Sections

Poets take a captivating 'Visit to the Gallery'

There are certain times when one can't help but feel proud to be a part of the Ann Arbor community, times when the rich uniqueness of this place resounds with excellence. Tuesday night at Rackham Amphitheatre's "A Visit to the Gallery," was one of those times.

An all-star slate of the best local literary talent was on hand for the event, which featured nearly 20 writers musing about their favorite works in the Museum of Art's permanent collection. But this was no ordinary poetry reading; instead, it was a wonderfully and carefully planned multimedia event.

On stage, the poets and prosers read their newly created works to the capacity crowd; meanwhile, overhead, images of the artwork about which they had written were displayed via special slides and projections. Between each reading and artistic image, music played, a vast variety of tunes ranging from classical symphonies to the opening chords of the Grateful Dead's "St. Stephen." The images, sounds and words spun together to create a truly splendid "Evening at Rackham," as the monthly lecture series is called.

The event itself was part of the Museum of Art's 50th anniversary celebration. Eventually, the effort between the local writers and the Museum will culminate in a book, "A Visit to the Gallery," which will be published in January 1997. University English professor, acclaimed poet and multimedia guru Richard Tillinghast, will serve as the collection's editor.

The effort is much more than a nice way to commemorate the Museum's 50th year. In fact, it is an important and interesting look into some deep aesthetic issues. How do different art forms relate? How can two artists, working through different mediums and with two distinct visions, understand one another? How important is art to us, and how do our own personal realities influence the way we perceive the work of others?

Tuesday night, the local poets gathered at Rackham explored issues like these, some of them in a light-hearted mood and some of them assuming serious tones. But above all, it was a chance for both audience and artists alike to have some fun with art -- and it definitely seemed like that was the case.

It's almost unfair to pick highlights from the evening, because almost every second of the fluid event was a delight to the eyes or ears. Conrad Hilberry, a sort of elder statesmen among Michigan poets, delivered a provocative poem about Egon Schiele's "Portrait of Franz Hauer." And Charles Baxter's piece reflecting on Whistler's "Sea and Rain" was, as expected, restrained and lyrical.

Novelist Nicholas Delbanco, one of the few writers to contribute a prose piece, delivered a tenderly written essay on Max Beckmann's "Begin the Beguine," which closed with a phrase attributed to Beckmann: "I don't analyze my paintings, nor should you."

Indeed, many writers shared Delbanco's implicit desire to reflect rather than analyze. In his usual sharp, but vastly rich form, poet Ken Mikolowski had only this to say when it came his turn to read: "You are what you art/that single moment/the truth of the thing."

University Prof. Thylias Moss was her usually charming and captivating self, reading her poem reflecting on John Philip's "The Highlander's Home." Meanwhile, Keith Taylor, Shaman Drum Bookshop's "poet-in-residence," delivered his musings on Joos van Cleve's "St. John Evangelist on Patmos" in a delicately straightforward, humorous and provocative poem entitled, "On the Easy Life of Sainthood."

In all, it was a night full of highlights, one that celebrated the vast perceptions we have of the beauty around us. Still, most writers chose not to get too analytical, and all of them shied away from proclamations. Rather, they danced with possibilities and perception, and did something that too often becomes a rarity in academic settings: They praised the sheer enjoyment, exhilarating wonder and downright fun which art can bring into our lives.

Ann Arborites can truly consider themselves lucky to live in a community with an outstanding art museum and a top-notch cast of literary laborers. Like poet Danny Rendleman read in his reflections of Phillipe de Champaigne's "Christ Healing a Deaf-Mute," March is the month "when baffled men lift their hearts against harsh weather." On this cold, windy and sleeting March evening, "A Visit to the Gallery" was indeed enough to lift our hearts.