WHEN LITERARY AND VISUAL ARTISTS collaborate, something beautiful happens. That was evident to me in viewing “Echoes & Shadows,” a poetry and art collaboration at FiftyNorth Gallery in Northfield. In this exhibit at the senior center, visual artists created art inspired by original poetry. The results are fascinating.
As a long-time writer and photographer, who is also a published poet, I’ve participated in similar collabs in nearby Zumbrota. I found it a whole lot of fun not only to write poems, but especially to see how an artist interpreted my poetry. I expect those participating in this pairing of poetry and visual art in Northfield feel the same. The work in this show is visual art inspiring poetry.
I feel fortunate to live in a region rich in the arts. The arts expose us to new ideas, thoughts, beauty and more. The arts open us to a world wide beyond our own. The arts can serve as a catalyst for positive change. The arts represent voice, a way for us to speak via our creativity.
In “Echoes & Shadows,” artists express themselves in carefully crafted words and in a variety of visual art that seems to fit its inspirational poetry. Painting, appliqueing, woodworking, photography, collage…all are part of this collaboration.
I like that word, “collaboration.” It means working together. Even that seems especially meaningful today.
In this pairing of art and poetry, I see collaboration, how literary art and visual art play off and balance one another, centering the two pieces of art into one unified piece without sacrificing individuality. Creatives are, after all, uniquely creative even when working together.
Promotional information about the FiftyNorth poetry and art collaboration, “Echoes & Shadows,” references a quote from poet Carl Sandburg: “Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” Oh, how lovely those words. And how fitting for a collaboration that echoes and dances.
FYI: The “Echoes & Shadows” exhibit closes on October 31. To view the exhibit online, click here. Note that I photographed the art and poetry in this post with permission of FiftyNorth. In most cases, I’ve opted to show only part of the creative works. In featuring the poems, I’ve edited the images.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing.
You are most welcome, Kathy.
This looks marvellous! Collaborations are, I think, revolutionary actions.
You would enjoy this exhibit. I love when creatives work together to create something unique and beautiful.
Thank you for including the link, Audrey. It was so neat to view the online exhibit, as I probably won’t make it down that way to see it in real life. It was so interesting to see the art, read about the artist, and read the poetry beside it.
You’re welcome, Rose. It’s really nice when this is available online for readers like you who don’t live anywhere near Northfield. Thank you for taking the time to view this collaboration online.
Looks like an interesting exhibit. I was especially intrigued by the moon and Lake Superior, since I just witnessed the super moon rising over the big lake. 😉
I thought of you when I saw that textile art and poem.
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what a lovely collaboration!
It is.
there is such a natural connection between words and image, and it’s always so interesting to see how one responds to the other. it’s like the chicken and the egg in either direction with a beautiful outcome no matter which way it goes. you are indeed very lucky to have so many opportunities to see creative works in your area. it speaks to how it is a priority for the community.
I used to have the prek children in my class each dictate a story about a well known piece of art that was unknown to them, and they each told a different story and I’d tell the class the story of the painting after we were finished. I’d then display all of their stories for the parents to see, along with a copy of the painting and they were amazed with what such young children could come up with. it was fascinating to see what they would ‘write’ about the piece.
What an absolutely fabulous idea to have your children dictate stories about a well-known art piece. I love this idea. You were meant to teach.
It’s a fascinating creative exercise. I used the Mona Lisa once. Some guessed that it might be a male, most a female. None of them heard the story that the other told. Many of them mentioned something about it looking like she had gone far away after seeing green in the background and maybe something like the river. Many said it looks like she was by herself, but was happy and maybe needed some time alone maybe some quiet time or some time away from her family. I found that interesting. when they talked about them wearing black, it looked kind of like a dress because it looked fancy at the top. You could see the moms in the family loved the part about mom needing a little bit of time alone by herself I have to re-shared everybody’s stories. I told them about Leonardo da Vinci and what we know about the Mona Lisa, and that some people still aren’t sure. Absolutely if it was a painting of a woman or a man, but most people think it was probably a woman.
They learned a lot from you. And you (and the parents) learned a lot from the kids. This is an all around wonderful creative activity you led.