On Weds. April 6, artists, writers and enthusiasts gathered on the main floor of Lamson Library at 6 pm to view art, listen to poetry and mingle with the authors and artists themselves. This fourth annual event, hosted by PSU’s Poets and Writers and the PSU Exhibition Committee, was a success as artists described their works. The event featured the art works of PSU students and featured poetry that was inspired by their art work. “Art and Poetry” showcased the diverse talents of PSU students and also displays the powers of collaboration.
After hearing the artist’s interpretation of the work, the poet explained how the piece inspired their poetry. There were many different tones, colors and shapes on display and conversely there were a variety of different interpretations for each piece. Some artists describe the poem’s depiction as different than their own interpretation while other artists found that the poet seemed to be spot on.
One artist described his piece as a “culmination of his drawing” and that he had spent two years working on the female figure. He stated that the poem was congruent with the piece conveyed his ideas well. The poem entitled, Lost in Season of Change, describes the artist’s figure as “One with the land” and describes her as “wild and free.” Sculptor, Tyler Goodwin describes his clay sculpture of a head as “infantile” or like a “sleeping child.” As the poet followed Tyler’s description of the piece they thought along those same lines and entitled the poem, Slumber.
The exhibit featured black and white works as well as works bursting with color such as, “Dragonfly.” The artist used a lot of color and shared that she would sometimes take paint right out of the tube and put it on her brush. Sage Pond is the lively and satirical poem that describes this exciting insect.
The poetry ranged from vast use of imagery to short and sweet or even satirical. Poet, Melissa Davidson wrote about the print piece, “Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)” with a poem about her late grandmother describing the print’s lively and rose decorated skull as a “beautiful little sugar skull.”
If you’re in the library and need a study break or are interested in seeing the rest of the art pieces and poems stop in. All are welcome and the display, “Art and Poetry” will be up on the main floor in the learning commons until May 13.