By Leeanne Seaver
“Come As You Art” is a new speakers series that “showcases the craft of one of us while inspiring the creativity in all of us.” Around 30 people were in attendance for the first event that launched October 1 at the Prairie Ronde Artist Gallery, 101 South Prairie Street in Vicksburg. Sponsored by the Prairie Ronde Artist Residency (PRAR) in partnership with Vicksburg Cultural Arts, this series isn’t your typical open mic affair. “The headliner could be a novelist reading her unpublished poetry or a legislator bringing his garage band with the audience as back-up vocalists—you get the idea,” explained PRAR Director John Kern.
First in the line-up were two local writers, Nancy Hibiske-Reed and Ross Landers, who read their winning entries in the 2024 Tournament of Writers. Next, former Grand Rapids Poet Laureate Marcel “Fable” Price took the podium as emcee of the inaugural event with a brief reading from his newest poetry collection, “New American Monarch”. Fable then introduced the featured speaker, award-winning poet Richard Katrovas, a WMU professor and founder of the Prague Summer Writing Program. Katrovas, described by The New York Times as “tough, gritty, full of wonder,” read from his book “Off the Road: My Weird Childhood on American Highways”, then engaged the audience in discussion of “origin stories.”
Deborah Harsha was in that audience and admitted, “I didn’t really know what to expect” but the informal exchange drew her in. “This idea that everyone should write his or her own ‘origin story’ is an important way of looking back at your youth,” Harsha said. Teacher Christine Laaksonen agreed. “I was feeling antsy after a busy day and wasn’t completely sold on sitting quietly for the author’s reading, but when he started telling his origin story, the imagery and honesty of his words held me spellbound,” she said. “I love the idea of exploring your origin story and could see applications for the teaching profession.”
Next up for “Come As You Art” will be a 6 to 8 p.m. event on February 1, 2025, at the 101 South Prairie gallery. The featured speaker is Andrew Francisco, a documentary filmmaker and photographer. Francisco will share clips from “26 Years”, a documentary currently in production in which he focuses on local views of climate change in Vicksburg and Schoolcraft Township. These are “oral historical accounts of possible futures, or ‘future histories.’ ‘26 Years’ is not a work of activism,” Francisco emphasizes. “I’m not trying to determine the truth or untruth of any perspective, but rather to explore what people in one part of America—a part relatively untouched by natural disasters—think about climate change. It will also create an important artistic record of a critical moment in human history.”
For John Kern and the creative think-tank behind “Come As You Art” that includes Syd Bastos, Deborah Harsha, Mike Phillips, and Leeanne Seaver, conversations prompted by Katrovas’s origin stories and Francisco’s ethnographic inquiry will find an audience in South Kalamazoo County and beyond. Bastos, acting director of Vicksburg Cultural Arts, thinks “’Come As You Art’ brings a fresh, unconventional program to the mix.” Kern adds, “Our Prairie Ronde residents and related events increasingly draw people who want to experience arts and culture in their own community. We’re really proud of what we’ve done and we’re ready to expand on that.”
The $10 ticket price included light hors d’oeurves, charcuterie, and “Prague Summer,” the event’s signature cocktail. A portion of proceeds will benefit Vicksburg Cultural Arts. For more information on future “Come As You Art” events, watch for social media posts at the Prairie Ronde Artist Residency – vicksburgmill.com.
