Allied Arts of Yakima Blog

WORD/IMAGE Exhibit Opening WOW! - July 27, 2010 -

The Peggy Lewis Gallery was jammed with artists, writers and their friends Monday evening (July 26) for the opening of the WORD/IMAGE show. Based on all the buzz, everyone agreed that this exhibit is a delectable feast with enough visual and verbal imagery to sate the most ravenous art-gourmand!

WORD/IMAGE posed a simple idea to 16 pairs of creators (one visual and one verbal artist in each pair): share some past work to inspire some new work. Based on overheard conversations, many of the pairs did, indeed, find the project simple. “Within 10 minutes of looking at his print, I knew what my poem was about and got it down quickly so there wasn’t any time to overthink it!” Other pairs found the going challenging at first, but then their collaborations and ideas clicked. Several responded directly to the pieces they were shown; others were moved into surprising directions.

As we wandered the gallery, we overheard patrons reading the poems aloud to each other and comparing goose-bumps as the words floated over them. There were animated conversations as the artists and writers shared with friends how their collaborations unfolded. Several people were tracing images in the air with fingertips, following the artist’s strokes on canvas, pottery, fabric.

At every turn in the gallery are delightful discoveries. A large mandala-like painting inspired a haiku-esque poem of sensuous discovery. Across the gallery, a compact print stirred a lengthy, detailed response full of nuance. Every set of works not only opens a door into the artists’ view of their worlds but also leaves room for you to enter with your own experience and interpretations.

This is not a show to rush through! There’s so much to observe and absorb: 32 poems and more than 32 pieces of visual art! You might want to make several visits, each time reading and considering another block of works.

WORD/IMAGE. It’s a lovely show, a juicy show, a toothsome show! Do come see it.