Ekphrastic Assemblage: Fabricating Poems with the Art of Betye Saar

with Hanna Grieco

Sunday, August 16

3-6 p.m. Eastern

Google Meet

Sliding Scale

"The way I start a piece is that the materials turn me on." —Betye Saar
 
The artist Betye Saar is noted for constructing her pieces with found materials, “combining the remnant of memories, fragments of relics and ordinary objects” to “assembl[e] the pieces and put . . . them together.” We will rummage around in a series of writing prompts and research exercises in the spirit of Saar scouring flea markets, yard sales, and swap meets for evocative knickknacks and geegaws. In the ekphrastic tradition, we'll assemble and fabricate poems inspired by Saar's art, using these scavangings from found texts and our own writing to open up poems and perspectives. Along the way, we'll explore related work by a variety of contemporary poets, including excerpts from Bluest Nude by Ama Codjoe, a collection of ekphrastic and archival poems spurred by the work of Betye Saar and others. Our aim will be an adventure in what Saar calls “organized chaos,” marshalling energies of juxtaposition, discovery, transformation, and play.