From Dominique Weldon:
One exercise that was successful with the Eskenazi group was the Ekphrastic Poetry Prompt. We started the session by showing the group painting, American Gothic. We told the employees to talk about the artwork and to share what aspects they liked, what they didn’t like, who were the people in the painting, and other interesting thoughts that came into mind. The discussion began with substantial enthusiasm, for the group pointed out the eeriness that radiated from the farmer and his house, claiming that he was a murderer with bodies stuffed in his attic. Asides the painting’s unsettling tone, the group also noticed the juxtaposition between the woman’s youthful face and her aging body, along with the menacing pitchfork in the man’s hand and how the couple lacked emotions. The employees’ energy soon reached a high and remained there, which was the perfect attitude to have for the next part of the exercise. At this point, the members needed to travel throughout the hospital in search of a piece of art that captured their attention and write about it.
For this part of the exercise, we created some questions to help the employees think about the piece of art they would eventually choose in a concrete way, and our questions included the following: where are you, what do you notice first, what shapes and colors do you see, what can you hear/smell/feel/taste, imagine what’s beyond the frame of this art piece, if its a sculpture then what would you like to see next to it, what is one thing you could add to this art piece, where would you put yourself in the art, and lastly, if you could ask the artist about one choice they made, what would it be? These questions were designed to assist the employees with writing unique and startling imagery about their art. We emphasized that not every question needed to be answered. Instead, they should be viewed as guideposts in case anyone became stuck during the exercise. By allowing the employees to answer whichever questions they wanted, we removed the restrictions that are usually found within traditional assignments. We wanted this activity to be considered adventurous and enjoyable.
After ten minutes, the employees returned to the room with a favorite piece of art in mind, along with their responses to some of the questions. Each member shared their painting or sculpture with the group through the usage of sensory details, which we wrote down on the whiteboard. After gathering a large list of details, we broke into two groups to create an ekphrastic poem, which is a piece of writing that is based off another form of art, such as a painting, drawing, or even another poem. Within my group, instead of having everyone create individual poems, we decided to make one poem together, inserting images into the piece from every person. The collaboration was a unique experience, for both the mentors and employees within my group began to fill with pride as we created a work of art together.
I believe were several reasons why the employees enjoyed the Ekphrastic Poetry prompt. First, the activity was not only fun but interactive as well, for the participants were able to leave their seats and walk around the hospital. Therefore, they were given the chance to slow down and view their familiar surroundings in a new way. The second reason has to do with the members breaking off into smaller groups to create one poem. It was exciting for them to see their own images within a single poem, images that worked together to create something uniquely beautiful. By uniting, the employees had to use teamwork skills and rely on the other members, which strengthened their bonds with their co-workers. Overall, this activity was a major success, and I cannot wait to use it again in the future.
