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Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

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Registrations may still be available for the individual sessions within this series.
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Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

4-Session Daytime Course

4 sessions, from September 8 to 29, 2020
Code: 1K0022
Select your Registration
$140
Member
$160
Nonmember

The 4 programs included in this series are:

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a series that explores the essential elements of close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative writing through the lens of four paintings that span centuries and styles. This session explores character.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a series that explores the essential elements of close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative writing through the lens of four paintings that span centuries and styles. This session explores setting

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a series that explores the essential elements of close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative writing through the lens of four paintings that span centuries and styles. This session explores dialogue.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a series that explores the essential elements of close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative writing through the lens of four paintings that span centuries and styles. This session explores story.

STREAMING PROGRAM INFORMATION

  • This program is part of our Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.
  • Platform: Zoom
  • Online registration is required.
  • For multiple registrations, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a series of four online workshops that explore the essential elements of writing through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative writing.

The sessions spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. Each workshop is limited to 30 participants to maximize interaction among the instructor and students.

Sept. 8  Character: Uncovering Complexity

Meet 17th-century Dutch artist Judith Leyster through her self-portrait as you probe how details help create rich, compelling characters. 

Sept. 15  Setting: The Power of Place

Step inside 20th-century African American artist Hale Woodruff’s Georgia Landscape as you explore the literal and metaphorical role of setting in writing.

Sept. 22  Dialogue: Spoken and Unspoken

Give voice to the characters in late 19th-century American artist Mary Cassatt’s The Boating Party as you experiment with crafting effective dialogue.

Sept. 29  Story: Arcs of Action

Dive into 20th-century African American artist Hughie Lee-Smith’s Confrontation as you imagine multiple narratives from a single source.

Surface is a teaching artist, playwright, and theatre director and producer. She presents workshops nationwide in creative writing and drama as a Kennedy Center teaching artist and was a six-summer faculty member at Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom.

4 sessions

Photo Credit: Self-Portrait, ca. 1630, by Judith Leyster (National Gallery of Art)

UPDATED PATRON INFORMATION

  • Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
  • Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of each session. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of each session, please email Customer Service for assistance.
  • View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.