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Art may be in the eyes of the beholder, but the best way to understand the intention of a work is hear from the artist himself. On January 8 at 7 p.m., visitors to the San Jose Museum of Art's latest exhibit will not only see the work of the featured artist--local printmaker Patrick Surgalski--they also will get to hear from the writers who influenced his current show, including Robert Bly and Nils Peterson.
They, along with Beat legend Lawrence Ferlinghetti were the influences behind Surgalski's new show, Keeping Company--A Painter and Three Poets, which runs through March 14.
More of an 'experience' than a mere exhibit, the opening night of Keeping Company promises to fuse words, music and pictures in a way that transcends either medium. Surgalski, a professor of printmaking and drawing at San Jose State University, did not attempt to literally translate ideas from his friends' poems. Rather, his work is made up of abstract images illustrating his personal response to the written words.
Bly, a major figure in American poetry for more than three decades, is a master storyteller. Author of the 1990 bestseller Iron John--the book that spawned "the expressive men's movement," Bly remains a catalytic--and controversial--force in American letters. Peterson is professor emeritus at SJSU, where he taught creative writing, Shakespearean literature and oversaw the creative writing program. He is the author of the chapbook No Ordinary Rejoicing and the volume of poetry, The Comedy of Desire.
Although not scheduled to appear, the third poet, Ferlinghetti, has left an indelible mark on modern American literature, as a writer, an organizing influence of San Francisco's 1950's Beat poetry scene, friend and compatriot of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, and the feisty owner of City Lights Books and publishing, he remains an iconic figure in modern literature.
In a way, the evening's mixed media collaboration may be seen as an homage to the Beat era--with performances by Bly and Peterson, set against Surgalski's striking images, with musical accompaniment by Marcus Wise and David Whetsone, playing the tabla and sitar, respectively, the evening is likely to take on the feel of a poetry happening from the 1950s. Although no longer with us, one can assume that Kerouac and Ginsberg would approve.
Tickets for Vision and Voice are only available at the door. Admission to the museum is free but tickets for this special event are $12 for the general public and $7 for San Jose Poetry Center members. Call 408.294.2787 or go to www.sanjosemuseumofart.org for more information.
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