Experiencing Ekphrasis

This week I had the privilege of attending BYU's annual Poetry Jam at the Museum of Art. The evening began with the definition of what we were doing: poetry responding to art, or ekphrasis. This was my first experience with ekphrasis, and I have to say it was a good one. We actually walked to the inspirational paintings through many of the exhibits in the museum, and each poem was read by its original author next to its muse. That combination alone is a rare privilege. 

It was interesting to me that some of the poetry tied directly into its work of art, while others hardly followed their inspiration at all. It made me think about how art can affect us in ways that are both obvious, and also very personal. Sometimes art takes us to places we never expected to go. 

The first poem read was about the above piece of Tiffany Glass called "The Reader." The author entitled her poem the same. She described the girl's eyes, the pages of her book, and even the flowers in her hair. She recollected how these details made her feel and what she thought it meant. She ended by describing how the piece made her want to jump right inside that girl's story. This piece of ekphrasis was very closely knit with its mother piece of art. The two intertwined so much that the poem could hardly stand on its own two feet if read with no visual aid. 

However, the poem read and written by Melodie Jackson entitled "Glass Ceilings" was the very opposite. It was based on the piece "Relativity" by M. C. Escher, but you hardly knew you were standing next to his work at all as you got lost in the world she created with her words. Escher's piece is a series of staircases that defy gravity and seem to bleed into one another as they lead nowhere. Melodie's piece was about glass ceilings and social change, and how she felt about the past and the future. It was a thrilling piece, and never referenced its muse work once.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I hope to make it back again in the future. It was refreshing to see poetry alive and well, combining with other mediums in such an entrancing way. I am grateful for the opportunity to experience this wonderful introduction to ekphrasis.