Art IMPACT Gallery celebrated National Poetry Month

MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant Arts IMPACT welcomes their April-May artist Vicky Dovenspike to their rotating art gallery in the Mt. Pleasant Public Library.

As a way to launch into April, which is National Poetry Month, the organization celebrates verse, creativity, and the power of words in the current display.

“Get ready to be enthralled by the works of local talent represented by the poetry, artistry, and photography of Salem resident and retired mother Vicky Dovenspike,” an Arts IMPACT news release states. “Vicky is the featured artist in the Arts IMPACT mini-gallery located in the Mt. Pleasant Public Library and open for viewing during regular library hours this April and May.”

According to Arts IMPACT, Dovenspike is a self-trained photographer, poet, and artist.

“Vicky masterfully intertwines her passions to create truly unique illustrations of her own poetry,” Arts IMPACT describes. “She is a member of The Society of Great River Poets and has been published in [ITALICS] Writers on The Avenue and Lyrical Iowa and The National Federation of State Poetry.”

As a lifelong artist, Dovenspike has expressed herself with work in pencil, acrylic, and photography in which she express inspiration from life events, beauty in the world around her, and people who impact her life.

Dovenspike extensively shows her work in local shows and through The Fort Madison Area Arts Association.

In addition to the traditional artwork, Arts IMPACT also invites the community to view a poetry compilation accompanying Dovenspike’s art.

This is not the traditional type of poetry, actually, this poetry is generated through artificial intelligence using ChatGPT3.5

“The computer was given the challenge of creating poetry selections on the subject of ‘Spring in Iowa’ but written in the style of well-known and popular poets,” an Arts IMPACT news release stated. “On display are the computer-generated results of this challenge, and readers can judge for themselves how successfully the computer was able to respond to this ‘creative challenge.’”

One featured poem specifically addresses Mt. Pleasant as a subject.

Sonnet in proper form — To Mount Pleasant

“In springtime’s sweet embrace, the world awakes,

And southeast Iowa’s rolling hills and fields,

Burst forth in colors bright, like painted lakes,

As nature’s splendor all around it yields.

Mount Pleasant, oh how fair thy sight to see,

When trees and flowers bloom and birds take flight,

And all around, the air is fresh and free,

With fragrant scents that lift the soul with light.

The rivers flow with crystal clarity,

As sunlight dances on their rippled waves,

And all around, the land’s vitality,

Is felt in every breeze that nature craves

So let us cherish spring in southeast Iowa,

And revel in tis beauty without flaw.”

Other poetic styling influences in the exhibit include E.E. Cummings, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost among many other noteworthy names.

One piece entitled “In Praise of Sprig” even labels itself “An artificial intelligence attempt to be thankful.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com