Dutch Courtyard, The Botanists, and more at the Frye, Sunday

TABOO ON THE WORD BEAUTY: FOUR NORTHWEST POETS PERSPECTIVES ON THE VISUAL ARTS

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2010
2 PM

Poetry and painting have long been called the “sister arts,” but what exactly does the phrase mean? Join four local poets, Kelli Russell Agodon, Allen Braden, Oliver de la Paz, and Susan Rich, as they explore the connection between poetry and art. New poems, inspired by the Frye’s Founding Collection, will be read by each of the poets.

Free admission and free parking. This event is co-presented by Artist Trust.

The idea for this event began on an airplane from Denver to Seattle. I had already asked the Frye to consider doing a poetry event, but I knew that I needed to move beyond the "let's just get some poets together" in order to pitch a successful program to this prestigious art museum.

I was inspired by the session "Shameless Self-Promotion" by a group of Minneapolis writers at the AWP conference who were not shameless at all. Instead, they encouraged us to be creative in our author events. I wanted to create a program that needed the context of an art museum to work; I wanted something fun and celebratory of painting and poetry. 


The museum program person that I worked with was superb. She let me know what was and wasn't possible. Although there was no budget for this event, she helped me brainstorm a budget so I could apply for an Artist Trust grant to cover costs like food, publicity, and one to-be-told-later surprise. 


The only thing we can't control for a program like this is how many people will come. When I gave a free workshop at the Frye last winter, we registered participants and that let us know that we were over-booked! A great feeling. Since this auditorium holds over 150 people, I'm just hoping we get a respectable crowd. Otherwise, there will be a whole lot of cookies to eat. Please come!