Photo by Julie Baughman. Artist Bill Dunlap collaborated with poet R. Dwayne Betts to create these paintings which visually portray Betts’ poetry. These paintings will be on display at University of Maryland’s The Art Gallery through March 5.

Published on: Friday, January 28, 2011

By Julie Baughman

The Art Gallery, located in the Art-Sociology building on the University of Maryland campus, is opening its latest exhibit entitled “Poetic. Aesthetic. An Exploration of Creativity in Poetry and Visual Art” — a combination of the written art of poetry with visual arts such as painting, graphic design and multimedia presentation.

Each artist was paired with a poet and given a selection of their poems to preview. The artists were then asked to choose the three poems they liked best to inspire a piece of visual art. The only requirement for their visually artistic interpretation of the poem was that it must include the text somewhere within the piece.

Michael Collier, Professor of English at the University of Maryland and former Maryland State Poet Laureate, was very excited about the blending of the two mediums. Collier though the project would bolster relationships between artists of all different mediums.

Photo by Julie Baughman. “Poetic. Aesthetic. An Exploration of Creativity in Poetry and Visual Art” is an exhibit that will be on display at University of Maryland’s The Art Gallery through March 5. There are more than 40 works of art presented in a variety of mediums including paintings, sculptures and multimedia video presentations.

“To bring visual artists and poets together is really exciting,” he said. “It’s a great way to foster community.”

John Shipman, director of the gallery, had been toying with the idea of an exhibit like this for more than eight years.

“It exceeds my expectations,” he said. “None of the visuals overwhelm the text.”

Artist Bill Dunlap and Poet R. Dwayne Betts were paired together. Like many of the other poet/artist pairs, they had not met until the media preview opening of the exhibit. Betts, according to his bio, spent time in prison and uses his poetry as a way to work through that while depicting prison life in a new way.

After Dunlap first read Betts’ poems, he said: “I just had this conception that flashed before me … As I read then I did a sketch on a tiny piece of paper.”

Coincidentally, Dunlap and Betts both attended the University of Maryland and are inspired by a mutual professor named Sandy Mack. Mack’s interpretations of Shakespeare deeply affected both men and has found its way into their artwork.

“It wasn’t planned,” said Betts, who wrote the poems featured in the exhibit while attending the university.

Each man enjoyed the other’s interpretation of his work so much that they are considering collaborating together again in the future.

“It seems to click,” Dunlap said.

Poet Joeseph Harrison and artist Jim Thrope were also paired up to create pieces together, and, like Dunlap and Betts, had not met until the opening of the exhibit. As strange as it may seem, they both said it was imperative for them to remain anonymous to each other throughout the production process.

“Artists have to be free to do what they want,” Harrison said. “I’m very pleased with what he has done.”

Jewell Watson, the arts administration manager for The Art Gallery, said the gallery has been open to the public since the 1960s and will feature two more exhibits this semester. One exhibit will showcase Japanese new photography and the other will display Masters of Fine Arts thesis projects.

“Poetic. Aesthetic.” will be on display through March 5. The Art Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.