Poetry And Paintings At Art And Wine Intertwined

Art and Wine Intertwined Artists reception marked the end of the Worth a Thousand Words exhibition at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore.

The exhibition that paired art and poetry and artwork with a literary flair, was curated by Anne Giancola, LVPAC Visual Arts Manager, in collaboration with the Poet Laureate of Livermore Cynthia Patton.

In her description of the exhibition Ms Giancola explained that it expresses the correlation between the written word and visual art. A myriad of creative expression through altered art, altered books, poetry that is paired with art and art that is paired with poetry. It included illustration, play on words and conceptual works that explore our association between word and art.

Livermore Poet Laureate Cynthia Patton and other poets were present at the event for a poetry walk. Poems inspired by paintings in the exhibit were recited in front of the artwork offering a fresh perspective and allowing guests to appreciate the artworks through a different lens.

An expressive and engaging rendition of her poems was delivered by Margaret Zhao who was inspired by the artwork of Susan Kraft and Xiaojie Zheng.

Guests were intrigued by the variety of artworks reflecting the theme and Dennis Baker's oil on canvas painting "Flamenco Bass" entranced one visitor who said that the longer she looks at the painting the more interesting elements she sees. A striking and poignant piece was that of Lorraine Crowder done in paper and mixed media titled "Gone Missing" which was an infant's dress stitched out of paper providing a commentary on the disparate life experiences of children.

An unusual and creative combination of fabric and book covers was done by artist Rae Trujillo while Xiaojie Zheng's mixed media artwork "Unity Tree" took the form of an interactive project where guests could make a word and add a leaf to the tree.

Wine tasting from Livermore Valley Wineries was part of the reception as well as soft music by Wambo’s Combo providing a lively backdrop and guests spontaneously burst into applause with their rendition of old favorites.

Artist, Wei-Ting Chuang, also demonstrated the ancient art of calligraphy during the reception.

Located off the lobby, the Founders Room in the Bankhead Theater offers the opportunity to place a special focus on poetry. Curated by Patton, this special exhibit displays poetry written by the winners of the city’s Teen Poet of the Month competition.

An area of the exhibition is dedicated to poetry written by the winners of the city’s Teen Poet of the Month competition. and was curated by Ms Patton. The display is located in the Founders Room and includes poetry inspired by the subjects of technology and social media.

Here is an excerpt from the poem by Ella King, a student of Livermore Valley High School called 'An 8-bit Love Story':

"we had an 8-bit love story, you and i.

we were in bits and bytes, ones and zeros

and thought we could pixelate the world"

Livermore Mayor, John Marchand was an enthusiastic participant at the event and said he enjoys seeing art as part of the daily life experience of residents. While lending a hand to take photographs of artists posing at their works of art he regaled guests with the story of one of his favorite sculptures, Rodin's "The Burghers of Calais."

Mayor Marchand also mentioned a unique spherical sculpture at the yoga garden in the Sage residential area in Livermore which is an example of artworks that capture attention and connect with a community.

Most of the artworks on show at the Bankhead Theater Gallery were available to purchase.

The Worth A Thousand Words exhibition ends on Monday January 6 at 4pm. Coming up next will be the "Living Large" exhibition featuring large format two-dimensional works. Abstract artist Usha Shukla is one of the artists who will be participating in the new exhibition and said she is delighted to have the opportunity to display some of her larger works.

The curator of "Living Large", Anne Giancola, invites viewers to experience for themselves the joie de vivre that the large format abstract artwork of the show inspires. The Opening Reception for "Living Large" will be held on January 18 from 1-3pm at the Bankhead Theater and is free and open to the public. Local jazz impresario, Matt Finders and Friends will be playing live music.