Above: Artists celebrate their exhibits as part of Art on the Trail, and a younger artist poses with her addition to the Fairy and Gnome Village. You can visit both at Beals Preserve this summer. (images from Facebook)
Earlier this month, the Art on the Trails exhibit opened with a special walk through Beals Preserve. Now, organizers are offering several guided walks in July to inspire poets.
This summer’s exhibit theme is “Unexpected Gestures”. Organizers are soliciting poetry describing the scenes for this year’s chapbook. Toward that end, guided Poetry Walks are scheduled for July 10, 17, 19, 24 and 26 at 9:30 am.
Come join us for a walk through Beals Preserve, where 16 regional artists have been selected to display their work with the theme Unexpected Gestures. Experience the art and then respond to it in a poem. The top 25 poems submitted will be published in the second edition of Art on The Trails, due out in September 2018.
But you don’t need to be a poet to enjoy the exhibit. And you don’t need to join the guided walks to submit poetry. The exhibit is open to the public through September 23. (You can find more pics of the exhibit here. Click here for a map of the exhibit and here for directions.)
You can also take a detour from the exhibit and visit the Fairy and Gnome Village on the preserve. (Click here for that map. And you can find more pics of the village here.)
In addition to visiting the tiny houses already built there, you can build one of your own. But look for posted rules (which you can also find here.)
For those of you considering submitting poetry, here is the process:
- Visit Beals Preserve, see the installations, and be inspired by their work.
- Free guided walks will be offered with poetry editor Maura Snell through the month of July. Find a date to join a walk.
- Write ekphrastic poetry, which is written specifically about or inspired by the installations in this exhibition.
- Poetry Submissions will be accepted from June 13, 2018 through July 31st, 2018.
The top 25 poems will be sent to our final judge, Didi Jackson. . .
Ms. Jackson will select the top poem from this group and the WINNER will receive a $100 prize, publication in the 2018 Art on the Trails collection, special mention in the book, and on the art on the trails website.
A more detailed explanation and a link to submit your poetry can be found here.
