ARTBEAT

Artbeat: cross-pollination

by lonnie broadvalley

Cross pollination = abundant thoughts.

Acouple of weeks ago I had the good luck to catch the Shrub Steppe Poetry Podium at Collapse Gallery. Casual and welcoming, the group has a few core members and a range of writing styles. Some read their own poems, some recite the work of others and range from cowboy poetry to Shakespeare to Dre. A few curious people, drawn to the creative energy, come in off the street and listen to the poetry. The pull of an inviting space where unincorporated, unaffiliated human beings share common ground through art is irresistible. The attraction of a positive, collective experience is palpable these days - and maybe we’re instinctively looking for ourselves in each other instead of on Netflix or Facebook. Listening to poetry surrounded by visual art, I start thinking about the exchange of ideas taking place and how impossible it is to separate one art form from another.

A few days later I reached out to Susan Blair who started the Shrub Steppe group in 2018 as a response to her own growing interest in poetry. Susan describes her path of discovery as a ‘positive spiral’ that compels her to connect and share with other writers. The poets met in a couple of different spaces and soon found a home and a mic at the (now defunct) RadarStation. The art and music venue was a natural fit with a full bar and the type of fertile atmosphere that encourages connection and self expression.

When I met with Susan, I kept referring to cross-pollination as a way to describe the exchange of energy and ideas between art forms. She pointed out that poetry is full of music with its rhythm, cadence, alliteration (same letter or sound at the front of adjoining words), and assonance (repetition of a vowel sound). Spoken word and rap blend these literary patterns so seamlessly that the actual meaning of words can be secondary to the sounds and textures that the words create. In visual art, color, line, and form can communicate across a broader spectrum of understanding than imagery or words. Colors, sounds, textures, and movement aren’t confined to one ‘meaning’ but we do have pretty complex cultural and personal associations with these things. Completely different responses can exist side by side in front of the same picture - and they’re both valid. How beautiful.

Sculptor and activist Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) said that art is “... the only language which nations can speak together and not quarrel.” A statement like this only highlights the importance of communication through all forms of art to express what it is to be human, no matter the material or the vehicle.

The Shrub Steppe Poetry Podium is held on the last Wednesday of each month at Collapse Contemporary Gallery at 115 S. Wenatchee Ave. (former home to RadarStation)

For more information or to receive a monthly reminder, email Susan Blair here:

sfblair61@gmail.com

Or visit the group website here: shrubsteppepoetry.org

THE FUNNY PAGES

Comics by Dan McConnell

COMICS AND NOVELTIES

1. In what could only be described as a slow news day in Poland... the Huffpost picked up a story about a woman who woke up one morning and got quite a scare when she looked out her kitchen window and saw a strange creature clinging to a lilac tree. She initially called for help, thinking the creature might be an iguana or something. When help arrived however, it wasn’t an iguana at all. It was a...

A) a Croissant B) A praying mantis hive C) Frozen poop from an airplane dump D) A rubber vaginal sex toy that had been fucked inside out and discarded

2. Kanye West has a new logo he’s trying to launch for his YEEZY brand of clothing. Unfortunately, a large corporation is legally trying to block Kanye from releasing his logo as they believe it’s a bit too close to their logo. What company are we talking about?

A) Walmart B) Adidas C) Spotify D) Playboy 5. We’ve got a new rover on Mars, and it’s even equipped with a little drone style helicopter that can launch from the rover and take short flights to survey the surrounding area.

There’s a small detail about the little helicopter that a lot of people don’t know... What is it?

A) The drone itself is powered by a small and impressive nuclear reactor.

B) It features a small swatch of fabric taken from the infamous Wright Brothers plane.

C) It features some major similarities to the drones that were used during the Osama Bin Laden raid.

D) It can actually propel itself back into orbit for a pickup if needed.

ANSWERS BELOW

3. Quarantine has been tough on everyone... Even our famous friends. This famous actor took to social media to share a video of himself in a skimpy outfit while he proclaims he is in the worst shape of his life. Who was it?

A) Vin Diesel B) Jack Black C) Will Smith D) Steven Segal 4. Once, someone asked Abraham Lincoln’s widow if her late husband had any hobbies. She replied with one word. What was it?

A) Stamps B) Naps C) Checkers D) Cats