Attendees to the June Open Mic Poetry Night at Pacesetter Gallery enjoyed poetry inspired by original Mississippi art. Each year, the Mississippi Poetry Society selects a Mississippi artist for the cover of their Mississippi Poetry Society Journal Contest Edition. Laura Mayo, a rural artist from outside Hernando, MS, and artist at Pacesetter Gallery since its opening 2021, was selected for the 2024 cover. Her acrylic painting, Prone to Wander, captured the imagination of this year’s MPS journal editors, Daniel B. Pickett and Jason Ervin. The painting features a double gate leading into a wide meadow and a distant treeline. The artist is renowned for capturing moments of beauty in her tonal landscapes, bringing color, light, and softness to the Mississippi landscape. A sense of the mystic pervades Mayo’s work and new releases are anticipated by collectors of her art.
To prepare for the June Open Mic Poetry Night special event, poets selected paintings from the artist’s current collection. Trips were made to visit the artworks in the gallery and selected from Mayo’s collection at the pacesettergallery.com website. Poets chose the pieces that personally inspired them, writing one or more ekphrastic poems to read aloud for the artist. Creating a poem inspired by another piece of art, be it visual, musical, dance, is called an ekphrastic poem.
“One of the goals of Pacesetter Gallery is to be a hub for all of the arts. Visual art cannot be separated from other forms, as they are all outward expressions of our individual lives which we express in different ways. I believe we improve the quality of our own lives when we allow ourselves to share our very personal creations of art, dance, poetry, and song. Being in that head space of creative connection, is where I am happiest. I love to set the stage for others to experience that at Pacesetter Gallery.”, states Keri Davis, the owner of Pacesetter Gallery. This event co-hosted with the Mississippi Poetry Society is longest running event they currently host. The next poetry night will be Friday, September 6, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 PM. Poets of all ages, from brand new to seasoned, are welcome to attend and enjoy the evening at the gallery. The gallery provides refreshments and the event is free to attend with no registration needed. A sign-up sheet is available upon arrival for poets and listeners only are always welcome and appreciated.
“Pacesetter Gallery feels like ‘home’ to my heart, mind, and soul! I am a poet, and every surface of the gallery glows with the poetry of texture, form, and color! As a member of the Mississippi Poetry Society, I have had the privilege of being a part of the gallery’s “Open Mic Poetry Night” since that first exciting evening. It has been exhilarating to see both new and seasoned poets take to the mic at the gallery. We share laughter, tears, bravado, song, thoughtful silences, sighs, and always, applause, as each creative basks in the warmth of that intimate spotlight in the gallery. Pacesetter Gallery, in collaboration with MPS, welcomes one and all to come and be a part of these creative evenings”, says Linda Owen. Laura Mayo’s new collection and the poetry book is available online or in gallery featuring small and large acrylic works on canvas.
