Columbia, S.C. – Writers Adam Vines and Ray McManus join forces at the Columbia Museum of Art to lead Stretching the Frame: Unconventional Ekphrastic Poetry Writing Workshop, the latest offering in the museum’s literary programs initiative, on Wednesday, June 26, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Registration includes one copy of Vines’ book of ekphrastic poetry Out of Speech.
The oldest type of Western writing on visual art, ekphrasis (etymologically traced to the Greek words for “out of speech”) refers to a vivid literary description of or commentary on a work of art. After viewing and discussing the paintings that influenced Adam Vines’ ekphrastic poems and his various approaches to writing poetry about visual art, workshop attendees go into the galleries, draft poems influenced by what they see, and share them with the group for feedback.
“We will study how painters use light, color, focal points, and juxtapositions to create narrative trajectories within an encapsulated moment,” says Vines. “In addition, we will stretch the frame around whatever strikes our fancy: patrons, other art, ourselves, the museum itself, etc., creating subtext and layering. I will also impose a few requirements that will make you uncomfortable, taking you out of your common default modes with language and syntax. In the end, we will produce solid drafts of poems and have fun!”
Vines is an associate professor of English at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he is editor of the Birmingham Poetry Review. He is the author of Out of Speech and The Coal Life and coauthor of Day Kink and According to Discretion. Vines has published recently or has poems forthcoming in Ecotone, The Hopkins Review, Five Points, Southwest Review, Green Mountains Review, 32 Poems, and The Greensboro Review. During the summers, he is on staff at The Sewanee Writers’ Conference.
McManus is the first-ever CMA Writer-In-Residence and author of three books of poetry: Punch, Red Dirt Jesus, and Driving through the Country before You Are Born. His poetry has been published recently in SC Review, Cold Mountain Review, and Talking River. McManus is a professor of English at the University of South Carolina Sumter, where he directs the South Carolina Center for Oral Narrative.
Wednesday, June 26 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
$15 (includes one copy of Vines’ book of ekphrastic poetry Out of Speech).
Registration required as space is limited.
For more information, visit columbiamuseum.org.
About the CMA
The Columbia Museum of Art is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to lifelong learning and community enrichment for all. Located in the heart of downtown Columbia, S.C., the CMA ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and creative educational programs. At the heart of the CMA and its programs is its collection, which encompasses 7,000 works and spans 5,000 years of art history. Established in 1950, the CMA now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors annually and is a catalyst for community creativity and education, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds. It is the recipient of a National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a National Art Education Association award for its contributions to arts education, a National Park Foundation Award, and two Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. In order to serve even more audiences, the CMA recently underwent a transformation. Funded by a successful capital campaign, the two-year renovation project garnered new collection galleries with a progressive thematic layout, new studios for artmaking, cutting-edge program and event spaces, an entrance on Main Street, and a revamped CMA shop. Overall, more than 20,000 square feet of functional space were added to the building’s existing footprint. To learn more, visit www.columbiamuseum.org.
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