From the moment you enter the gallery at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, you know something’s up. Maybe it’s the huge, haunting painting by Hung Liu that catches your eye first (are those onions or skulls?) or the irresistible flashes of color and energy that emanate from every corner of the gallery.
As you wander through this exhibit, you’ll encounter masterpieces by renowned artists such as Wayne Thiebaud, Edward Hopper, Richard Diebenkorn, Willem de Kooning, Lucian Freud, as well as a compelling array of contemporary works, including those by Saif Azzuz, Maria de los Angeles, and Alicia McCarthy.
“Reverberations is a rare opportunity to view tremendous works of art from private collections, many of which may never have been exhibited before,” said Serafina Palandech, the executive director of Sebastopol Center for the Arts.
And that’s just the artwork. Next to each of the 56 works of art is a poem written in response to that artwork by some of the region’s most distinguished poets. Many of these are equally moving and provide a whole new way of looking at the accompanying work of art. These are examples of what’s known as “ekphrastic poetry,” poems about a work of art.
In the handsome book that accompanies the exhibit, Tamsin Spencer Smith, a published poet, novelist, essayist and painter, writes, “For those new to the word, ekphrastic is a verbal or written ‘description’ of a work of visual art. Because a poem is itself a work of art (a picture composed of words), the most successful ekphrastic poems seek to tango with, rather than narrate, their subject matter. It can be intimidating to approach a great work of art on equal footing, but when a poet brings their own imagination, history, and curiosity into the mix, the results are far more expansive than what an ‘on the nose’ pictorial description would yield.”
Pulling it all together
How did SebARTs amass this astounding body of work?
“We started by asking friends of SebARTS—such as board members or donors—if they would lend us works from their private collections, then we expanded to asking friends of friends,” Palandech said. “Here’s a charming story: Alan Porter, who is our curator, was in a Pilates class and at the completion of the class asked if anyone knew anyone who had art and who might be willing to lend it to SebARTS for this remarkable show. That led to a woman in the class introducing Alan to an incredible collector who ended up lending us five pieces of extraordinary art, including the Wayne Thiebaud! This community is so full of generous, passionate art lovers. There was more to choose from than we could fit into the gallery, and we’re so grateful for collectors’ willingness to share their beauty with the world.”
In terms of poetry, Palandech said that poet Charlie Pendergast and Linda Loveland Reid, a writer and art historian, asked Bay Area poets that they knew and admired from the literary arts community to participate. Dozens of poets responded.
Sebastopol poet Suzanne Maxson contributed a poem in response to “Onion Field,” by Hung Liu.
LABOR By Suzanne Maxson from Hung Liu and Dorothea Lange Here See one by one each in its light, lined in by the painter's hand filaments of gold blood red as presence evidence memory the dirt field the bent back the picker's hand her hunger as every migrant's field where days where years the sweat of labor weight those sacks on the dry ground of exile. And here in this field laid down by the painter's mind patiently See one by one her days, years in the labor of illumination. how every form has been attended as a life dry broken stalks as radiance as tide pools how from all the long hungers she brings us this beauty. Now in a field of resonance in the labor of language to speak what it is to receive into my eyes from two women this altar to all the invisible faces, See only three sentences an offering from the third.
Maxon explained her process this way:
Every poem is a response. It might begin as sensory experience, something seen or heard, or as an insistent thought that resonates in my mind until it demands lines on the page. In those first lines, a poem’s form and rhythm emerge from the sound of the words as well as the meaning.
Writing to a work of art is the same, but it begins in the experience of the artist. I’m most inspired by the silence of abstraction, and yet I can’t help seeking narrative. The artist’s own words about their work, or even a biographical fragment, can deepen my understanding. But most vital is just to look and look and look.
Hung Liu’s Onion Field is so rich with layers of experience and meaning, it just offered itself up to the poem like a gift. The detail and beauty of her work, its scale, and how for years she labored to perfect the painting. How Dorothea Lange’s photographs of Dust Bowl migrant workers resonated with her early life of exile and labor during China’s Cultural Revolution. And finally, ending the poem, my own visceral experience of this long reverberation.
Members-only Reception
There is a members-only reception at Sebastopol Center for the Arts on Thursday, June 20, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. Not a member of SebARTS yet? Become a member and join in the fun. The show opens to the public at 10 am on Friday, June 21.
Reverberations Artist + Poet Panel
Sunday, June 23, 2 pm to 4 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. $10. — Join us for an intimate conversation about the dialogue across eye and ear with Reverberations artists Gregory Rick and Emilio Villalba and poets Suzanne Maxson and Tamsin Smith. Reserve your spot.
Poetry Readings: Reverberations 2024
Wednesday, June 26, 5 pm to 7 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. Free, but donations welcome. — An exciting element of the Reverberations Exhibit is the ekphrastic poetry. Come listen to poets read their interpretations of the various art pieces. We guarantee it will enhance your perspective and enjoyment of the artwork. This reading features Kehende Badiru, Fran Claggett-Holland, Susan Gunter, Katherine Hastings, Freeman Ng, JoAnn Smith, Tamsin Spencer Smith, Linda Stamps, Barbara Armstrong, Sarah Ray and Dean Rader. Reserve your spot.
Lecture: Reverberations 2024 Artists
Thursday, June 27, 10:30 am to 12 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. $25. — Join Linda Loveland Reid for a slide presentation and lecture to learn more about the artists represented in the Reverberations 2024 Exhibit. We will explore the artists’ backgrounds, struggles, and desires to enhance our understanding and perspective on the amazing artwork they produce. Reserve your spot.
