2017 Theme:

Channel

Crossings

11th Annual

The City of Ventura is looking

forward to the 11th annual

Art Tales writing and poetry

competition. Take a look at this

year’s art selection to be inspired

and write about these “Objects

of Curious Happenstance.”

Enter by April 10, 2019

Prizes in three age categories PARKS, RECREATION &

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

A Writing Contest

Inspired by Art

11th Annual

Art Tales

dm Sp

auld

ing

John

Sut

tman

Robe

rt C.

Eye

berg

Joe C

arde

lla

Special needs may be met by calling 805-658-4726 or through the California Relay Service.

The City of Ventura is pleased to sponsor this eleventh annual creative contest open to writers worldwide.The contest invites imaginative writers of all ages to compose a short story or poem (500 words maximum) inspired by select pieces of the City of Ventura’s Municipal Art Collection.

Artworks & Theme 2019 Theme: “Objects of Curious Happenstance”

We may not consider it, or even think twice, but do you wonder sometimes…. What is the story of that thing? What is it? Where has it been? Who made it? What did the artist intend it to be? Who else has happened upon it? What did they think of it?This year’s Art Tales inspires curiosity of whimsical things. I challenge you to create a story or poem that explains the curiosity! —Tobie Roach, Public Art Project Manager

How to Enter1. View the images on the back of this brochure or view

larger images at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/arttales. Original artwork can also be viewed at Ventura City Hall, located at 501 Poli Street, second floor during regular business hours.

2. Write an original poem or short story (no more than 500 words in length) inspired by ONE of the exhibit’s artworks that peaks your curiosity. Only ONE contest entry per person please.

3. Prepare your entry as an electronic Word document, (in English only), in a twelve-point font. Include at the top: the author’s name, address, phone number, email address, age, title of work, title of artwork selected, and number of words. (For those sending in entries for multiple writers, a separate Word document is required for each entry.) If your work is not received in this format, it may be disqualified.

4. Submit your entry by April 10, 2019 BY EMAIL ONLY to arttales@cityofventura.ca.gov with “#arttales contest entry#” as the email subject line – together with a completed release form (see next item below).

5. Complete a savable pdf release form – parents must do this for youth entries under 18 – copy the document to your desktop, fill it in, save, and send it along with your entry poem or short story in your email. Form can be found at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/arttales.

Contest RulesQualified entries shall be (a) either a single short story or poem (one entry per person) (b) no longer than 500 words (c) written solely by the entrant (d) not previously published (e) submitted as a Word document (f) not in conflict with trademark, copyright, rights of privacy, rights of publicity, or any other rights, of any kind or nature, of any other person or entity; (f) free of any language or other content that is indecent or inappropriate as determined by the CITY in its discretion. Entries not satisfying these criteria in any respect will be disqualified.

JudgingA committee of professionals, educators, and City of Ventura staff will judge entries on creativity, presentation, and correspondence to a specific artwork, to select their top three choices for separate poetry and short fiction categories in three age divisions:• Youth (12 years or younger) • Teen (13-17 years) • Adult (18 years and up)

Awards & ReadingAll winners receive a bound edition of the judges’ selections with cash prizes for first ($30) and second ($15) place. The Mayor of Ventura presents the awards in April or May during a reading of works by contest winners: all participants, their families, friends, and the public are invited to attend this special event.

— Lesson Plans for Teachers —

12•18

About the 2019 Art Tales Art and Artists

Joe Cardella (1945-2018)Art/Life, vol. 20, Number 11, Issue No. 221, 20th Anniversary Issue, 2001, mixed media volume.After earning a BFA degree in Design from Syracuse Universi-ty School of Art and participat-ing as an active member of the experimental art community in New York City during the early 1970s, Joe Cardella relocated to Santa Barbara where he

failed to find a similar niche for himself in the local art com-munity. A conceptual and progressive artist, Cardella catalyzed his frustrated need to connect and dialogue with other like-minded artists into Art/Life. He says, “Art/Life is not meant to be a monologue, but a conversation among creative people, all of whom are vital, interested, and alive.” This “conversation” manifests itself each month into a bound limited edition volume in which each page displays an original poem or a work of art fashioned from a diverse array of media and reproduced by hand. As publisher/editor/contributor, Joe Cardella arranges the pages into a cohesive whole, establishing striking and perceptive patterns. Since its inception in 1981, Art/Life has evolved into one of the longest continually published art/literature peri-odicals in the world, enjoying an international audience. Many prestigious institutions such as New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Boston Museum of Fine Art, and the Getty Trust collect the volumes.

Robert C. Eyberg (b. 1949) Medicine Bag, 2005Robert Eyberg has been a profes-sional artist since his graduation from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in fine art in 1972. For years, Eyberg exhib-ited three dimensional color field painting in several galleries in New York. By 1977, he moved his studio to Ventura and began receiving

commissions for stained glass work. After studying glass blow-ing techniques at Pilchuk School in Washington, Eyberg began to blow glass in order to give a sculptural dimension to his flat glass panels. Eyberg has exhibited widely in New York and Southern California galleries and has received numerous awards for his work.In 2005 the City of Ventura commissioned Robert Eyberg to create artwork to be presented as awards for the Mayor’s Arts Awards. One of these limited edition works has been added to the permanent collection.

dm Spaulding (1929-2012)A Scroll, 1997, rope, patinaed copper, oiled fabric on wood.Originally a sculptor of bronze figures, dm Spaulding has evolved into an artist who assembles his sculptures using found objects such as rope, thin metal and other assorted detritus. He elegantly combines these pieces into works of art that, as a whole, stir unique images, trigger unex-pected metaphorical associations, and

provoke reflection. He explains, “My art is sculpture. It communi-cates through tactile shapes and human-warmed materials, which have been in dialogue with our hand and eye before this human age began. Ropes, bamboo, and rawhide, copper, vines, and chains, stones, oiled fabric, tea-leaves, enduring bronzes and temporal papers coated with our complexions to give us a self-image.” dm Spaulding’s work was greatly influenced by living in Japan, where he worked as a teacher and school principal for 18 years. His use of the Japanese aesthetic, which uniquely employs the use of “positive” and “negative” space, has created a provocative com-plexity in his work. He has exhibited widely in California, Japan, New York, and Connecticut.

John Suttman (b. 1955)Neu Chair (#4 of 10), 2005, painted steel.Artist John Suttman’s elegant and imagi-native metal furniture asks viewers to re-think the appearance of functional items. Beginning with classical and traditional motifs and patterns, Suttman, literally, bends familiar shapes into contemporary, one-of–a-kind or limited edition works. The design of these sophisticated and often whimsical works does not al-ways begin with a clear plan and, in fact, often includes intuitive forging sessions

whereby the spontaneous, early shaping of the steel suggests the direction for the work. Suttman’s Neu Chair, which takes a seat on the playful edge of contemporary art, is deceptively sturdy, and, in fact, entirely functional. What appears to be the graceful organic fragility of this steel structure is an illusion created through the use of an age-old patina technique designed to leave the impression of antique wood.John Suttman, who studied fine arts at the University of New Mexico and apprenticed for the distinguished American sculp-tor Paul Suttman, is the former owner/designer of a production jewelry company. His art furniture and decorative ironwork have been exhibited nationally and can be found in numerous public and private collections.

If That Picture Could SpeakA lesson plan for teachers – adapt for younger students

Two Monkeys

by Pieter Bruegel

The Old Guitarist

by Pablo Picasso

A brief history of ekphrasisIf a picture could speak, what tale would it tell you? An act of writing inspired by looking closely at a work of visual art is called ekphrasis, a Greek word meaning “to speak out.” For over 2,500 years this ancient technique has helped artworks “talk” through writers who use their full imaginative powers to respond directly to art from the past or today’s creative minds.1. Homer’s “Shield of Achilles” in the Iliad from the 5th century B.C.

acts like a “movie screen” projecting scenes of a wedding, trial, army ambush, lion attacking a bull, and a big dance party.

2. Latin poet Horace claims that “poetry is a speaking picture” in the first century A.D.

3. 19th century poet John Keats at a museum speaks to a young couple painted on an ancient vase in “Ode on a Grecian Urn” as if they are still alive today (find his drawing on the Internet).

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe ShelleyI met a traveller from an antique landWho said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,Tell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;And on the pedestal these words appear:“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”Nothing beside remains. Round the decayOf that colossal wreck, boundless and bareThe lone and level sands stretch far away.

Elephant’s Footprintby Vivian Gaggia

Glacier, destructive and dangerouscruel and cold, slowly drifts

destroying everything in its pathLike an elephant dancing through the jungle

He pays no attention to anything around himThough the glacier will someday melt

and the water will rush through the forestdown to an ocean or lake

Eventually, it will freezeand smash through the valleys once again

Poem & Poet Artwork

“Ozymandius” by Percy Bysshe Shelley .........................................................................Photo of Egyptian ruins (see below)“The Great Figure” by William Carlos Williams ........................................................I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, by Charles Demeuth“The Man with the Blue Guitar” by Wallace Stevens ............................................The Old Guitarist, by Pablo Picasso“Two Monkeys by Breughel” by Wislawa Szymborska ..........................................Two Monkeys, by Pieter Bruegel“Elephant’s Footprint” by Vivian Gaggia, Art Tales winner ...................................Glacial Melt, by Helle Sharling-Todd“Migration” by Mary Kaye Rummel, Art Tales winner ............................................Migration #8, by Debra McKillop

Take a field trip to Ventura City Hall or view artworks on our websiteVisit Ventura City Hall or project the images from our website links – you may also request a teacher’s kit with reproductions of the art for classroom use at arttales@cityofventura.ca.gov. Explain the titles, examine the artworks, and discuss them briefly.

Give students some pre-write advice as they make their choices by saying:1. Pick an artwork that causes an immediate reaction in you.

Examine it more closely. Look deep inside. Ask yourself: What do I see, feel, or question? Look for details. Use colors. Create your own title for the artwork.

2. Go “behind the painting” or artwork; go beyond what you can actually see; use all your senses; make it personal.

3. Think about how you will make the artwork MOVE as you give the artwork a VOICE, CAPTURE its energy and ACTIONS with words, and add your own life or dimension to the artwork.

Discuss four approaches to get “write inside” the artwork1. Create your own story about the painting. Let your mind

wander, then answer the question: What is going on? How does it end?

2. Create a conversation or argument among objects depicted; make them speak!

3. Enter the artwork yourself—climb inside—and describe your experiences or “adventures within the frame.”

4. Pretend you are the artist. What’s on your mind as you work? What happened beforehand? Afterwards?

Let the writing begin!Ask students to:

– jot down “writing bubbles” of what immediately strikes them about the artwork’s vivid images, details, and metaphors;

– create ten to twenty lines of poetry or a minimum of five sentences full of clear colors, unusual details, and metaphor “discoveries.”

Share the results!Allow at least ten minutes at the end of class for students who wish to read aloud their creations.

Revise poems on the computer and email them into the contestTeachers can fax or save handwritten copies as a pdf for younger contestants.

Migrationby Mary Kaye Rummel

Free from the call of the seaa Luna moth sputters

into light through an open window.Body too heavy for wings,

she stutters against my arm,flickering like a loose bulb

in the anemone dark. Tonight black inverts like a mother

playing here and gone, drawinga tight shirt over her child’s eyes.Tonight beneath the moth moon

we will sleep back to back.

Migration #8, by Debra McKillopGlacial Melt, by Helle Sharling-Todd

Writers “make great pictures” by using words. The power of images—in poetry and visual art—is what “speaks” to our imaginations. Remember that “image” is the root of the word “imagination.”

Discuss model poems inspired by artProject two or three poems and images (from our and other websites) for students to read aloud, taking turns by stanza. A fragment of a statue of Ramses II (aka Ozymandias) in the British Museum inspired Shelley to write his sonnet. For each poem, ask students to say what details they like best, to identify metaphors, and discuss the poet’s approach.

If That Picture Could SpeakA lesson plan for teachers – adapt for younger students

Two Monkeys

by Pieter Bruegel

The Old Guitarist

by Pablo Picasso

A brief history of ekphrasisIf a picture could speak, what tale would it tell you? An act of writing inspired by looking closely at a work of visual art is called ekphrasis, a Greek word meaning “to speak out.” For over 2,500 years this ancient technique has helped artworks “talk” through writers who use their full imaginative powers to respond directly to art from the past or today’s creative minds.1. Homer’s “Shield of Achilles” in the Iliad from the 5th century B.C.

acts like a “movie screen” projecting scenes of a wedding, trial, army ambush, lion attacking a bull, and a big dance party.

2. Latin poet Horace claims that “poetry is a speaking picture” in the first century A.D.

3. 19th century poet John Keats at a museum speaks to a young couple painted on an ancient vase in “Ode on a Grecian Urn” as if they are still alive today (find his drawing on the Internet).

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe ShelleyI met a traveller from an antique landWho said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,Tell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;And on the pedestal these words appear:“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”Nothing beside remains. Round the decayOf that colossal wreck, boundless and bareThe lone and level sands stretch far away.

Elephant’s Footprintby Vivian Gaggia

Glacier, destructive and dangerouscruel and cold, slowly drifts

destroying everything in its pathLike an elephant dancing through the jungle

He pays no attention to anything around himThough the glacier will someday melt

and the water will rush through the forestdown to an ocean or lake

Eventually, it will freezeand smash through the valleys once again

Poem & Poet Artwork

“Ozymandius” by Percy Bysshe Shelley .........................................................................Photo of Egyptian ruins (see below)“The Great Figure” by William Carlos Williams ........................................................I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, by Charles Demeuth“The Man with the Blue Guitar” by Wallace Stevens ............................................The Old Guitarist, by Pablo Picasso“Two Monkeys by Breughel” by Wislawa Szymborska ..........................................Two Monkeys, by Pieter Bruegel“Elephant’s Footprint” by Vivian Gaggia, Art Tales winner ...................................Glacial Melt, by Helle Sharling-Todd“Migration” by Mary Kaye Rummel, Art Tales winner ............................................Migration #8, by Debra McKillop

Take a field trip to Ventura City Hall or view artworks on our websiteVisit Ventura City Hall or project the images from our website links – you may also request a teacher’s kit with reproductions of the art for classroom use at arttales@cityofventura.ca.gov. Explain the titles, examine the artworks, and discuss them briefly.

Give students some pre-write advice as they make their choices by saying:1. Pick an artwork that causes an immediate reaction in you.

Examine it more closely. Look deep inside. Ask yourself: What do I see, feel, or question? Look for details. Use colors. Create your own title for the artwork.

2. Go “behind the painting” or artwork; go beyond what you can actually see; use all your senses; make it personal.

3. Think about how you will make the artwork MOVE as you give the artwork a VOICE, CAPTURE its energy and ACTIONS with words, and add your own life or dimension to the artwork.

Discuss four approaches to get “write inside” the artwork1. Create your own story about the painting. Let your mind

wander, then answer the question: What is going on? How does it end?

2. Create a conversation or argument among objects depicted; make them speak!

3. Enter the artwork yourself—climb inside—and describe your experiences or “adventures within the frame.”

4. Pretend you are the artist. What’s on your mind as you work? What happened beforehand? Afterwards?

Let the writing begin!Ask students to:

– jot down “writing bubbles” of what immediately strikes them about the artwork’s vivid images, details, and metaphors;

– create ten to twenty lines of poetry or a minimum of five sentences full of clear colors, unusual details, and metaphor “discoveries.”

Share the results!Allow at least ten minutes at the end of class for students who wish to read aloud their creations.

Revise poems on the computer and email them into the contestTeachers can fax or save handwritten copies as a pdf for younger contestants.

Migrationby Mary Kaye Rummel

Free from the call of the seaa Luna moth sputters

into light through an open window.Body too heavy for wings,

she stutters against my arm,flickering like a loose bulb

in the anemone dark. Tonight black inverts like a mother

playing here and gone, drawinga tight shirt over her child’s eyes.Tonight beneath the moth moon

we will sleep back to back.

Migration #8, by Debra McKillopGlacial Melt, by Helle Sharling-Todd

Writers “make great pictures” by using words. The power of images—in poetry and visual art—is what “speaks” to our imaginations. Remember that “image” is the root of the word “imagination.”

Discuss model poems inspired by artProject two or three poems and images (from our and other websites) for students to read aloud, taking turns by stanza. A fragment of a statue of Ramses II (aka Ozymandias) in the British Museum inspired Shelley to write his sonnet. For each poem, ask students to say what details they like best, to identify metaphors, and discuss the poet’s approach.

2017 Theme:

Channel

Crossings

11th Annual

The City of Ventura is looking

forward to the 11th annual

Art Tales writing and poetry

competition. Take a look at this

year’s art selection to be inspired

and write about these “Objects

of Curious Happenstance.”

Enter by April 10, 2019

Prizes in three age categories PARKS, RECREATION &

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

A Writing Contest

Inspired by Art

11th Annual

Art Tales

dm Sp

auld

ing

John

Sut

tman

Robe

rt C.

Eye

berg

Joe C

arde

lla

Special needs may be met by calling 805-658-4726 or through the California Relay Service.

The City of Ventura is pleased to sponsor this eleventh annual creative contest open to writers worldwide.The contest invites imaginative writers of all ages to compose a short story or poem (500 words maximum) inspired by select pieces of the City of Ventura’s Municipal Art Collection.

Artworks & Theme 2019 Theme: “Objects of Curious Happenstance”

We may not consider it, or even think twice, but do you wonder sometimes…. What is the story of that thing? What is it? Where has it been? Who made it? What did the artist intend it to be? Who else has happened upon it? What did they think of it?This year’s Art Tales inspires curiosity of whimsical things. I challenge you to create a story or poem that explains the curiosity! —Tobie Roach, Public Art Project Manager

How to Enter1. View the images on the back of this brochure or view

larger images at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/arttales. Original artwork can also be viewed at Ventura City Hall, located at 501 Poli Street, second floor during regular business hours.

2. Write an original poem or short story (no more than 500 words in length) inspired by ONE of the exhibit’s artworks that peaks your curiosity. Only ONE contest entry per person please.

3. Prepare your entry as an electronic Word document, (in English only), in a twelve-point font. Include at the top: the author’s name, address, phone number, email address, age, title of work, title of artwork selected, and number of words. (For those sending in entries for multiple writers, a separate Word document is required for each entry.) If your work is not received in this format, it may be disqualified.

4. Submit your entry by April 10, 2019 BY EMAIL ONLY to arttales@cityofventura.ca.gov with “#arttales contest entry#” as the email subject line – together with a completed release form (see next item below).

5. Complete a savable pdf release form – parents must do this for youth entries under 18 – copy the document to your desktop, fill it in, save, and send it along with your entry poem or short story in your email. Form can be found at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/arttales.

Contest RulesQualified entries shall be (a) either a single short story or poem (one entry per person) (b) no longer than 500 words (c) written solely by the entrant (d) not previously published (e) submitted as a Word document (f) not in conflict with trademark, copyright, rights of privacy, rights of publicity, or any other rights, of any kind or nature, of any other person or entity; (f) free of any language or other content that is indecent or inappropriate as determined by the CITY in its discretion. Entries not satisfying these criteria in any respect will be disqualified.

JudgingA committee of professionals, educators, and City of Ventura staff will judge entries on creativity, presentation, and correspondence to a specific artwork, to select their top three choices for separate poetry and short fiction categories in three age divisions:• Youth (12 years or younger) • Teen (13-17 years) • Adult (18 years and up)

Awards & ReadingAll winners receive a bound edition of the judges’ selections with cash prizes for first ($30) and second ($15) place. The Mayor of Ventura presents the awards in April or May during a reading of works by contest winners: all participants, their families, friends, and the public are invited to attend this special event.

— Lesson Plans for Teachers —

12•18

About the 2019 Art Tales Art and Artists

Joe Cardella (1945-2018)Art/Life, vol. 20, Number 11, Issue No. 221, 20th Anniversary Issue, 2001, mixed media volume.After earning a BFA degree in Design from Syracuse Universi-ty School of Art and participat-ing as an active member of the experimental art community in New York City during the early 1970s, Joe Cardella relocated to Santa Barbara where he

failed to find a similar niche for himself in the local art com-munity. A conceptual and progressive artist, Cardella catalyzed his frustrated need to connect and dialogue with other like-minded artists into Art/Life. He says, “Art/Life is not meant to be a monologue, but a conversation among creative people, all of whom are vital, interested, and alive.” This “conversation” manifests itself each month into a bound limited edition volume in which each page displays an original poem or a work of art fashioned from a diverse array of media and reproduced by hand. As publisher/editor/contributor, Joe Cardella arranges the pages into a cohesive whole, establishing striking and perceptive patterns. Since its inception in 1981, Art/Life has evolved into one of the longest continually published art/literature peri-odicals in the world, enjoying an international audience. Many prestigious institutions such as New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Boston Museum of Fine Art, and the Getty Trust collect the volumes.

Robert C. Eyberg (b. 1949) Medicine Bag, 2005Robert Eyberg has been a profes-sional artist since his graduation from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in fine art in 1972. For years, Eyberg exhib-ited three dimensional color field painting in several galleries in New York. By 1977, he moved his studio to Ventura and began receiving

commissions for stained glass work. After studying glass blow-ing techniques at Pilchuk School in Washington, Eyberg began to blow glass in order to give a sculptural dimension to his flat glass panels. Eyberg has exhibited widely in New York and Southern California galleries and has received numerous awards for his work.In 2005 the City of Ventura commissioned Robert Eyberg to create artwork to be presented as awards for the Mayor’s Arts Awards. One of these limited edition works has been added to the permanent collection.

dm Spaulding (1929-2012)A Scroll, 1997, rope, patinaed copper, oiled fabric on wood.Originally a sculptor of bronze figures, dm Spaulding has evolved into an artist who assembles his sculptures using found objects such as rope, thin metal and other assorted detritus. He elegantly combines these pieces into works of art that, as a whole, stir unique images, trigger unex-pected metaphorical associations, and

provoke reflection. He explains, “My art is sculpture. It communi-cates through tactile shapes and human-warmed materials, which have been in dialogue with our hand and eye before this human age began. Ropes, bamboo, and rawhide, copper, vines, and chains, stones, oiled fabric, tea-leaves, enduring bronzes and temporal papers coated with our complexions to give us a self-image.” dm Spaulding’s work was greatly influenced by living in Japan, where he worked as a teacher and school principal for 18 years. His use of the Japanese aesthetic, which uniquely employs the use of “positive” and “negative” space, has created a provocative com-plexity in his work. He has exhibited widely in California, Japan, New York, and Connecticut.

John Suttman (b. 1955)Neu Chair (#4 of 10), 2005, painted steel.Artist John Suttman’s elegant and imagi-native metal furniture asks viewers to re-think the appearance of functional items. Beginning with classical and traditional motifs and patterns, Suttman, literally, bends familiar shapes into contemporary, one-of–a-kind or limited edition works. The design of these sophisticated and often whimsical works does not al-ways begin with a clear plan and, in fact, often includes intuitive forging sessions

whereby the spontaneous, early shaping of the steel suggests the direction for the work. Suttman’s Neu Chair, which takes a seat on the playful edge of contemporary art, is deceptively sturdy, and, in fact, entirely functional. What appears to be the graceful organic fragility of this steel structure is an illusion created through the use of an age-old patina technique designed to leave the impression of antique wood.John Suttman, who studied fine arts at the University of New Mexico and apprenticed for the distinguished American sculp-tor Paul Suttman, is the former owner/designer of a production jewelry company. His art furniture and decorative ironwork have been exhibited nationally and can be found in numerous public and private collections.