One of the things writing Waking Beauty and joining various writing groups has taught me is how much I enjoy the company of my fellow/sister creative artists. Cross-pollination, between artists and types of art, is so energizing.
One of my favorite new partners in crime is Alys Caviness-Gober. We’ve collaborated together on some ekphrastic pieces (poetry inspired by art, or vice versa). About a month ago, we sat down at a local coffee house for a chat. We both love to read great classics, and find ourselves haunted by certain memorable passages. Wouldn’t it be fun, we decided, to invite the community to create art based on a few of those great works of literature, from Pride and Prejudice to Frankenstein? Then we’d host a couple evenings for local artists to share their work.
And so…NICE was born.
(Yes, we love puns. How could you tell?)
We created NICE (Noblesville Interdisciplinary Creativity Expo) for 2 reasons:
- To breathe new life into literature by encouraging creative artists of ALL media to reinterpret key passages. How do the classics inspire you?
- To provide artists high-school age and up, but of any experience level, a safe and positive place to experiment and share their work. Our expo is not a contest, but rather a place to show and receive encouragement from local creative artists and art fans. There are enough talent shows with buzzers and cutting comments—we’re “NICE” people who want you to grow as a creative artist.
Our first annual expo will be:
Friday, Oct 2 AND Saturday, Oct 3
6:30-7pm (Open Viewing)
7-9pm (Live Presentations)
Logan Street Sanctuary
1274 Logan St, Noblesville, IN 46060
http://loganstreetsanctuary.org/
We’ve started a Facebook page and separate website with callout information. Check it out, then get creating! You don’t have to be from Noblesville, IN, to participate, as long as you can either attend or appoint someone else to present your work at the event. (I can read your short story or poem if you live in Alaska.)
And we DO mean it’s open to artists of any medium: jewelry, dance, music, paint, glass, poetry, drama, textiles, yodeling, miming, you name it. I SO want someone to bake a Pride and Prejudice cake. We already have a “Pemberley Christmas bracelet.”
Sarah E. Morin 