We spent a good part of Saturday setting up the Material Word exhibit for Fall for the Book and it looks incredible. All the pieces in the exhibit have a visual and textual component. Many of these include manipulated or made books, collaborative projects between poets and visual artists, visual poetry, and the like. Susan Tichy‘s tea collaboration Three Pots, One Hundred Teas with Adrian Lurssen and Alec Finlay is stunning in person (we published the poems and visual inserts in Phoebe for last year’s collaborative feature), and Alison Strub‘s pieces are incredibly intricate… Eric Pankey shows his visual talents (which we’ve heard tell of but haven’t witnessed much… I’ve only been privy to the pieces and sketches out in the open in their house when dog-sitting Mike). The pieces from the Book Arts course and Susan’s Bookish Beasts are incredible. They’ve put together a stunning exhibit and I highly encourage you to check it out.

The pieces I contributed are a part of a collaborative project with the ceramicist Stephanie Rozene, who is also Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. Our project’s source material is the presidential chinaware of our presidents and their wives. Stephanie’s porcelain platters draws from the pattern work on the china and my two column poems (intended to be read down one side and then down the next and then across as one piece) lift language from a variety of historical sources on presidential entertaining. Here are the labels that will accompany each work (I will take images of the exhibit when I get there):

Here are the details as were delivered to my inbox this morning:

Material Word: an exhibit of book arts and visual poetry

Opening today, Sept 21, through the 25th, at Gallery 123 in the Johnson Center….

Gallery Talk & Reception – Wednesday Sept 23, 6pm

Gallery Hours:
Monday & Friday 12-4
Tuesday & Thursday 4-8
Wednesday 12-8

An exhibit featuring solo and collaborative works by more than 20 Book Arts students and 16 past and present MFA poets — including Nancy Pearson (who reads from her award-winning first book on Wednesday at 1:30), and Danika Myers, co-curator of the show. Also included are works by faculty members Jennifer Atkinson, Helen Frederick, Eric Pankey, Susan Tichy, and Margaret Yocom. We are especially pleased to include three works by Alec Finlay, a featured poet at last year’s Fall for the Book.

The reception will include gallery talks by Helen Frederick, Susan Tichy, Danika Myers, and Gwynneth Van Laven. Many of the poets and artists will be on hand to answer questions about their work, and about the Book Arts and Bookish Beasts courses. Refreshments served!