I have written very few poems in my lifetime — maybe six or seven completely polished poems. Knowing this, you might wonder what led me to sign up for two poetry classes five years ago — it was the class titles and descriptions that intrigued me.
I got a lot out of taking those poetry classes, but when my poetry teacher recently sent me a handwritten note and flier inviting me to attend her “Ekphrastic Festival”, I was really puzzled. Looking up the word, I learned that “ekphrasis” is an originally Greek word which came to identifiy the practice of creating works of art inspired by other works of art, for
instance John Keat’s famous poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn”.
Still, I resisted the call to action in my teacher’s personalized invitation until only a few days before her festival. Then curiosity got the better of me and I called to ask, “Considering that I’ve not written a poem in ages, what might I gain from coming to your festival?”
She said, “It’s no problem that you haven’t written any poetry. I still think you might like to come, because I think you’ll find it very interesting”
There are times when I have an urge to honor another person’s intuition about what could be good for me, without having to completely figure it out — and this was one — so, I said, “O.K. I’ll come.”
A few days later, I listened and talked to poets who paint and sing arias, play banjo and write poems, take photographs and write poems about them, travel and write poems inspired by sculptures by famous artists, do exhibitions and sell fine art, and write poetry on the art they sell. They were all creating ekphrastically and could show and read works in many forms, with diverse creative sensibilities.
I heard various definitions of the word “ekphrasis” and beliefs about the nature of art. As creators, we had clearly differentiated opinions, leading to some very meaningful discussions. Many in the group believe that ekphrasis includes the minds and hearts of your audience, which may respond to your art in a variety of divergent ways which may or not include your original intentions.
Overall, the festival was a celebration of creative community, as well as of each individual’s artistic perceptions, creative quandaries, and freedom to express in whatever form they choose. At the end of the day I came away feeling enriched, with a better understanding of the artistic tradition of ekphrasis.