Seeing Poetry

This fall, Chinati continued its Seeing Poetry program, which is a collaborative effort between the museum and Marfa ISD. Ninth graders, along with teachers, Chinati staff, and a professional poet, used Carl Andre’s permanent Chinati installation “Words” as an entry point for writing their own poetry and silkscreening those works onto paper and t-shirts. The project, which met regularly throughout September and October, also incorporated the study of poetry, a discussion of poetry’s graphic sensibilities, workshopping the students’ own works as well as practice in the art of reading poetry aloud. Seeing Poetry culminated in a November 4 reading at Chinati’s Arena, where more than 100 parents, family members and friends of the young poets and artists came to hear the work and see the silkscreened poems. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a dinner provided by Shorthorn Boosters. Seeing Poetry began as a pilot program last spring involving students from Marfa, Fort Davis and Del Valle ISDs.