Free Member Workshop - Erasure Poetry: Illumination & Illustration with Aline Lindemann

Students will learn about the history of erasure poetry (sometimes called blackout poetry), see and discuss examples, and create and illustrate their own erasure poem using materials provided.

Erasure poetry is a form of written expression in which portions of an original text (i.e. a newspaper or book page) are obscured leaving only words that the poet wishes to keep. Remaining space may then be illustrated or illuminated (we'll discuss the difference) to lend greater visual appeal to the poem. The flexible process of selectively mining words from existing text in found materials -- a form of creative expression dating back to the 1700s and popularized by contemporary artists and writers --  provides the poet/artist an opportunity to elicit new meaning from what already exists.

Note: All materials are provided and we will work primarily with colored pencil, ink, and collage. Participants are welcome to bring their own materials if they like but please, no pastels or oil-based mediums.