Poetry and Art Make Their Last Trip Around the Track
Clarence White
clarence@saintpaulalmanac.org
612-267-9036
SAINT PAUL (November 15, 2017) The Saint Paul Almanac will celebrate the last sextet of local poets and local visual artists whose work will join the list of artists whose work has graced the Metro Transit trains and buses for the past year. Our last party will be on Wednesday, December 6, at Western U-Plaza (previously Old Home building) at 360 University Avenue, Saint Paul (the corner of University and Western avenues) at 7 p.m.
The IMPRESSIONS broadsides will take one last ride through the metropolitan area, posted on trains, buses, and metro stops. Over the past year, the Almanac has brought together the work of 24 writers and 24 artists. Six broadsides are published and produced each quarter, 24 broadsides for the year, inside trains and buses in the Twin Cities and on bus kiosks and train platforms. This project is thanks to a partnership with Metropolitan Transit, Intersection, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge. Each broadside is a unique poster of a local poet’s poem combined with a local artist’s work as a reflection of that poem.
“It is hard to believe that we are in the last chapter,” said Kimberly Nightingale, executive director of the Saint Paul Almanac. “It has been so fun and created stunning words and images. These beautiful works have woven a thread of story and verse throughout the Twin Cities. It has definitely been a moving experience for the artists and poets. The parties have also been a joy for the community. Our final party right on University Avenue really celebrates the Green Line.”
Featured artists will be:
- “Unnamed Haiku” by Kelly Westhoff, art by Theresa Bear
- “225” by Willis Gilliard, art by Leann Johnson
- “Listening” by Tim Nolan, art by Kristi Abbott
- “Prometheus Waits for the 21 Uptown” by Ursula Murray Husted, art by Andy Singer
- “Pet” by Kurt Schultz, art by Christopher Harrison
- “Happy Day with an Egg” by Margaret Hasse, art by Cami Applequist with Debbie Socha
The IMPRESSIONS release party will feature a reading by the selected authors. Visual artists will reflect on their work. The event will also feature cake from Saint Paul baker and poet Danny Klecko.
What: IMPRESSIONS Release Party
Where: Western U Plaza, 360 University Avenue, Saint Paul
When: Wednesday, December 6, at 7 p.m.
Kurt Schultz lives on Saint Paul’s East Side with his wife, Karen, and their puggle, Elliott. Inspired by Lewis Carroll, Kurt penned a small collection of nonsense poems enjoyed by children and adults alike. “Pet” is the shortest of these poems.
Christopher E. Harrison is a fine artist, public artist, and designer in Minneapolis. He has exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally. Christopher is currently an arts educator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. He creates paintings, drawings, and sculpture in his North Minneapolis studio.
Tim Nolan was born in Minneapolis, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in English, and graduated from Columbia University in New York City with an MFA in writing. Tim is an attorney in private practice in Minneapolis. His poems have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, The Nation, The New Republic, Ploughshares, and on The Writer’s Almanac and American Life in Poetry. He is the author of three collections published by New Rivers Press: The Sound of It, And Then, and most recently The Field in 2016.
Kristi Abbott is fascinated with the use of color, pattern, and texture and tries to combine these elements in her work in an innovative and exciting way using a combination of substrates, papers, and embellishment materials. Major influences in her work include pop art and pop culture, Hollywood, music, and fashion.
Kelly Westhoff writes micro poems and essays about motherhood, travel, and Minnesota. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, her son, and two neurotic min pins. KellyWesthoff.com
Theresa Bear is a 31-year-old photographer who recently moved to Saint Paul. She makes cyanotypes and creates intimate portraits of pieces of nature. She loves collaborating with other artists and sharing her love of nature to the world.
Willis Gilliard is a photographer born and raised in Saint Paul.
Leann E. Johnson has been creating art for more than 20 years. A current resident of Minneapolis, she has illustrated for the New York Times and the Saint Paul Almanac. Her tile work is sold at The Studio Museum of Harlem and The Store at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. lea-way.com
Margaret Hasse started writing poems when she was a child and has never stopped. She believes everyone should be able to recite at least one poem by heart. Between Us is her fifth and most recent book.
Cami Applequist is a Saint Paul writer and artist working in variety of media. She draws, paints, collages, and photographs to create images—but also works in 3D. Her main goal as an artist is to tell stories and work with others, leading workshops and collaborating on projects.
Ursula Murray Husted spends her time making comics, teaching comics at the University of Wisconsin–Stout, daydreaming about boats, and feeding her cats. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Bryan, and daughter, Tove. She dislikes sudden loud noises and Styrofoam packing peanuts but adores regional candy and roadside attractions.
Andy Singer is a cartoonist and illustrator. His work has been published in hundreds of magazines, newspapers, and books, including The New Yorker, Esquire, The Progressive, La Décroissance (France), The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, and The San Francisco Bay Guardian.