SHIFT~ performance salon presents:
Bluffside Art Trek
by Sarah Johnson & Marcia Ratliff
October 24, 2021
Visual artist Sarah Johnson and poet Marcia Ratliff designed this month's SHIFT~ performance salon as a day creating in nature! Participants of all ages were invited on a self-guided stroll in Bluffside Park, Winona, MN through the Stone Circle loop of the Holzinger trails. There were nine Art Stations with prompts that encouraged everyone to create along the way. Later that day Marcia and Sarah responded to the day's artistic creations online via the SHIFT~ Facebook page (see video below). Those unable to attend in person were invited to engage with the art prompts online the following week!
Photos by Sarah Johnson & Sharon Mansur
Poetry by Marcia Ratliff
Bluffside Art Trek
by Sarah Johnson & Marcia Ratliff
October 24, 2021
Visual artist Sarah Johnson and poet Marcia Ratliff designed this month's SHIFT~ performance salon as a day creating in nature! Participants of all ages were invited on a self-guided stroll in Bluffside Park, Winona, MN through the Stone Circle loop of the Holzinger trails. There were nine Art Stations with prompts that encouraged everyone to create along the way. Later that day Marcia and Sarah responded to the day's artistic creations online via the SHIFT~ Facebook page (see video below). Those unable to attend in person were invited to engage with the art prompts online the following week!
Photos by Sarah Johnson & Sharon Mansur
Poetry by Marcia Ratliff
Sarah Johnson (she/her) is a community-engaged multimedia artist living in Winona/Keoxa MN. Sarah was named Winona's first Creative Laureate in 2020 and has been working on her #winonacolorproject mural series. Outside of her art, Sarah is a licensed professional counselor working towards creating communities of care where all can thrive. thejoylabs.com
Marcia Ratliff (she/her), a.k.a. Marcie, is a poet, writer, creative thinker, and human in progress based in Winona/Keoxa, Minnesota. Her work explores community and a sense of place, and weaves mindfulness and witness into the cultivation of wonder. Marcia is also the Executive Director of Engage Winona, a nonprofit that drives equitable civic action and social change. tornpaperpoems.com
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Bluffside Art Trek Closing Videos & Poems
Sarah & Marcie closed out their SHIFT~ salon reflecting on the beautiful art left behind by participants, along with a brief meditation at the end of a lovely crisp fall day. See below for that video, as well as four poems Marcie created in response to their Bluffside Art Trek. View the slideshow, or scroll down to read each one individually. To the left is a colorful glimpse of one of the art stations. |
you do not have to be quiet
you do not have to walk quickly
through the forest
a thousand thoughts in your head
rattling like acorns in a jar.
you only have to be here:
sit, hum, laugh, stroll
let your body respond
to the scent of moss, fungus, mud
the sound of leaves tickling down
the rustle of squirrels
prancing in the undergrowth
***
remember the day we found
messages in the woods --
the path swept of leaves,
twigs forming the letters
in fine sand:
hello hi art
I thought of all
the warm hands browsing
in the undergrowth,
piecing the words together
and leaving them behind
for someone else
to find
***
poem for found things:
leaf rainbows
rock faces with acorn eyes
and moss beards
a glittering ribbon
knotted around
a bouquet of leaves
what is ordinary?
what is arranged?
I take this reminder
to walk slow
and give the forest
my attention
***
sometimes proximity
is all that connects us:
you were here
and now I'm here
we pass each other on the trail
with a wary nod, our eyes
not quite meeting in between
so when we left boxes
by the trail
with googly eyes and pencils
inside, an invitation to play
and we returned hours later
to find these tiny remnants:
faces, messages, rainbows
you made with your hands
it was a gift
you do not have to walk quickly
through the forest
a thousand thoughts in your head
rattling like acorns in a jar.
you only have to be here:
sit, hum, laugh, stroll
let your body respond
to the scent of moss, fungus, mud
the sound of leaves tickling down
the rustle of squirrels
prancing in the undergrowth
***
remember the day we found
messages in the woods --
the path swept of leaves,
twigs forming the letters
in fine sand:
hello hi art
I thought of all
the warm hands browsing
in the undergrowth,
piecing the words together
and leaving them behind
for someone else
to find
***
poem for found things:
leaf rainbows
rock faces with acorn eyes
and moss beards
a glittering ribbon
knotted around
a bouquet of leaves
what is ordinary?
what is arranged?
I take this reminder
to walk slow
and give the forest
my attention
***
sometimes proximity
is all that connects us:
you were here
and now I'm here
we pass each other on the trail
with a wary nod, our eyes
not quite meeting in between
so when we left boxes
by the trail
with googly eyes and pencils
inside, an invitation to play
and we returned hours later
to find these tiny remnants:
faces, messages, rainbows
you made with your hands
it was a gift