On display now until December 29 at the New Deal Cafe is the Ekphrastic Fantastic Show, the Cafe’s third so far. So what is it? According to the Poetry Foundation,

an ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art.  Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning. A notable example is ‘‘Ode on a Grecian Urn‘”…by John Keats.

In this show nine poems and nine pieces of visual art were selected from works submitted for consideration. Each poem was assigned to a visual artist and each piece of visual art was assigned to a poet for creation of a new piece in response. Identifies of the poets and artists were kept secret from each while they created the new work.

Signage encourages visitors to see if they can figure out which came first. (And a folded card next to each reveals the answer!)

The poets and artists above are among those who spoke to the crowd during the opening event for the Ekphrastic Fantastic Show. Clockwise from upper left they are poet Joe Parks, artist Barbara Baluch Stevens, poet Anne Marie Wells, poet Alex Carrigan, poet Christina Borgoyn, artist Moira Sweeney with poet Jonathan Katz, and poet Kathy Jiang.

I love the combinations of poets and visual artists and especially the chance to hear from some of the participants – now I’m a little less ignorant of poetry and the community of people who enjoy it together. They expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work on this project, thanks to organizers Julie Winters and Meg Haney of Friends of New Deal Arts.

Excuse my photography!

Below are all 18 poems and 18 pieces of visual art, displayed with their pair, but please DO come and see the works on the walls of the Cafe because these badly lit images do not do them justice. But whether you see them in person or not, you may find that reading the poems here online may be easier than leaning over tables filed with customers. And these will stay online long after the exhibit is taken down on December 30.