Evolution of Art: SPARK reception!

I just walked into Beanetics for tonight's Evolution of Art reception for the SPARK show currently on exhibit through November 2nd. Already the place is hopping. Mark Owen Martin is playing beautiful harp music of his original compositions. There are a ton of artists and writers and friends of the creatives here. The place is jam-packed! The perfect place to be on a cold and rainy Saturday night! Great coffee! Great desserts! Great conversation! Great energy! Come on by and be a part of this community! Come by and be inspired!

Tonight's event is a bit more involved than most Beanetics receptions. Tonight we are hearing from several SPARK participants who created writings (stories or poems) or music in response to art. Since SPARK's inception in 2008, 125 people have participated in five rounds, many of them taking part in multiple rounds. Over the course of the project, 233 new pieces of art, writing, and music have been created.

Tonight we will hear readings from seven writers (Mary L. Tabor, Jacqueline Gaulin, Joanne Lozar Glenn, Cheryl Aubin, Charisse Cecil, Paula Tarnapol Whitacre, and Amy Moffitt) and original compositions for the harp by Mark Owen Martin.

Mary L. Tabor, a teacher at the Smithsonian, reads several poems she wrote in response to Mark Owen Martin's music. Mary's poetry conveys the rhythm of life and the intimate relationship of marriage and divorce. Her reading is melodious and syncopated. To read more of Mary's work, check out her memoir, "Sex After Sixty," which she is writing as a blog. Mary is also the author of "The Woman Who Never Cooked," a prize-winning short story collection available through Amazon.com.

Mark Owen Martin plays an original composition in response to Cheryl Leibovitz's painting, "A Day at the Lake," currently on display at Beanetics. Mark explains that his compositions are in response to the colors Cheryl uses. The first piece Mark plays is called "Lemon Yellow." Think light, happy, sunny, fresh... lovely.

The next reader, Jacqueline Gaulin, received her MA in writing-fiction from Johns Hopkins University. Jacqueline lives and works in Washington, DC, with her two bearded collies, whom she describes as well-read, patient, creative, endless sources of comic relief. Currently, Jacqueline is working on a short story collection. "The Parlor," tonight's reading, was inspired by a photo of the same name by Gabriel Shanks. The story captures the highlights of two marriages: a young one ended by divorce and an older one that seems to continue in spite of the death of the husband. The young woman is a case manager assigned to help the older woman move into an assisted living facility. It seems that the older woman is not ready to go, yet--as is often the case--the wisdom of age prevails as the older woman readies the younger woman to move on to the next phase of her own life. The reading is poignant and touching.

Mark Owen Martin follows with an appropriate piece, "Midnight Blue," that has a haunting, lilting quality. Mark's ability to capture and convey emotion so exquisitely is definitely worth noting! And to think, he's only played the harp for about a year...

Joanne Lozar Glenn is a freelance writer and editor by day and a creative nonfiction writer and instructor by night. Interested in trying your hand at creative nonfiction writing? Joanne sponsors annual "Get Away, Get Writing" retreats at the beach. Sounds like the perfect place to get those creative juices flowing. Joanne's readings tonight focus on her family--a topic that is her current inspiration. Joanne's first reading, "For Becca," was inspired by her daughter, Becca, when she was four. As is often the case, the piece took years to complete... Becca is now a senior in high school. Joanne's second reading, "Gift," is a poem to Joanne's brother, reminiscing about past summer family cookouts (a time of idyllic innocence) and the continuance of tradition. This poem was the inspiration for Cheryl Leibovitz's painting, "A Day at the Lake," also currently on display at Beanetics. Joanne's poems have a sensory quality that allows the listener to create a vivid image in the mind's eye. It is as if you are there, in the scene, breathing in the intimate connections, reminded of similar experiences in your own life or dreams.

Cheryl Somers Aubin has an MA in writing from Johns Hopkins University. Cheryl has been writing and publishing for 20 years. Cheryl's work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Foundation magazine, and other publications. Cheryl also teaches memoir writing to seniors. Tonight, Cheryl's story captures the memories and emotions involved when an artist loses the love of his life, his beloved muse: How the loss of her changes his art; how he walks along the beach watching dolphins; how he scatters her ashes in the outgoing tide...

Charisse Cecil is a writer and artist from Alexandria, Virginia. Charisse received her BA in writing from George Mason University. Fairwell Stairwell, her poem inspired by a photograph by Brian MacDonald, is a memory of first love and the power and empowerment of a woman's mouth and voice!

Mark Owen Martin's "Radical Red" follows. It is a piece full of sinewy movement, rhythmic cadence, and depth... leaving you wanting more.

Paula Tarnapol Whitacre of Full Circle Communications normally doesn't write fiction. When she received a photograph from Rachel Morton of a stone statue of an ugly, bald man's head as inspiration, at first she felt stymied. Then she wrote a funny, witty piece of fiction telling the story of the relationship a woman develops with a statue that conveyed to her when she bought a house. The statue lived on the balcony. He was not a happy man. She was not a happy woman. She calls him "My Friend, Frank."

Amy Moffitt finishes out our readers for the evening. Amy writes "confessional poetry." Her first reading, a poem entitled "Memorial Day," describes a trip to the ocean shore, mirroring the nature of the ocean and the memory of someone she cannot stop thinking of. Her second reading is a piece of "flash fiction," 500 words or less, capturing an image--like a poem but without regard to rhythm. The piece describes the experience of a person riding on the subway, having a sudden awakening of awareness and realizing the awesomeness or miracle of every human being--and the need to sink back into oblivion because it is too much to maintain.

This was a fabulous evening celebrating the creative spirit and the inspiration of collaboration. Thank you to everyone for coming and being so enthusiastic!

If you are interested in participating in SPARK, Round 6 begins Wednesday, October 21, 2009. Contact Amy Souza immediately at SPARK_project@yahoo.com.

Check out SPARK at www.artspark.wordpress.com.

The next Evolution of Art show begins November 3rd, featuring artwork by Bonita Tabakin. Join us for her reception on Saturday, November 7th, from 7-9pm.