Another eventful night at MATV played out on Thursday, Mar. 26, 2015 through the Lines Connecting Lines gallery currently on exhibit through Apr. 24, 2015. The gallery is showcasing artwork inspired by poems that the artists selected to be their muse. On Mar. 26, 2015 there was a reception that honored the poets and artists featured in the gallery.
The artist and poet reception allowed for anyone and everyone to come to the gallery and interact with the featured artists and poets. At the beginning of the night, the artists and poets that collaborated stood by their work and discussed the meanings and beauty of the displayed work with passers by and admirers. Later throughout the night, the artists and poets walked around the gallery, greeting and chatting with those who were in attendance to support the arts.
A popular part of the event was the poets’ reading of their poems. Tucked away in a large room, the poets graced the stage with great inflection and effortlessly recited their poems. The poets received praise from the enthused crowd who attended their performances.
The creators of the art and poems made the work come to life through their stories and background information on the work and themselves.
The featured artists and poets all had fascinating stories to tell, making the night even more enjoyable. Every corner turned, there were new pairs of artists and poets that had collaborated and had connected stories based on their work but also their lives. Some of the pairs had only met each other the night of the event, as an attempt to not let the views of the poets interfere with the artists’ interpretations. The artists and poets tended to have quite similar views of the meaning and their interpretations of the poems presented.
Poet Christopher Hickey expressed the purpose of the event to be a time “to celebrate how art can form other art.” It amazed Hickey “to see how you take something from your mind and put it on a piece of paper and see how someone else interprets that with their art.”
The event was enjoyable and if there is another event similar to this in the future it is recommended to attend it. It is also recommended to visit the Lines Connecting Lines gallery at MATV before it is taken down. A visit to view art and poetry will not be a waste of time and to truly find meaning in the work will be a blessing to individuals’ lives.
