Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville will present Art Wire in collaboration with prominent literary nonprofit The Porch on June 7, 2022 at 7 p.m. for an intimate gathering in the Lounge at OZ Arts for live, in-person readings by the 2021-22 Art Wire Fellows.
This unique collaboration between OZ Arts and The Porch, now in its fourth year, allows a cohort of Fellows, composed of 5 teenage writers and 5 adult writers, to experience the OZ Arts season and respond to each presentation with original writing that is personal, playful and richly imagined. The writers come from a variety of backgrounds and have been mentored through the writing process by Nina Coyle, writer and former Art Wire fellow, and Joe Kane, director of The Porch’s youth programs.
“These talented writers share their reactions to a season full of wildly different performances spanning multimedia, music, theatre, dance and so much more,” said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive and Artistic Director. “We’re delighted to host them for the fourth year and are grateful to The Porch team for helping showcase OZ’s performances in this special, memorable way.”
The 2021-22 OZ Arts season offered a diverse array of inspiration for Art Wire Fellows, including Hip-hop legend Rennie Harris and his company Puremovement, visual artist and animator Miwa Matreyek, and multidisciplinary local work Steal Away by celebrated composer Dave Ragland and choreographer Shabaz Ujima, among many other local, national, and international artists.
Informed by and in response to OZ’s presentations over the past year, the works highlight many literary genres, including poetry, prose, hybrid forms and spoken word. Featured writers include Rachel Ebio, Alethea Hall, Abram Haynes, and the 2022 Nashville Youth Poet Laureate Sheerea Yu along with Camden Andrade, Amy Barnes, Julia Creson, Jacob Proctor, Valentina Quintero and Ashlea Washington.
“The 2021-2022 OZ season allowed these writers to sharpen their use of imagery, sensory details, and creativity as they responded to artists confronting important issues in beautiful and inspiring ways,” said Kane, director of The Porch’s youth programs. “After each performance, the writers are challenged to reflect on what moved them and raise their own voices to join the artistic conversation. That’s a fascinating conversation to see captured in writing. It leads to poetry and prose filled with surprise, ferocity, and delight.”
Art Wire is a free event, but ticket reservations are encouraged. Tickets can be reserved at here. For more information about the partnership between OZ Arts and The Porch, visit artwire.ozartsnashville.org.
