Collaboration pairs poetry and art

Crossings at Carnegie, Zumbrota, will hold a public reception Saturday April 21 for its annual Poet-Artist Collaboration, an exhibit of artworks inspired by poems submitted by regional writers.

The reception will begin at 7 p.m., and writers will read their poems starting at 7:30 p.m.

Seventy poets submitted nearly 200 poems, a record number of submissions for this event, organizers noted.

Each poem was read by professional writers who chose 26 poems for the exhibit. A record number of artists, 41, registered to be considered for the show.

Those accepted into the exhibit then read the poems and selected one to inspire their work of art.

Poems and works of art will be displayed together through April 26.

“The many high-quality poems and talented artists entered for consideration made the job of selecting just a few so difficult, but also show the strength of the creative community around us,” Crossings Director Marie Marvin said.

Several humorous poems are included in this year’s show, as well as tender poems about losing loved ones. Others touch on the sometimes-undervalued fruits of women’s labor.

Audrey Kletscher Helbling of Faribault, Minn., touches on this theme in “Her Treasure.” The poem begins:

In the dark, dank depths of the dirt-floored cellar

she stocks a treasure-trove of jewels

in jars upon slivered planks

“Most of my poetry is rooted in the southwestern Minnesota prairie where I grew up on a dairy and crop farm during the 1960s and early 1970s,” Kletscher Helbling said.

Artist Connie Ludwig of Goodhue chose to illustrate the poem with a watercolor showing jars of pickled beets, peaches and pickles. “Pantry Jewels,” reflects not only the poem but her memories.

“My mother and aunts loved gardening and canning. They considered those ‘squirreling’ skills an essential part of themselves. I have wonderful memories of the ladies showing off, trading and sharing their canned jewels.”

Besides paintings, artworks created for the exhibit include an art quilt, a granite, marble and stainless steel chess set, a ceramic piece and a piece made using recycled metal.

The 52 participating poets and artists come from around the region. The list includes locals Catherine Friend and Sarah Kenyon Nygaard of Zumbrota, Ben Skurdahl and Bill Shain of Pine Island, Elise Gregory of Ellsworth, Peter C. Allen of Kenyon, Coleen Johnston of Mazeppa, Nicole Borg of Wabasha and Marta Biittner of Red wing.

Tags: arts and entertainment, arts, entertainment, zumbrota