April is National Poetry Month! Sheboygan Poet Laureate Lisa Vihos invites you to participate in a collaborative project happening in the Social STUDIO. Lisa is asking STUDIO visitors to write an ekphrastic poem inspired by a work of art currently on view. The poems will be collected in the Social STUDIO throughout April 2022 and then will be on display at Mead Public Library for the month of May 2022.
First off, what is an ekphrastic poem? An ekphrastic poem is one that responds creatively to a work of art in another medium. The work of art could be a painting, a drawing, a photograph, or a sculpture.
But how do I write one? Good question! There are many ways you could do this, but Lisa suggests one simple method you could try. Read on to find out.
Step 1
Start by finding any work of art in the galleries here at JMKAC that looks interesting to you. Then, at the top of your poem page, write the name of the artist and the title of the work that is inspiring you.
Step 2
Your poem will be made up of 4 lines. Use these prompts to create your lines:
Line 1: Give the work of art your own, new title.
Line 2: Write a sentence that describes what you might hear, feel, smell, or even taste if you were in the scene that you are looking at, or if the object you are looking at “came to life.”
Line 3: Ask a question.
Line 4: Give the work of art a second title, one to close the poem.
Here’s an example Lisa wrote,
Path of mystery,
no sound echoes here.
Where will you lead me?
Circle of wisdom.
This poem was inspired by the piece Portable Portal by artist Lee Hunter.
Step 3
Head back to the Social STUDIO, and if you want, add some drawings to your poem in the margins surrounding it.
If you are unable to visit the STUDIO at this time, you can still participate! Visit our exhibitions online, use the prompts to write your lines, and then type your poem in the comments area on this post. We would enjoy seeing what inspired you!