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 three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts.
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 has a limited enrollment to maximize interaction among the instructor and students.
Please Note: Individual sessions are available for purchase.
April 18 Capture Sensation
Inspired by 20th century British artist Vanessa Bell’s A Conversation and the writings of her sister, Virginia Woolf, experiment with capturing the inner and outer life of characters.
April 25 Unveil Stories
Inspired by Cecilia Beaux’s Sita and Sarita, discover the multiple layers of stories in the work, life, and times of this early 20th century American artist.
May 2 Explore Place
Step into Canaletto’s Entrance to the Grand Canal from the Molo, Venice to explore the dynamic relationship among setting, character and story.
Surface is a teaching artist, playwright, theatre director and museum educator. She presents workshops nationwide in creative writing and drama as a Kennedy Center teaching artist and was a faculty member at Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom.
3 sessions
General Information
