The Art of Words Opens at Follow Your Art
By Ellen Putnam and Nancy Clover
The Art of Words returned to the Big Yellow House for the sixth year, pairing up writers and artists in an exchange that always yields an exciting range of work.
Gallery Coordinator Sara Gravante pairs up artists who are affiliated with Follow Your Art with members of the Writers' Studio, aiming to create pairs who have never worked together before. (Some had not even met before the gallery opening!) Each creator makes a 'Prompt' piece. Then they give the 'Prompt' piece to their partner, who creates their own piece with the same name that is, in some way, inspired by the 'Prompt' piece. That way, each pair creates two pieces of visual art and two pieces of writing, which are displayed together in the gallery.
The show reflects a wide variety of art and writing styles, from charcoal drawings to paintings to mixed-media to short stories to poetry. We love coming back, year after year, to see how different pairings have encouraged different artists and writers to branch out and try new things.
Also on display were works from the 'Anything But Chalk Walk' which took place after the annual Chalk Walk fundraiser was rained out by last weekend's nor'easter. Visitors can enjoy seeing, in miniature, the works that artists were planning on displaying at the Chalk Walk. And community members are encouraged to donate to the Arts For All program, which works to remove financial, physical, and other barriers to participating in art classes at Follow Your Art for people of all ages and abilities.
