Arts! By the People

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At our Friday poetry session, our senior citizens of Lester Housing experimented with ekphrastic writing. Ekphrasis is the graphic, often dramatic description of a visual work of art. We read ekphrastic poems inspired by Edward Hopper’s, Nighthawks and Pablo Picasso’s Man with a Blue Guitar. It turned out to be a fascinating session because of the abstract nature of our dialogue. I showed the seniors another painting (shown above). They decided to title the poem “[untitled].” (An abstract idea in itself!) They wanted to add their own free-form lines to introduce the work. At the end of the class, I revealed to them that the artist of the painting is their fine arts instructor, Willie Báez. A big thanks to Willie for introducing me to this unique form of expression and for lending us the artwork. Also a big thanks to Stacy Osei-Kuffour for helping out and transcribing. —Paul Rabinowitz[Untitled]Reflections,life,dreams,a man for all seasons,tightly interconnected random thoughts.When I look at this paintingI see above me and below me and side to side slowlyI see nature and food and plants and good things to smell and eatI see a dreamer; I see things he might like to doI see life, food, flowers, dreams; what makes the worldI see balance in one’s lifeI see reelections of things past and presentCreated by the seniors at Lester Housing in our Talking Poetry Class, June 03,  2011. The painting by Willie Báez is “In the Spirit of Nature, Acrylic on Canvas 20”x20”

At our Friday poetry session, our senior citizens of Lester Housing experimented with ekphrastic writing. Ekphrasis is the graphic, often dramatic description of a visual work of art. We read ekphrastic poems inspired by Edward Hopper’s, Nighthawks and Pablo Picasso’s Man with a Blue Guitar. It turned out to be a fascinating session because of the abstract nature of our dialogue.

I showed the seniors another painting (shown above). They decided to title the poem “[untitled].” (An abstract idea in itself!) They wanted to add their own free-form lines to introduce the work. At the end of the class, I revealed to them that the artist of the painting is their fine arts instructor, Willie Báez.

A big thanks to Willie for introducing me to this unique form of expression and for lending us the artwork. Also a big thanks to Stacy Osei-Kuffour for helping out and transcribing. —Paul Rabinowitz

[Untitled]

Reflections,
life,
dreams,
a man for all seasons,
tightly interconnected random thoughts.

When I look at this painting
I see above me and below me and side to side slowly
I see nature and food and plants and good things to smell and eat
I see a dreamer; I see things he might like to do
I see life, food, flowers, dreams; what makes the world
I see balance in one’s life
I see reelections of things past and present

Created by the seniors at Lester Housing in our Talking Poetry Class, June 03,  2011. The painting by Willie Báez is “In the Spirit of Nature, Acrylic on Canvas 20”x20”