The IMPRESSIONS Project Picks 24 Local Artists to Create Images Inspired by Poets
Artists and Poets Paired for Veritable Moving Gallery of Words and Images
Clarence White, clarence@saintpaulalmanac.org
612-267-9036
SAINT PAUL (December 17, 2016) The Saint Paul Almanac has selected 24 local artists whose work will accompany the 24 poems that will grace posters and broadsides traveling metro trains and buses as part of this year’s IMPRESSIONS Project.
“We had the chance to look at a lot of great art,” said Saint Paul Almanac Executive Director Kimberly Nightingale. “The images are stunning. It was a difficult task for the committee to narrow the selections, but I think we found the most striking connections with artists and authors. We are one step closer to seeing the words and images on the town. We are very excited.”
The selected artists for the 2017 IMPRESSIONS project are: Jeremy Downie, Ellen Larsen, Katey Langer, Leah Fargo, Kenneth Caldwell, Elena Renken, Jill Ness, Kauza Vang, Thomas Cassidy, Sara Endalew, Nikol Dowls, Justin Terlecki, Leah Bedford, Genevieve Hess, Sydney E. Willcox, Koua Yang, Rosemary Davis, Theresa Bear, Leann Johnson, Kristi Abbott, Andy Singer, Christopher Harrison, and Cami Applequist.
The IMPRESSIONS Project will publish six posters (broadsides) each quarter of the year, starting in March of 2017. To celebrate the launch of each set of posters, we will hold a party each quarter. The parties are:
Spring – March 1st (changed from an original date of March 2nd) @ Golden’s Deli
Summer – June 2nd @ Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar
Fall – September 1st @ Head House, Union Depot
Winter – December 6th @ Western U-Plaza Gallery
“There are a lot of moving pieces to this project, “ said project manager Shaquan Foster. “I guess that’s appropriate given our theme of moving words and art.”
At the party, each poet will read their poem and each artist will be asked to comment on their creative process. Filmmaker Hlee Lee will create a short film about the project, writers, and artists. We will have a scavenger hunt to see where the posters have been placed.
(an example of how the posters may look)
Artist-Poet Pairings
Spring – March 1st (changed from an original date of March 2nd) @ Golden’s Deli
“I don’t know if anyone ever told you” – Annette Hyder, art by Jeremy Downie
“The Green Line” – Michael Kleber-Diggs, art by Ellen Larsen
“Migration” – Casey Patrick, art by Katey Langer
“Saint Paul Public Library” – M. Wright, art by Leah Fargo
“4.22.16” – Madeline Reding, art by Kenneth Caldwell
“City Dawn” – Anne Thompson, art by Elena Renken
Summer – June 2nd @ Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar
“Night Swim” – John Bly, art by Alexandra Norwick
“Father Bought Mangos” – Marion Gomez, art by Jill Ness
“_ism” – Liza Docken, art by Kauza Vang
“Sisyphus the Minnesotan Duck” – Victoria Tankersley, art by Thomas Cassidy
“Wiigwaasabak” – Marcie Rendon, art by Sara Endalew
“Eleven” – J. Otis Powell‽, art by Nikol Dowls
Fall – September 1st @ Head House, Union Depot
“Fractures” – Lucas Scheelk, art by Justin Terlecki
“Orange Chicken” – Maddie Schumacher, art by Leah Bedford
“Clouds” – John Smith, art by Genevieve Hess
“How to Explain Death to Your Daughter” – Katie Vagnino, art by Sydney E. Willcox
“When Everything was Everything” (an excerpt) – Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, art by Koua Yang
“Common Mode” – Molly Sowash, art by Rosemary Davis
Winter – December 6th @ Western U-Plaza Gallery
“Unnamed Haiku” – Kelly Westhoff, art by Theresa Bear
“225” – Willis Gilliard, art by Leann Johnson
“Listening” – Tim Nolan, art by Kristi Abbott
“Prometheus Waits for the 21 Uptown” – Ursula Murray Husted, art by Andy Singer
“Pet” – Kurt Schultz, art by Christopher Harrison
“Happy Day with an Egg” – Margaret Hasse, art by Cami Applequist
Poetry Honorable Mentions
“If Somewhere” – Lynette Reini-Grandell
“Bootstraps” – Jessica Hirte
“Life Reflected” – Quinette Cook
“Mama’s How-To Keep a Garden” – Laura Nova
“In-complete Sentence” – Leyla Suleiman
“Time” – Thomas Mischke
“How Do Crows Manage” – John Minczeski
“Mary Says” – Dallas Crow
“καιρός” (Kairos) – Elise Ogden
“Motherhood” – Narate Keys
“These Poem Bones” – Janice Borofka
“Under the Wonderful” – Mike Finley
“Refinishing” – Mary Davini