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Workshop: Memory Maps with Jeri Theriault

Sat, Jun 29

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Eastport

Maine poet and visual artist Jeri Theriault will introduce her unique combination of creative genres in this two-day workshop.

Workshop: Memory Maps with Jeri Theriault
Workshop: Memory Maps with Jeri Theriault

Time & Location

Jun 29, 2024, 1:00 PM – Jun 30, 2024, 4:00 PM

Eastport, 36 Washington St, Eastport, ME 04631, USA

Guests

About the event

A Maine poet and visual artist will introduce her unique combination of creative genres in a two-day workshop as well as a poetry reading on the final weekend of June at Eastport Arts Center.

Jeri Theriault, a resident of South Portland, has published five books of poetry, including Self-Portrait as Homestead, released in 2023. A lifelong poet, she added visual art to her repertoire 15 years ago, creating collages. Theriault will illustrate the connection between the two in her series of presentations.

“My last book came out last summer and its sort of a piecing together of memories and the idea for the workshops came from that,” she explained. “The idea is to encourage people to remember things visually by drawing and collaging and then to have people write.”

Theriault will lead participants in her version of memory-making in a two-part workshop on Saturday, June 29, and Sunday, June 30, 1-4 pm. Students will create personal collages representing a place that figures prominently in their lives. Participants will use the collages as prompts to craft a story about their memories of that place.

“The visual I see as pre-writing. It’s a way of getting into the story so then you can write it,” Theriault said. She encourages workshop participants to supply their own items such as photographs or news clippings to make their collages very personal.

Workshop participants will also recreate the place they’ve chosen by putting their memories to words. At the end of the session, participants will have captured that place both narratively and visually.

The session is designed for students ages 16 and up;  all materials are included. The workshop fee is $40. A sliding fee scale (pay what you can) is available by request. Space is limited and registration required. Please email workshops@eastportartscenter.org to reserve or buy your ticket below.

Theriault has lead a number of these memory-making workshops, receiving positive comments from those who’ve taken part.

“People love it. People said their memories were activated in ways they hadn’t been before.”

Prefacing the workshops, Theriault will be reading from her poetry at 7 pm, Friday, June 28, at Eastport Arts Center. The reading is free of charge and includes Theriault’s stories of how the poems originated. Theriault’s husband, Philip Carlsen, a composer and cellist, will perform as part of the evening.

These events have been supported by the Maine Arts Commission.

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