Ten artists, ten poets - one vision
Lake Country project uncovers talent in our own backyard
This summer 10 poets and 10 visual artists from the Lake Country area put pen and image to paper in a collaborative effort to share their talents and create something new. Their inspirations have resulted in original works of art expressed through paint, photography and words.
The first Lake Country Project Art Show & Poetry Reading, "Ten Artists, Ten Poets - One Vision," will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at The Raven Gallery, 690 Westfield Way, Pewaukee. The reception will offer the community a chance to view original works of art, listen to poetry readings and engage in conversations with the artists and writers. Live music featuring the guitar and vocal talents of Nick Scholz and ShinoIshioka will round out the evening.
Last spring, writers Cristina M.R. Norcross and Liz Rhodebeck and artist and owner of The Raven Gallery, Troy Tatlock, asked Lake Country artists and poets to submit samples of their work. Chosen participants were then paired up to create ekphrastic works of art and poetry.
"Ekphrastic" refers to art or poetry created through the interpretation or personal reaction of other creative mediums. It was up to the pairs to decide whether the poet would write a poem in response to the artist's work, or vice versa.
"Because the skill level was so high from all of our applicants, it was difficult to choose," said Norcross. "Rather than pair artists and poets up who had similar styles, we randomly matched our pairs. This was half the fun … to put 10 pairs of talented artists together and see what happens."
The Lake Country artists are Barbara Reinhart, Toby Colton, Holly Kallie, Orel Rooney, Anne Raskopf, Heidi Hallett, Dint Sweitzer, Luke Wein, Troy Tatlock and Judith Reidy. The poets are Cristina Norcross, Liz Rhodebeck, Paula Anderson, Khristian Kay, Betty Rose, Susan Martell Huebner, Mike Lane, Fred Kreutz, Abby Lorenz and Kathleen Carlson.
Creating awareness
Co-sponsored by the Pewaukee Area Arts Council, The Lake Country Project hopes to create experiences and events that promote the creative works of visual artists and writers in Lake Country and also encourage the next generation to focus on their own creative callings.
Founders and supporters of the project seek to continue to offer more art shows and poetry readings over the next three to four years. A call for artists and poets to submit works for the next event is already under way.
"Everyone is just having a ball with this, and that was the point. It's so important to encourage and support our local artists and writers by providing them with an opportunity to stand up and present their work," said Norcross. "It's also a wonderful way to give back to the community by offering a free evening of art and poetry."
Inspiring each other
An excerpt from the poem, "The Trees Don't Care How Old You Are," by Susan Martell Huebner, reads, "The trees will take you as you are/hopelessly knotted/or dangerously loose-limbed/branches naked and bent/or fully leafed and shimmering."
The Mukwonago resident said the poem came to her one spring day as she sat at her kitchen table looking out her window at the line of trees along her backyard. She was awaiting a call from her physician with the results of a breast biopsy.
"I was terrified, and I thought, it's either cancer or it's not, and whatever he tells me is not going to change anything. The trees are still going to be there, and life will go on. That is so comforting to me; there is a constant in my own backyard. That's where the poem came from, and it's one of my absolute favorites," she said.
Huebner was paired with artist Anne Raskopf of Oconomowoc. The two met a couple of times to pore over each other's works and found it hard to decide which would come first, the poem or the painting.
"I gave Anne a variety of poems I had written, and I was so happy when she chose that one because it has so much meaning for me," said Huebner. "This was a very interesting, beautiful experience to be a part of. It has allowed me to look at the world with fresh eyes - not with my words, but with my feelings. I saw how Anne sees things through her paintings, and it has fed my own creative spirit."
Raskopf said the poem inspired her because of her own lifelong connection with nature. "I was drawn to the poem about the trees because I love being outside, and as a kid I was always riding horses, building forts and climbing trees," said Raskopf. "Susan's poem inspired me to create a big painting with oils. I love the rich, saturated color that oils provide, and this painting is very colorful and impressionist because it's raw and imperfect."
The Lake Country Project Art Show & Poetry Reading is relevant because it gives the community a way to appreciate the art of making something out of nothing through the written word and paint, said Raskopf. "It seems old-fashioned, but you don't want to lose these things in society. And when someone gets excited about something you do and you get excited about something they do, you just thrive off of that."
For more information about The Lake Country Project Art Show & Poetry Reading, visit the Pewaukee Area Arts Council Web site, www.pewaukee arts.org.
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