Bellefonte Art Museum reaches ‘a whole new group of creatives’ with monthly contest
An interactive initiative at the Bellefonte Art Museum is encouraging patrons to tap into their creative side. The museum is hosting a unique kind of writing contest open to the public. It’s called Ekphrastic poetry, and though it’s tricky to pronounce, the concept is pretty simple: writing about art.
The museum has been hosting its monthly Ekphrastic poetry contest since the beginning of the year, but now, it’s opening the contest up to high schools students.
The museum’s poetry committee, led by Bellefonte Art Museum poet-in-resident Steven Deutsch, chooses a piece of art from a current exhibit and posts it to the museum’s website and social media pages. They then invite writers to submit a work of poetry inspired by the artwork. Many of the exhibits at the art museum change monthly, and when they do, the poetry contest starts a new cycle.
Deutsch said the contest gets entrants from Centre County and beyond and he enjoys reading all of the different ways people are inspired by the art.
“My favorite part is reading the poems. We get some amazing entries. The interpretation of the artwork can be all over the place, so it is fun for people to come see it and to consider how they might have interpreted it. How does it change your feeling about the artwork?” Deutsch said.
Contest winners will have their poems displayed prominently in the Stanza room of the museum during the month in which they win. Winners will also receive BAM bucks that can be used toward purchases in the museum’s gift shop. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place.
You can see the current Ekphratic poetry winners on display in the museum’s Stanza room. Angele Ellis took first place in the October contest for the poem “Ordinary Moment,” and Sarah Russell and David Marvin were runners-up.
The Stanza Room at the museum celebrates poetry in many ways. The Ekphratic poetry exhibit is the main attraction, with winners are prominently displayed on the main wall. There is also a sitting area where you can read other works of poetry on display and a gumball machine that dispenses haikus — short three-line poems — instead of candy.
The Ekphratic poetry contest and exhibition is a special part of the museum. Bellefonte Art Museum docent Patricia Jackson says the initiative is very unique, something she hasn’t seen in many other museums, and something certainly new to the Centre Region. The new inclusion of high school students in the contest will serve to encourage the arts with young people in the area.
Lori Fisher, director of the Bellefonte Art Museum, said the poetry gallery has been a welcome addition to the museum’s offerings.
“It has allowed the museum to reach a whole new group of creatives,” she said. “We look forward to developing this program in the future and adding the youth poetry program as well.”
To get involved in the Ekphratic poetry contest, check out the Bellefonte Art Museum’s website and Facebook page. To see the exhibit in person, you can stop by the museum during their business hours: Friday through Sunday from noon-4 p.m. or by appointment.