curated by Michael Travisano and the LAVA team and features the works of: David Andrews, Sue Blauner, Candace Curran, Jaime Forsythe, Nina Gross, Daniel Hales, Jan Maher, Cindy Snow, Suzanne Travisano, and Kimberly Wilson.
on display through July 2022
upcoming Words on Words events:
Words on Words artists sharing their work in live readings/presentations/performances:
Cindy Snow & Jan Maher
Thursday, July 28, 6pm
Cindy Snow: “A number of years ago, I became fascinated with the work of the 17th Century botanical artist and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian. I enjoy ekphrastic writing, and I’ve written a manuscript of poems about Merian. In these poems, I sometimes speak in imagined voices of the artist/naturalist, those who viewed her work, her daughters, who worked alongside her, and her subjects, the insects and creatures she studied. In this poem, I write in first person, and I try to imagine what Merian might have wanted, encountered, or struggled with when documenting the bird, the fruit, and the branch. I wanted to inhabit a persona, one that grappled with documentation, beauty, technical challenges, and emotional connection with her subject matter. I wanted the voice to convey the artist/naturalist’s skill, and also an openness to discovery.”
Jan Maher: “As I worked on this, I realized the process of creating something on canvas is precisely parallel to the definition of ‘karanoia’ as it applies to writing: the blank canvas is confining and liberating. While it is still blank, it can be anything. Scary! To express the fear of the blank space, I filled it with words (thanks to Google Images) that mean “blank” in ~40 languages. The one exception is the phrase in Esperanto that is a rough translation of ‘karanoia.'”
Words on Words: closing reception
Thursday, July 30, 11 am–2pm
