Beyond Description: Writing from Art Through Heart and Eye with Bruce Rice

Writing from Art has to be much more than description. It’s not about walking through galleries, but how the art enters us. When we write about art, we become an actor in a conversation with the artist in a way that makes us more than casual viewers. And we often know more than we think.

Join former Saskatchewan Poet Laureate, Bruce Rice, for this session on writing from Art, a process called ekphrasis. The writing may be about a painting, sculpture, other media, or even architecture. The question is: what speaks to us, what is the intention and life of the artist, what draws us to one work, one photograph, or a minor sketch that others walk by? Sometimes it’s about movement or the space where it happens or voice. The workshop will include a presentation on writing from art, a special tour of selected works from the MacKenzie collection, and generous time to write and share work on one or more pieces that inspire you.

Bruce Rice recently completed his term as the eighth Saskatchewan Poet Laureate. He is an essayist and editor. His most recent collection, The Vivian Poems (Radiant Books) is a response to the life and work of street photographer, Vivian Maier. Bruce has six books of poetry and a children’s book. His many awards include a Canadian Authors Association Award for Poetry, two Saskatchewan Book Awards and a Saskatchewan Book of the Year nomination. The SBA judges called him “a master of light.” Much of Bruce’s work was inspired by art, both as a source and document. His collective cross-discipline work has included music, film, photography and dance. He writes about individual lives, community and how we are transformed by landscape even as we leave our footprints on it. Bruce lives in Regina, on Treaty 4 Territory and the homeland of the Métis.