Nude Truths
Throughout the Everything Must Change tour 2008, the art exhibit, “Nude Truths: An Odyssey in Poetry, Painting and Prose,” in digital and book form will serve as a catalyst for reflection on your own journey and where your unique gifts can intersect with the needs of the world, promoting change. This exhibit was developed by Mary Ylvisaker Nilsen, a writer from Iowa, and her sister Kristi Ylvisaker, an artist from Norway, in response to Denise Levertov’s poetry.
The Inspiration
The idea for a collaborative effort came as a vision and quickly became an imperative. Working on their respective sides of the Atlantic, Ylvisaker and Nilsen first read books of poetry by Denise Levertov, noting lines that were, for them, the most evocative. Of course there were hundreds, representing a number of conceptual areas. The necessary decision to focus on one conceptual area, thus eliminating many favorite quotes, was painful. But once they decided on a personal and cultural cycle representing the journey from innocence or, perhaps, ignorance through the dark places of the psyche and out into a mature serenity, the exhibit took shape.
Artist Kristi Ylvisaker did her graduate work in painting at the University of Iowa and studied at the New York Studio School during the late ’60s. She has lived in Norway for more than thirty years. Ylvisaker is a member of the Norwegian Organization of Professional Artists and is widely commissioned and exhibited. This is her third show to travel to the United States.
Writer Mary Ylvisaker Nilsen holds graduate degrees from the University of Iowa in non-fiction writing and from Harvard Divinity School in theological studies. She writes, teaches, edits, and manages Zion Publishing from her home in Des Moines, Iowa.
One Response
January 26th, 2008 at 9:02 am
[…] This is going to be more than just a book tour and more than just a series of talks from Brian McLaren! “Everything Must Change” Charlotte promises to be a unique experience featuring the visual art of Linnea Nilsen Capshaw, the original music of Tracy Howe, and the contributions and voices of local leaders — including plenty of opportunities for conversation and interaction with hundreds of participants, all enjoyed while drinking fair-trade coffee. […]