Reforesting: An Homage to Gil Ott is a collaboration between poet Julia Blumenreich and visual artist Wendy Osterweil. A multi-layered art installation includes a forest of silkscreened “spirit trees,” papercuts that conjure light and shadow in a forest environment, a wall of sycamore tree bark, “tea skin” composed of stitched and embroidered teabag papers, and an ethereal boat signifying passage to the next world. Reforesting represents a dialogue between Wendy and Julia, in response to Julia’s suite of 16 poems that investigate grief and loss. Gil Ott (1950-2004), a poet with over a dozen published books and a community arts activist, is the late husband of Julia.
Julia and Wendy developed their artistic collaboration during the years since Gil’s death, finding mutual resonance in nature imagery. A group of women artists – Nancy Agati, Sara Dekker, Jenni Desnouee, Marie Elcin, Carolyn Hesse, Tonia Hsieh, Charlene Melhorn, Willa Ott, Debby Pollak and Alia Tahvildaran - also created artwork for Reforesting.
Reforesting: An Homage to Gil Ott Poetry Event
February 26, 3-4:30 pm
Book release party for Gil Ott’s,
A Defined Anarch: Collected Poetry and Prose
Poetry reading of Gil’s and Julia’s poetry
Readers include: Julia Blumenreich, C.A. Conrad, Eli Goldblatt, Heather Thomas and others.
