For the Summer 2021 episode of The Chorus, Brittney and Rasheena invited guests to discuss how to walk through and understand gallery visits via Anastacia-Reneé’s (Don’t be Absurd) Alice in Parts, an exhibition housed at The Frye Art Museum in early 2021. In response to the show: Composer and mixed media artist, Chari Glogovac-Smith, created a sound composition that demonstrates many thoughts occurring at once in the mind; Poet and teacher Haines Whitacre created a journal/book that collects thoughts and found materials. Gaysian poet Ally Ang created a handwritten note that thinks outside the margins. Rasheena revisited a prose piece that contemplates double consciousness, and Brittney wrote a spell to let the fire burn.
(Don’t Be Absurd) Alice in Parts helped us to think about the body and the mind being dispersed in sacred spaces, like our homes and communities. We talked about being influenced by Audre Lorde’s writing in the show and in our own works. We described in detail the aesthetics we saw and how they affected our senses. We reflected on the historical legacies— like, gentrification and redlining— that undergird the thematics of the show.
After our conversation, we brainstormed ways educators could provide feedback for students when working in creative mediums, when responding to art shows. We thought that designing a document where students can indicate their intentions and see how they match with the audience's understanding of their works can provide insights for areas that they might want to return to.
If you’d like to think about gallery visits with your classes, we created an “Art Exhibit Asset Map” lesson plan, assignment, and rubric that will guide students through reading art objects.
About Our Guests
Chari Glogovac-Smith is a composer, vocalist, instrumentalist, and mixed media artist. Using an evolving mixture of traditional and experimental techniques, Chari is dynamically exploring and illustrating various counterpoints between the human experience and society. Their examinations and integrations of mediums, materials, and methodologies have centered around their research into the theories and practices of afro-futurism, deep listening, revolutionary art and social change, sound ecology, and healing. Chari resides in Seattle, WA, and is pursuing a P.h.D in Digital Arts and Experimental Media from the University of Washington. chariglogovacsmith.com
Haines Whitacre is a poet and teacher living in unceded Duwamish & Coast Salish land also known as Seattle. They hold an MFA from the University of Washington and are the author of Accounts of Wreckage (Winter Texts) and Ali Mapu (Edipos Editorial). Haines has had poems appear in Atticus Review, Vinyl Poetry & Prose, and New Limestone Review. When they aren't writing, they're likely cooking or playing with their cat.
Ally Ang is a gaysian poet and cat parent. They hold a BA in Sociology & Asian American Studies from Wellesley College and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington, and they currently work at Hugo House. Ally’s writing has been published in Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color, The Journal, Muzzle Magazine, and elsewhere. Find them at allysonang.com.
