Columbia’s 701 Center for Contemporary Art presents a multi-media poetry event prepared and directed by current 701 CCA Artist in Residence Jerome Meadows. Blank Page Poetry – Words & Shadows will present poetry as you have never seen it before. The event will take place Wednesday, September 28, 8:00 pm. Doors will open at 7:00, including the doors to 701 CCA’s current exhibition Again & Again: The Art of Repetition. Admission is free, and the public is invited; donations are encouraged. 

Blank Page Poetry is a unique, site-specific, cultural event presenting poetry in performance along with dance movements designed around a theme of specific importance to the city of Columbia – in this case, race and its historical, sociological and geographical implications. All of the eight poets selected to present their original works have been drawn from the Columbia community. Through Blank Page Poetry, the power of the spoken word is enhanced by the poet giving life to his or her work behind a large, suspended sheet of white paper while casting his or her shadow upon that sheet of paper. Simultaneously, select words and phrases from each poem are projected upon the paper as those words are being performed. 

Director Meadows cooperated with Columbia Poet Laureate Ed Madden to assemble a cast of some of Columbia’s most exciting poets. Performing their work will be Madden himself, Jennifer Bartell, Al Black, Tim Conroy, Worthy Evans, Terrance Henderson, Monifa Lemons Jackson and Ray McManus. 

Aside from the poetry and projections, Savannah, Ga., choreographer choreographer Brea Cali has created three dance segments that will be performed by Amanda Ling. The dance performances will be woven into the event making references to the Saluda, Broad and Congaree Rivers. Columbia musician Rodney Bean will perform “sound bridges” during interludes between each segment of the performance event. 

Meadows has presented earlier installments of Blank Page Poetry – Words & Shadows at the Telfair Museums in Savannah, Ga., twice; as part of the New Discord Festival in Chattanooga, Tenn.; at 3S ArtSpace in Portsmouth, NH; and elsewhere. 

Meadows is a sculptor, mixed media artist and poet from Savannah, Ga. He has been in residence at 701 CCA since early August, 2016, specifically to work with the Columbia poetry community to create this project, which combines poetry with visual and performance art. Meadows also was presented in 701 CCA’s Spring exhibition Dadadesque.