What follows is a generous photo gallery, with commentary and testimonios, on the recently concluded third installment of the PINTURA : PALABRA workshops, held in Sacramento, CA. Letras Latinas would like to take this moment to thank, on behalf of all the workshop participants, Francisco X. Alarcón, for adapting the workshops materials from DC and Miami, and then facilitating his adapted workshop--in Sacramento at the Crocker Art Museum. Special thanks, as well, to workshop participant Nancy Aidé González, who helped organize the Friday night reception, and faciliting initial contact with the Crocker Art Museum. And thanks, as well, to Maceo Montoya and Joseph Rios, for organizing the projection of the artworks, at the reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center.
at the Crocker Art Museum
Sacramento, CA
at Tequilia Museo Mayahuel
on Friday, October 9
Francisco X. Alarcón visits with Adela Najarro
Oscar Bermeo, Nancy Aidé Rodríguez, Lucha Corpi, Paul Aponte
Paco Marquez, Graciela B. Ramírez, Gerardo Pacheco Matus
Maceo Montoya, Oscar Bermeo, Javier O. Huerta, Joseph Rios
Maya Chinchilla and Adela Najarro
Group photo at Friday's reception.
(Missing: Sandra Garcia Rivera,
who had not yet arrived)
Entrance to the workshop
Plenary session
***
What distinguished the Sacramento workshop from
the ones in Miami and Washington were the large
number (17) of participants in Sacramento.
As a result, Francisco X. Alarcón, throughout
the weekend, employed small group work:
small group work
small group work
small group work
small group work
small group work
small group work
lunch
down time visiting:
Nancy and Gerardo
down time visiting
***
Small group work (day 2):
Small group work (day 2):
Small group work (day 2):
Small group work (day 2):
***
One of the nice things about the Sacramento workshop
was how intergenerational our co-hort was.
We held, if you will, an in-house reading on Sunday
at the Crocker Art Museum
before we headed to the Sacramento Poetry Center.
The following two pictures are meant
to represent this intergenerational dialogue:
Joseph Rios
Workshop participant Sandra Garcia Rivera
had a comittment back in San Francisco
and had to depart before before this picture was taken
Podium with projection screen:
Sacramento Poetry Center (SPC)
Maceo Montoya and Joseph Rios
put together a powerpoint presentation
of the artworks that corresponded to the poems
read at the public event at the SPC.
On view here is an image
from Kevin Gonzales-Day's
"Searching for California Hang Trees"
el público (1)
el público (2)
Bob Stanley of the Sacramento Poetry Center
welcomes the public
Francisco Aragón of Letras Latinas
delivers brief opening remarks
about the PINTURA : PALABRA initiative
Francisco X. Alarcón,
workshop instructor facilitator,
opens the poetry portion of the program
JoAnn Anglin's
testimonio:
"The
artworks drew a surprising range of responses from different poets, reinforcing
the natural dialogue that I see happen between art maker and art audience. In
‘my’ selection -- the painting Radiante, -- one poet saw bullet holes
and one visualized Transformers movie characters. Me? I saw a vivid spiritual
energy that laid a path through my new poem. I think the often-challenging
artwork deepens the way we challenge ourselves in our poems. Then in our
discussions, the faceted perspectives add awareness of how our poems might be
even stronger, our insights more textured."
view of "Radiante" by Olga Albizu (1967)
projected onto a screen
Testimonio:
"Tanka for "Pintura: Palabra"
A magical feast
motivating soul and mind
spreading sharing love
creating spirit teachers
a cleansed atmosphere for Earth
I have never been exposed to art in one weekend
as I have during this workshop…
The workshop itself was filled with creative
artists and poets and just being in the same room with them was elevating, but
sharing great moments and knowledge with each other is what made this
special. Sandra Garcia Rivera sharing a small part of her vocalizations
(song) for her Sunday event, the epiphany in the beauty of a small change of
the structure of my poem by Maya Chinchilla that was a gift from heaven, the
gift of extraneous talents by Joseph Rios and Maceo Montoya in creating the
slide show to match the poets readings… However, the main gift was
Francisco X. Alarcon with his talent of subtle yet effective motivation towards
an eco-centric mindset: Motivating towards a "reindigenization"
of the people of the Americas and bringing eco-poetics into full view [...]"
testimonio:
My experience at Sacramento's PINTURA : PALABRA workshop
affirmed the necessity for positive community building in Latin@ poetics.
I felt a sincere push from my fellow poets that helped me experiment with new
avenues in poetry. The community also affirmed the need for each poet to
not be representative of a certain aesthetic or region of Latinidad but to be
comfortable in the ability to share their own unique perspective on what it
means to live, explore, and work as a Latino author.
testimonio:
The PINTURA : PALABRA workshop in
Sacramento took me back to what made me first start to write poetry, not only
the desire to express and interpret the world from my worldview and the ability
to share that vision, but also the opportunity to dialogue other artists, in
particular visual art. As a youth I would always have a journal with me writing
notes for poems and stories while my friends would doodle and draw on menu, a
napkin, a scrap of paper at any moment, informing my belief that art is not a
solitary act but is happening in the world all the time.
PINTURA : PALABRA at the Crocker Art
Museum was a powerful experience; to spend several hours in communion, in a
gallery space with the work of so many visual artists I admire, many that were
new to me, and then to be able to respond using my own craft in the ways their
work moved me. It was also a rare treat to be in a room full of writers from
many generations, who have been working their craft for so many years. It was
an incredibly unique experience to write in close proximity and to dialogue and
workshop work-in-progress when most of the time we as writers work in solitude.
It was also an opportunity to use the power of the word and image to speak back
to the absences on those gallery walls, which Latinos/as make it into the
creative dialogue, how many women and other marginalized groups are represented
with in the “marginal” and what choices we make when offering a contribution to
those absences.
I was wrote several pieces and am
inspired to keep working on this project.
testimonio:
"My
desire to participate in this inter-generational workshop was sparked the
moment I read the list of participating younger and older poets. I was
privileged to know many of them and admired their work. I looked forward to
meeting those I didn't yet know personally. Although I was familiar with many
of the impressive works of art on exhibit, I hadn't attempted writing
ekphrastic poetry, let alone in the form of haiku! Faced with some challenges
of my own, I was trying to let a new poetic voice emerge and develop in a
different direction. Exchanging valuable suggestions with other fellow poets in
a more intimate setting was just what I needed. So I was immediately on board.
And I wasn't disappointed.
Under
the guidance of Francisco X. Alarcón, the workshop provided the supportive
atmosphere and forum that made exploring other poetic forms possible. Working
in smaller groups allowed for open discussion of our individual works in
progress. Mutual critique was candidly given, with great respect to personal
voice and choices. I took every suggestion offered me. I felt
reinvigorated.
For
the gift of their feedback, their friendship and their work, I thank all the
poets, and in particular those I was honored to work with in the smaller
sessions."
Nancy Aidé González
Testimonio:
"[…]
Each poet in the group made the “Our America: The Latino Presence in America
Art” exhibit come to life with words…The poetry we wrote is a social record
that marks our time period weaving together cultural issues, conflicts,
resistance, and celebrations. The
feedback I received on my poem “Maria’s Great Expedition” based on Christina
Fernandez’s photography was thoughtful and valuable. Paco Marquez suggested I use caesura on
certain lines of my poem. JoAnn Anglin
advised I revise a line for clarity.
Maceo Montoya gave me feedback regarding themes within my poem. I had insightful conversations with the
group members about the revision process, line length, word emphasis, humor,
and use of space while eating pan dulce.
The PINTURA :PALABRA reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center was a
culmination of our work….I treasure each moment I spent with the members in the
workshop. I can’t wait to see all the poetry published in the Los Angeles
Review and Packinghouse Review. It was
an honor to help organize and take part in PINTURA:PALABRA."
Xico González
Testimonio:
The PINTURA:PALABRA workshop led by el mero mero haikuquero Francisco X.
Alarcón was a beautiful and empowering experience. It was a beautiful ofrenda de palabras by poets paying homage to artistas featured in
the Smithsonian Museum traveling exhibit “Our America: The Latino Presence in
American Art.” Over the two days, we
wrote poems in English, Spanish and Caló using Japanese poetic forms and free
verses. The mestizaje was not only found in the poetry styles, but also amongst
the participating poets. We had
ecuatorianos, mexicanos, guatemaltecos, salvadoreños, boricuas, nicoyas y
chicanos under one creative roof.
I was inspired by the work of Luis Jiménez,
Juan Viramontes, and my mentors Ricardo Favela and Malaquías Montoya. Seeing my
mentors’ works in the traveling exhibit was chingón,
and it almost brought tears to my eyes.
The piece that inspired me the most that weekend was “Man on Fire” by
the late tejano artist Luis Jiménez. The
large fiberglass sculpture inspired an indígena
themed poem in Spanish that I then translated into English with suggestions by
fellow participating poets.
At the end of the two-day workshop, Profe
Alarcón asked us to share one word that described our experience that weekend;
I chose “productivity.” I wrote a good
number of haikus and a poem that went from a rough draft to a finished poem in
two languages. It was great to see my
fellow palabristas engaged in their
creative writing process. We met on Saturday morning, wrote poems over two
days, and had a beautiful poetry reading of brand new work at the Sacramento
Poetry Center on Sunday evening. ¡Firme!
Javier O. Huerta
testimonio:
"Dialogue—my one word to describe my experience at the
Pintura/Palabra workshop. We were sent articles on ekphrasis poetry, art haiku,
and “the latino presence in American art” ahead of time, which meant the
dialogue began before I even arrived in Sacramento. I found the article “What
is Latino about American Art” by E. Carmen Ramos to be rewarding and
compelling. I also appreciated Francisco X. Alarcon’s interest in and knowledge
of haiku/haiga. As someone who has admired Alarcon’s magical short poems, I took
advantage of the special opportunity offered by this workshop to write some art
haiku. The workshop experience itself was productive because the small
group format allowed us to engage in stimulating conversation about the diverse
ways in which our poems were in dialogue with their respective artworks. For
me, it was exciting to see how my peers engaged the ekphrastic form: for
example, Nancy engaged the photo series by Christina Fernandez by exploring
shifts in perspective and point of view, and Graciela engaged the woodcut La
Playa Negra by Antonio Martorell by dramatizing—giving voice to—the
seamstress in the artwork. Of course, nothing beats facing the artworks in
person and writing a poetic response in situ. I believe we all felt the privilege
of being able to spend time with the Our America exhibition at the Croker Art
Museum. The reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center was a great way to end the
workshop because we continued our dialogue with the public. I’m grateful for
this experience because it has inspired a new poetic project in which I am in
dialogue with Ken Gonzales-Day’s artwork and research in his Erased
Lynchings and Searching for California’s Hang Trees series."
Paco Márquez
Testimonio:
"The PINTURA : PALABRA workshop was an extraordinary
experience. I am a native of Sacramento and familiar with the Crocker Art
Museum, but it was weird being inside the conference room with the workshop
participants. Rarely, if ever, is my Latino/a identity not the minority…I came
out of the workshop more confident as a person and as an artist. The reading
materials, workshop discussions, and interaction with participants were
challenging and invigorating. The exhibit, of course, is great and varied—from
the abstract to the political. Seeing it live and interacting with it after the
readings and discussions yielded a riveting experience. Reading from our drafts
at the Sacramento Poetry Center with a slide show of the art only added to the
marvel of the weekend.
The sense of comradeship created through the
workshop has also been deeply important. Having lunch with Gerardo Pacheco
Matus, I finally realized what “mal de ojo” means (to be jinxed). We shared our
immigrant experiences, and he told me about not being able to attend his
father’s funeral due to his immigrant status. I connected with established
painter and writer Maceo Montoya, and we spoke about our experiences at MFAs in
NYC. Joseph Rios, Javier Huerta, and I crowded into the cab of Joseph’s truck and
told stories as they gave me a ride back to the airport.[...]"
Gerardo Pacheco Matus
Testimonio:
"El maestro Alarcón
encouraged us to listen to the paintings and to write something about the
visual art. This process gave me the opportunity to explore in depth the work
of Ken Gonzales-Day, Searching for California Hang Trees. Ken works with photos from hundreds of lynched Mexicans in the United
States. Ken erases them and creates new photos without the dead, mutilated
bodies, leaving only the perpetrators as major characters in the photos.
Ken’s manipulation of
history through photography sparked something in me, a question I have never
asked me before, “What’s the role of the Mexican/ Latino artist in the United
States?” Consequently, Ken’s Searching for California Hang Trees made me write a series of poems
about hanged people. My poems deal with my own history; it is the recollection
of young men hanging themselves in my hometown, Huhi."
Maceo Montoya
testimonio:
"As a visual
artist in a roomful of poets writing about visual art, I realized that I
should’ve read the invitation more closely. But the poets were kind to me. I
will make a bold, blanket statement: poets are much nicer than visual artists.
They are more generous and constructive, they post photos of you on Facebook
with captions like “my poet friend,” not caring that you’ve never written a
poem. When you write paragraphs they call them “proems”; when you transcribe dialogue
they call it a “performative gesture”; when you recount a story they call it
“narrative poetry.” In short, they look for ways of including you in their
world, and for that I’m grateful.
The PINTURA:
PALABRA workshop gave me the opportunity to watch the fascinating process of
poets at work, engaging the material and one another, playing with words, and
shaping ideas. From rough musings to polished reading in just two short days,
we made tremendous progress, but it was easy when surrounded by such creative
minds, not to mention Francisco Alarcón’s infectious energy."
Adela Najarro
testimonio:
"Right now my life is incredibly busy with teaching at
Cabrillo College and family obligations. I love it all, but “life” constraints
are always tugging. The PINTURA:PALABRA workshop offered me the space and time
to recharge and maintain my Latinidad and its creative power. It was a pleasure
to interact with all the workshop participants, and it was a delightful
opportunity to work with other Latino/a poets. We shared our work, our ideas,
our passion, and vision. Then the opportunity to see the exhibition at the
Crocker close up and have the time to write was also a major highlight of the
weekend. I think I have between three to fifteen poems going. We’ll see how
many turn out to completion and publication.
One other point, besides moving me forward in my own
creative work, I’m taking these ideas into the college classroom. My classes
will also be visiting the Crocker, and they will write on the art—both in essay
form and as poetry. I’m also making my materials available to future
Pintura/Palabra workshops and to my colleagues in the Puente Project.
Opportunities such as these reverberate long and wide. ίMil gracias!"
Graciela B. Ramírez
testimonio:
"PINTURA : PALABRA was a
fabulous experience for me. At 82, I never imagined I was going to be a
participant of this incredible event. Being surrounded by poets and art for so
many hours elevated my spirit to the utmost galaxies.
Besides the fact that I was
experiencing works from my own culture, I definitely learned how to deeply
analyze paintings by observing very carefully each item in them to find their
symbolic meanings, historical context, message, spirituality and, most
importantly, how the artist used objects, brushes and colors to depict pain in
people’s lives.
Then, to combine words with
the selected painting was like seeing them dancing and caressing each other.
The artwork came alive in our words and vice versa. Another great experience
was to share our writing in the small groups, and giving and receiving positive
criticism. In one of my groups the suggestion for my poem was to move one
stanza to the end. This change made a complete and positive difference in the
meaning and sound of the poem.
My only regret is that I have
never entered this world before. Never saw artworks the way I’m seeing them
now. It would have been great for my poetry. I’m very grateful to the sponsors
and organizers of this event for this fantastic opportunity."
Joseph Rios
testimonio:
"A lot of the workshop
participants knew each other before this
weekend. Javier, Maceo, and I know each other good and well. Sandra, Oscar,
Harold, and Lucha, too. I commented during
the welcome reception that though we knew each other on a varied basis, this
was to be our first opportunity to sit in workshop with each another and talk
about art and craft in a formal setting – in such a deliberate and dedicated
way. I was the youngest one there, I think. And though it wasn't made into a
big deal, there were moments when I looked about the room and counted myself
fortunate to be there with poets who have been doing the work longer than I
have been alive, poets I look up to and have studied in other classrooms,
people who laid the foundation for what I am able to do on the page.
Undoubtedly, with an
exhibition like this one, there are many discussions to be had in relation to
the politics of representation, space, and identity. And it is precisely
because of the previous generation's work that I am able to call myself a
Chicano and create my own art as a Chicano Poet in the tradition.
Graciela Ramirez, longtime professor, ended her introduction on the first day
of workshop by saying, “I have earned the right to call myself a Chicana.” I
will never forget her saying that. She confirmed, for me, in just one sentence,
everything I knew about the term; she confirmed why the workshop and the
exhibition were necessary, but by no means an end to the conversation."
Odilia Galván Rodríguez
testimonio:
"Pintura : Palabra
palaver : platica
a talk between
tribespeople
what artists :
writers hear
with their eyes
and
respond with
their hearts
It was my great privilege
to be one of the poets invited to the PINTURA : PALABRA writer’s workshop at
the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, CA and to be able to respond along with my
colleagues and fellow poets in our own words to this resplendent and historical
collection of Latino Art of the Americas.
Some of the
collection brought back memories of being a very young woman, of growing up and
becoming politically aware, and then an activist during this period of great social
unrest and social justice struggles in the US. The diversity of the artworks is amazing and
lent itself to a broad response from us as writers. The two-day workshop led by
Francisco X. Alarcon was a rich experience. The small group experience, one
that I prefer while participating in and conducting creative writing workshops,
was excellent. All the writers came
expertly prepared to work collaboratively and to refine their work. I
especially loved the multi-generational feel of our teams; it was wonderful to
work with each and every one – who were all very supportive and honest in their
feedback about the work."
Harold Terezón
testimonio:
"Other than coffee and the morning walks along the American River on my way to the Crocker Art Museum, what I looked forward to the most during PALABRA:PINTURA was sitting down and talking with an amazing group of writers, who were AS excited as I was to engage with the artwork presented in the exhibit “Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art."
It was a truly humbling experience to be surrounded, encouraged, and embraced by this group during our ekphrastic workshop. How often can an emerging Latino writer say that he or she workshopped with Maceo Montoya, Lucha Corpi, or Javier Huerta? Seeing how different writers wrote on the same piece of art was the most telling for me regarding the current state of Latino Literature: a reflection of the diversity within contemporary Latino narratives, with a vast grip of styles, genres, and voices.
PALABRA: PINTURA was truly an extraordinary, and much needed, experience."
Sandra Garcia Rivera
testimonio:
“The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Our America exhibit
needs to be experienced in person…Living in the Bay Area, the 2-3 hour travel
time to Sacramento might have otherwise kept me from making the trip to the
Crocker Art Museum to experience it. However, the opportunity to
participate in this writers’ workshop - as an artist in dialogue with the
artwork and with other artists - inspired me to visit the museum and engage
directly with the exhibit. As a result, the visual art of the exhibit now
travels beyond Sacramento, extends beyond the walls of the gallery, through the
poetry written by my colleagues and I. The artwork needs to speak, far
and wide beyond the borders of the institutions that protect and preserve it.
As writers, we continue spreading the message of the work, giving voice to the
themes, and subjects represented. As a teaching artist, I will continue to
share the ekphrasis model, encouraging and leading students to visit galleries
and museums, as resources for the writing process…I am honored to have
participated in the PINTURA:PALABRA workshop, and to have created work in
response to Rupert Garcia’s ever-relevant “Political Prisoner,” among other
work I have written that is still coming to fruition. The time shared in
conversation with workshop facilitator Francisco X. Alarcón, and the talented
group of accomplished writers, is an experience that will live within and
beyond, for many years to come.”
***
The following pictures are shared here courtesy
of Nancy Aidé González
Javier, Nancy, and Paco
Maya, Nancy, Odilia, and Lucha
Gerardo, Maceo, Javier, Oscar, Harold, Joseph, and Paco
Graciela and JoAnn
Javier, Oscar, Lucha, Harold, Nancy, and Maya
Exhibit catalogue cover, featuring
"El Tamalito del Hoyo" by Roberto Chavez (1959)
Click below to see the Our America exhibit:
***
And: click below to view the previous
two photo galleries that correspond
to the PINTURA:PALABRA
workshops in Miami,
and Washington, D.C. before that:
The Frost Museum of Art (Miami):
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC):
***
"PINTURA : PALABRA,
a
project in ekphrasis"
is made possible thanks to
the Weissberg Foundation
and the generosity
of
individual donors.
If you'd like to help
please
contact:
faragon@nd.edu
2 comments:
X L N T documentation. i am happy to note the lectern is low enough to allow the audience to see a lot of readers who tend to hang out behind the lectern.
Thanks, msedano. Your comment has prompted me to add links to the previous two photo galleries that correspond to the Miami and DC PINTURA:PALABRA workshops...
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