Seeing Yourself
Perhaps, the greatest person you will ever know is you.
Yet, getting to know one’s true self is often difficult. We often see ourselves accurately through the stained windows of trauma, low self-esteem, and grief.
Art has a remedy for this complexity.
Self-portrait is one of the oldest art forms and is commonly used by visual artists to create a portrait of themselves. Other artists, such as poets, have adapted the art form.
Participating in introspection and seeing yourself accurately can lead to improved relationships, better self-confidence, and a healed vision of one’s self. Self-portraits can be an avenue for you to achieve these significant milestones.
Join, poet, Chasity Gunn, for a series of Self-Portrait workshops in February.
.png)
What you will experience:
- a welcoming, inspiring environment to read self-portrait poems by poets of various identities and poetic traditions
- engaging space to talk with other thinkers about their impressions of the poems
- gentle and engaging prompts to guide you to writing self-portraits in the form of poems
- guidance and direction from a visual artist, Crystal Marie, in creating a self-portrait in the form of collages
What you may feel:
inspired, encouraged, seen
What you will receive:
- a booklet of self-portrait poems, prompts, and journaling space
- materials needed to create two collages
- space and environment to learn
- snacks
What you will do:
- write self-portrait poems
- create self-portrait collages
- (optional) have your self-portrait poem and collage featured in a public exhibition
Who should attend:
- you, of course!
- individuals who are interested in exploring and learning about the self
- those who enjoy or have an interest in poetry, writing, or visual arts
- individuals who are open to try new things
- writers
- visual artists
What do I need to do before the workshops:
- sign up
- pay the workshop fee
- get ready for a great time
No prep work is needed. Simply show up and expect to have a great time. All materials will be provided.
How it works:
The sessions will be held every Saturday in February (Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24) from 10 a.m. until noon at The Centre of Elgin. You don’t have to attend every session to participate.
What it will cost you?
$40 for all four sessions and materials
100% refunds are available until Jan. 27
Chasity Gunn is the Elgin Poet Laureate Poet Emerita. She serves as a Poetry Teaching Resident with Prison+Neighborhood Arts Project. Gunn is a 2023 Watering Hole alumna, a 2022 Wild Seeds Fellow, and a 2021 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow. Gunn is also a Poet-in-Residence with the Chicago Poetry Center. She is an alumna of Voices of Our Nations Art Foundation and the Anaphora Arts Writing Residency. She is the author of How to Create World. Her work has been published in Bitterzoet Magazine, BRAVO and Electric Moon. Her spoken word has been featured in the Bedlam Theatre’s 10X10 Fest and the Elgin Fringe Festival. She is an English professor at Elgin Community College.
About the visual artist:
Crystal Marie is a Mixed Media Artist drawn to the broken, cast out, and overlooked items of the past. She sees beauty in the mundane, brings new life to forgotten objects, and finds the process of salvaging old materials and creating new art to be therapeutic and healing. As her work evolves, a more complete understanding of why she does what she does and chooses to use materials that others see as trash comes to light.
This workshop is made possible by an Envisioning Justice Grant from Illinois Humanities. Thank you.
Comments
Post a Comment