Red Wing Arts this week announced the return of the annual Poet Artist Collaboration, a cherished event celebrating the powerful intersection of poetry and visual art.
Experience the convergence of poetry and art as poets and artists unite to create compelling works that capture the essence of storytelling through visual interpretations of poetry. The joy and challenge of this event is the translation of the emotion and story of the written words of a poet by an artist into a representative piece of art.
Their 2025 event will showcase 52 poets and artists through an art exhibit, live poetry readings, and a beautifully curated chapbook featuring their artwork and poetry. This year’s exhibition will be open to the public from April 18 through June 8, 2025, at the Depot Gallery in Red Wing, Minnesota. There will also be two free, open to the public poetry readings on May 4 and 18, 2025 at the Depot Gallery, where participating poets will read a selection of their work, including the work featured in the Poet Artist Collaboration exhibition.
Exhibit Details:
Dates: April 18 – June 8.
Location: Red Wing Arts Depot + Gallery, 418 Levee St, Red Wing, MN 55066 Gallery hours: Thurs, Fri, Mon, 10 am-5 pm / Sat, 9 am-5 pm / Sun, 12-5 pm
Poetry Readings Details:
Dates: May 4 & 18, 2025
Times: 1-3 pm
Location: Red Wing Arts Depot + Gallery, 418 Levee St, Red Wing, MN 55066
History of the Poet Artist Collaboration
The Poet Artist Collaboration began in 2000 when Beverly Voldseth Allers, member of a Northfield writing group and writer for the local paper, approached Marie Marvin at Crossings at Carnegie in Zumbrota, MN, with an idea. “What if poets wrote for the artists and artists
illustrated the writing?” Beverly said. Marie loved this concept, and with her passion nurtured this collaborative event until she passed the baton to Red Wing Arts in 2020.
Today, the event is as strong as ever and continues to give poets a much-needed opportunity to share their work. Both minds are expanded: the poet who shares their words as art and the artist
who uses their craft to interpret the words. Together they provide a gift to art appreciators and the community.
We thank Beverly for the idea and Marie for entrusting us to steward this special event. We hope you enjoy the art in all its forms! — Red Wing Arts
Continuing a Legacy of Artistic Expression
Red Wing Arts embraced the Poet Artist Collaboration to offer an essential platform for local poets and visual artists to showcase their work. Recognizing the importance of fostering community connections and celebrating the written word, RWA is proud to lead this unique multidisciplinary event. This program serves as a vibrant space for both emerging and established artists to experiment, collaborate, and grow.
Impact Statement
Past and current participant Kendra Gebbia reflected on the program’s impact, saying: “As a full- time visual artist of almost twenty years, I have been greatly inspired by the Red Wing Poetry and Artist Collaboration. I have gained a lot of inspiration from the poetry, visually and conceptually. This event offers a safe and fun haven to explore my art-making process from a more experimental perspective, ultimately breathing fresh energy into my artwork.”
2025 Poet & Artist Jurors
Each year, the collaboration invites distinguished jurors to select the participating poets and artists. For the 2025 event, Sherrie Fernandez-Williams and Liz Miller bring their expertise to curate an exhibition that exemplifies artistic excellence.
Sherrie Fernandez-Williams:Sherrie Fernandez-Williams is a Black, Queer writer who earned her MFA in Writing from Hamline University. She was a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and received a Black Voices in Children’s Literature award. She received additional grants and awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board, The Loft Literary Center, The Givens Foundation for African American Literature, Intermedia Arts, SASE: The Write Place, and The Playwrights’ Center.
The author of the book of poems, Goddess of the Whole Self, and the memoir Soft, Fernandez- Williams, has published poems in journals including New Limestone Review, Aquifer: The Florida Review, and Duke University Press, among others. Her essays can be found in anthologies including We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World, How Dare We Write: A Multicultural Creative Writing Discourse, and The Poverty and Education Reader. Sherrie co-directs Queer Voices Minnesota with LM Brimmer. She teaches within community and academic spaces.
Liz Miller:Liz Miller’s work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. Her awards include a McKnight Foundation Fellowship for Fiber Artists, a McKnight Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists, a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant, and numerous grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Miller has completed residencies at Mass MoCA (North Adams, MA), Stove Works (Chattanooga, TN),
the Joan Mitchell Center (New Orleans, LA), and the McColl Center for Art + Innovation (Charlotte, NC), among others. Miller lives and works in Good Thunder, MN and is Professor of Installation Art and Drawing at Minnesota State University-Mankato.
Celebrate the Collaboration with a Chapbook
To further commemorate this artistic exchange, the annual Poet Artist Collaboration Chapbook will be available for purchase. The chapbook features the collaborative works of the participating poets and artists, as well as contributions from this year’s jurors. Copies are now available for pre-order on the Red Wing Arts website, with pick up starting April 27. It’s a perfect way to enjoy the written word alongside the visual art it has inspired.
Acknowledgment
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.
Join us and experience how poetry and visual art converge to tell stories that inspire and connect. For further inquiries, please contact Gallery + Artist Coordinator Molly Quinn at molly@redwingarts.org
