Poetry Connection: Connecting with Patricia Clarke and the latest Rubenstein Chan Exhibit

In January, I wrote an ekphrastic poem, “Canopy over Milpas and Alphonse,” in response to Patricia Clarke’s photograph, “La Super Rica“. The photograph and poem are currently part of the Textual Integration exhibit at Rubenstein Chan Studio in Carpinteria. I am pleased to see these two pieces together again, on display until May 31. 

An ekphrastic reading with eight poets will take place on Thursday, May 17. I will be out of town during the reading, but someone will read my poem for me. In ekphrastic poetry, the poet responds to art. I wanted to learn a little about the artist’s process, so I asked photographer Patricia Clarke some questions in anticipation of the Textual Integration exhibit at Rubenstein Chan Studio, a collaboration between Irene Chan and Bonnie Rubenstein. 

Tell me a little bit about how your “Super Rica” ended up in both the FARE TRADE exhibit and Textual Integration?

The curators at Rubenstein Chan put together an eclectic group of artistic interpretations pairing imagery with text, and they loved the concept of pairing poets with images that we used for the FARE TRADE exhibition at Santa Barbara City Hall Gallery. It is great to see your impactful and poignant words on the wall next to the photograph of our beloved Super Rica that inspired you. 

Is your studio open to the public year-round? 

Yes, Patricia Clarke Studio is open year-round for scheduled events and by appointment.

What excites you the most about photography and capturing images on film? 

This is a tough question! What excites me most about photography? Here are a few things: That moment when you feel the energy and the composition aligning, and you are able to capture it in a split second. Sometimes, it’s most exciting when what you’ve captured is a surprise, but it’s always really exciting when you can see that someone is moved emotionally by an image that you have been able to bring to life. 

Have cell phones changed how you approach or imagine a photograph? 

I am not tied to a particular camera or method, and don’t need the “latest” thing. I very often use a plastic toy camera with medium format film. If a project is better served with a large digital camera, I will use that. I see the cell phone camera as a great “sketch pad” that is often at my fingertips. In fact, due to that ease, I have just finished shooting a new series with only the cell phone camera, and I am surprised by the images I have been able to capture in a very unexpected way. 

What are your upcoming projects or shows?

I am putting the finishing touches on a re-imagining of my studio space, and will be excited to invite folks back for occasional Open Studios, invitational artist talks and exhibitions, and workshops. I am about to head off on my fifth road trip with my trusty plastic camera and some film to continue photographing a series of our extraordinary and diverse North American landscape. I have been working on a long-term multimedia project, An American Girl, which is now in development, and these new landscapes play a big part in telling the family story.

Canopy Over Milpas and Alphonse  

By Melinda Palacio

The friend I invited to lunch declined, not for fear of ICE.
She is not worried for herself, but for me.
‘Can’t make it, watch out for ICE,’ she said, fancying herself funny. 

I go along with the joke as nothing will keep me
from stopping by the restaurant that’s easily overlooked
with an empty dirt lot next to it, low ceiling.
Thick roots give rise to spindly branches and a lush.
top heavy Laurel Fig, an outstretched canopy over the world.

I tell my friend I have a strategy for defeating ICE.
Say I will expose how much of a good citizen I am
by rattling off the names of all the state capitals, an old party trick.
ICE fools can’t name all the states, let alone their capitals.
Can words like Tallahassee, Phoenix, or Annapolis save me
from cruelty, from disappearing citizen me?

They know, we all know, that when they come for my brown skin,
but end up killing a white women, a mother, a poet, a kind woman,
an ally who never expected to take three bullets in the face for me,
for all of us, their souls are lost.

---

Poetry Events and Fiesta Poetry Contest Info:

Friday, May 8

Guess Who’s In Town. A poetry reading by husbands James Crews and Brad Peacock from their bestselling book, Love Is for All of Us: Poems of Tenderness & Belonging from the LGBTQ+ Community & Friends, is at Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu Street, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Monday, May 11

Santa Barbara Culinary Experience and Poetry Reading. In conjunction with Gunpowder Press and the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience, a reading and Q&A at the Black Sheep, 18 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara, 5:30- 7 p.m. 

Wednesday, May 13

Blue Whale Reading Series, featuring poets Jacob Herrera Spears and Laura Mullen, Unity of SB Chapel, 227 E. Arrellaga, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 14

Textual Integration. An ekphrastic poetry reading for the Textual Integration exhibit at Rubenstein Chan Gallery, 410 Palm Avenue, Unity B3, Carpinteria, CA, 7 p.m. Poets include Lisa Bass, Michelle Detorie, Julie Dillemuth, Simon Kiefer, Emily Lord-Kambitisch, Michaela McGinnis, Chryss Yost and SB Poet Laureate George Yatchisin. 

Sunday, May 31

The Old Spanish Days Fiesta Poetry Contest. New deadline: May 31 for a poetry competition open to Santa Barbara County residents. The competition is open to writers in the following age categories — 11 and under, 12-18 years old, 19+ years old — with first-place prizes of $100, $200, and $300, respectively. Runners-up will be awarded in each of the three age categories and receive bookstore gift certificates. The deadline for submissions is May 31. The online entry form and a full list of rules and regulations can be found at https://sbfiesta.org/poetry-contest/. Viva la poesía.