EKPHRASIS: Writers And Artists – Gallery Reception Sunday

Hi Awesome Humans and Creative Souls,

Guess what? We’ve got something truly special brewing this weekend in Foxburg, and you won’t want to miss it. We are buzzing with excitement to be a part of The Red Brick Gallery exhibition: “EKPHRASIS: Writers Responding to Artists.” This isn’t just any art show—it’s a fusion of visual art and poetry that promises to ignite your imagination and touch your soul. This is an experience I’ve never had with my art and I’m stoked… can you tell?

Event Details:

• Exhibition: “EKPHRASIS: Writers Responding to Artists”
• Location: Red Brick Gallery, 17 Main Street, Foxburg
• Reception and Poetry Reading: Sunday, 4-6 p.m.
• Concert: Becky Buller and her band, following the reception

What’s Happening: “EKPHRASIS” is where visual art meets the written word. They’ve gathered the works of 15 incredible visual artists (myself included) and paired them with talented writers from the Bridge Literary Arts Center. These writers have crafted beautiful poems inspired by the artwork, creating a unique experience that blends two forms of artistic expression.

By the way, I had to look up “EKPHRASIS”—turns out it’s an ancient Greek term that means describing a piece of visual art in words. Who knew? Now we’re all a little smarter!

The curator, Jason Lewis, kicked off this brilliant idea with poet Phil Terman from the Bridge Literary Arts Center. They envisioned connecting their audience with a broader range of artists and writers. With the help of co-curator Barbara Pierce from Arts Oil City, they reached out to artists from the Roycroft collective, the Northwest Pennsylvania Artists’ Association, and the artist relocation program in Oil City. This is going to be epic!

Meet the Dynamic Duos of Poets and Artists:

• Brady Buchanan with Karl Jacobson’s “Coal Tipple”
• Raymond Gerrard Bugay with James Stewart’s “Young Poet”
• Cory Childs with Richard Sayer’s “Weary Christ”
• Cindy Eckert with Andrew Hazelton’s “Gliding”
• Austin Gray with Kathe Umlauf’s “Screech Owl”
• Aster Grim with Marcy Hall’s “World Bearing Turtle”
• Byron Hoot with Keith Hileman’s “Autumn”
• Tracy Lander-Garrett with Jamie Hunt’s “October Sunrise with Fog Rolling Downstream”
• Garth Porter with Mary Hamilton’s “Journey”
• John Miller with Greg Clary’s “Bashful Cow”
• Barbara Rumore with CJ Hurley’s “River Alpha”
• Deborah Sarbin with my own (Rafi Perez’s) “Source of Happiness”
• Juanita Smart with Anne Cutri’s “Sun Drenched Vineyard”
• Phil Terman with Mike Hoover’s “One of the Apples”
• Patricia Thrushart with Julia McCray’s “Peekaboo Moon”

Why You Should Be Here: Because it is awesome, and you’re awesome… Sooooo. Truth is, adding poetry to a gallery experience isn’t just cool—it transforms the way you see and feel the artwork. Jason stated that this exhibit aims to build connections and celebrate the diverse creative talents flourishing in our region. And man, it’s going to be one heck of a celebration!

Redbrick Gallery Hours (For those that can’t make the reception):

• Fridays: 1 to 6 p.m.
• Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sundays: Noon to 5 p.m.

Come Join the Fun: We can’t wait to see you at the Red Brick Gallery this Sunday. Klee and I will be there with bells on… Well, that’s not true, but we will be wearing clothes, so that’s good. Come for the art, stay for the poetry, and enjoy a fantastic bluegrass concert by the award-winning Becky Buller and her band. It’s going to be a night of creativity, inspiration, and community. This is going to be awesome! 

See you there!

Rafi Perez