Exhibition: Parallel Play

Presented By The Firehouse
Writers And Artists

“Parallel Play”, opening April 12, 2024 in the Firehouse Art Center’s South Gallery focusing on playing with words and marks. The Firehouse Art Center is home to both practicing visual artists and writers. Annually for April, which is Month of Poetry, these writers and artists will collaborate to present an ekphrasis based exhibit. Ekphrasis is a Greek word meaning “a literary device that describes a work of art.”. Ekphrasis in ancient Greece was the skill of describing a thing with vivid detail. Today, ekphrasis refers to writing in response to an artwork. The annual writers/artists exhibit expands on the definition of ekphrasis by having artists make artworks based on the works of authors as well as authors reacting to visual art.

“Improvisation and inspiration are at the heart of the ekphrastic experience,” states Elaine Waterman, Executive Director at the Firehouse Art Center. “The collaboration seems to give both artist and writer permission to experiment and play, pushing them out of their usual comfortable ways of expression. That is how we came up with the exhibit title, “Parallel Play”. Much like the game “Telephone”, subtle shifts in meaning may be accomplished by translating an author’s work into another language, giving both works multiple layers. We celebrate this kind of creative collaboration and it is a fabulous way to create connection between two different communites under the Firehouse umbrella.”