Thank you to all that participated in this year's ekphrastic poetry contest. This contest invited poets to view artwork images from four participating San Antonio arts institutions as inspiration for poems written in response to the images. We received over 125 entries from across South Texas and enjoyed reading all the poems and selecting the winners.
What is Ekphrastic Poetry? In simplest terms, an ekphrastic poem is one written in response to another art form: a visual work of art; a piece of music or dance, etc. For purposes of this National Poetry Month Ekphrastic Poetry Contest, write a response to a visual work of art. Examples of famous ekphrastic poems are: Ode to a Grecian Urn by John Keats; Nine Nectarines and Other Porcelain by Marianne Moore; and The Starry Night by Ann Sexton.
Briscoe Western Art Museum
Mark Maggiori
Once Upon a Time, 2020
Oil on canvas
46 1/2″x44 38″
Gift of the artist
The McNay Art Museum
Sarah #9
Maker and role
Artist: Heidi McFall, American, born 1974
Year
2001
San Antonio Museum of Art
Mama Ocllo, First Coya
Witte Museum
Apache Pitch Lined Basket
The Apache people of the American Southwest arrived in the area abut A. D. 1100, migrating from western Canada. Apache Indians closely wove basket jars and covered them with pine pitch to make them water-tight as they did not make pottery for such purposes. These baskets were extremely durable and were highly functional given the mobile life-style of the hunter-gatherer Apache.
Mini-Workshop: Writing an Ekphrastic Poem in Response to a Visual Work of Art
Want to try your hand at ekphrastic poetry without the pressure of entering the contest? See this document for a mini, virtual workshop on creating ekphrastic poetry.
