Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop

• Exhibits: SHE Persists, Vessels of Clay, Crystalline Atmospheres

• Adults

• Saturday, April 4, 3-5pm

• $25. per person

• Pre-Registration Required

• Instructor: Laura Mullen

Experience the powerful connection between art and language in this immersive poetry workshop led by acclaimed poet Laura Mullen. The session begins in the gallery with slow looking, a contemplative practice that encourages deep observation and personal engagement with the artwork. As participants take time to explore the visual world of the exhibition, they will gather impressions, emotions, and ideas to fuel their writing.

Guided by Laura Mullen, participants will dive into Ekphrastic poetry—poetry that responds to visual art. Working with questions that emerge from our experience of the artworks, we’ll immerse ourselves in a responsive practice that blurs critical and creative modes. In this workshop session we’ll use the practice of slow-looking, as well as suggested prompts and exercises to generate new modes, approaches, and strategies for writing “about” artworks, working both individually and in brief, comfortable, collaborations. Participants should plan to bring writing instruments (whatever mode you work well in) and a playful, process-oriented spirit to this engagement with the artworks on display. Note: while there’s a poetry slant here, all genres of writing are welcome.

A guide to Ekphrastic poetry from the Getty Center:

https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/poetry_and_art/downloads/ekphrasis.pdf

Guide to slow-looking from the Tate museum: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/guide-slow-looking