Play, Happenstance, & Improv: Women in Abstract Art Masterclass
Methods of making; start with art and a feminist approach to ekphrasis.
Abstract art by modern women teaches us that we don’t need to start composing with a predefined theme in mind, or from a single point of view – we don’t need to see where we’re going in order to start the journey. We can begin with play, happenstance, and improvisation in our creative work – repeatedly asking the question ‘what if…?’ to move into exciting new places and freedoms.
This course takes a feminist approach to ekphrasis, exploring ways in which poetry can respond to and translate abstract and non-figurative art, alongside celebrating the work of modern women in abstract art, including Wilhelmina Barns Graham, Joan Mitchell, Julia Ball, Sonja Sekula, Li-Wen Kuo, Sheila Hicks, Mary Lloyd Jones, Maggie Hambling, Danièle Ansermet, Helen Frankenthaler, and Etel Adnan, amongst others.
Throughout the course, we’ll take inspiration from non-traditional modes of representation and use these exciting visual pieces as springboards, propelling us towards innovative new verbal creations of our own, suffused with freedom, dynamism, and improvisational energy!
Masterclasses are an expanded version of our International Courses, with a much deeper consideration of technical craft and critical theory. These 12-week courses (maximum 10 places) are for advanced students only, and fluency with poetic language and ideas will be assumed. There are no live chats and they are suitable for UK and International students.
Concessions & Accessibility
To apply for a concessionary rate, please send relevant documentation showing your eligibility for one of our concessions to [email protected]. Conditions of eligibility are detailed here. If you have any questions or wish to be added to the waiting list of a sold-out course, please email [email protected]. For more information visit our Online Courses page.
Image credit: @filippofaccendini
About Peter Hughes 
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Peter Hughes is a poet and the founding editor of Oystercatcher Press, now based in Spello, Italy. In 2016 he was the Judith E. Wilson Visiting Fellow in Poetry at the University of Cambridge. His many books include a Selected Poems (Shearsman, 2013), innovative versions of all Petrarch’s sonnets Quite Frankly (Reality Street Editions, 2015), Cavalcanty (Carcanet, 2017), Arrangements (with Eléna Rivera, Aquifer, 2022), The Modulus of Rupture (Shearsman, 2023), and Lent (Equipage, 2024).
"My years with the Poetry School has helped shape my writing in a myriad of ways"
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