marisa gallemit is an Ottawa-born artist currently exploring sculpture as a medium. After studying film at Carleton University and at the New York Film Academy, she turned her focus to working with textiles, creating soft furnishings. Her newest work is inspired by and constructed with recycled and repurposed materials, concentrating on organic forms and natural textures.

ARC Poetry Magazine Annual 2011

Friday, November 5, 2010 @ 3:22 PM by marisa
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my awesome friend and talented/prolific poet,  David O'Meara asked me to participate in a great project to be featured in the ARC Poetry Magazine Annual 2011.   the idea was to simulate the childhood game of 'telephone' starting with a poem (one of his, The Throw), alternating between visual artists and poets along the chain, each piece inspiring the next.

It's called ekphrasis, describing or interpreting another piece of art - a subject to which the whole issue is dedicated. being a part of this collaboration was such a delight for me, a challenge which i was more than thrilled to accept. 

the poem i received a few weeks before christmas last year was entitled Looking for You, by Gillian Wallace.  her poem was delivered to me in an email  and it captured and amazed me every day, every time i read and re-read it.  i dug deep and inhabited it, looking for cues and clues and the emotions therein.  what can i say?  it was so beautifully written, filled with queries and questions and imagery, that building my piece around it was a joy.  here is what i created:


it's called Looking for You v2.0 and this photo (which appears in the issue) was taken by my pal Stephen Taylor. and Gillian likes it!  success, i say. so on Boxing Day 2009 i deliver this piece to another amazing Ottawa talent, Barbara Myers, and she handles it so carefully that i have to giggle!  she created the wonderful poem, Night Mind - another one that blows my mind.  with permission from the poets i might post their works at a later date.

so fast-forward about 6 months and voila:

(purchase a copy here)


it's BEAUTIFUL, ain't it?
the manx hosted the issue launch/vernissage in September and we all got to meet each other and gush about the work.  it was one of the most well-attended poetry events at the manx in recent history and i was super proud to be a part of it all.  here are some snaps taken by collaborator/poet Max Middle:


ARC editor Anita Lahey and all my other participants did a helluva job - a great testament to the tight-knit and supportive arts community in our great city.


One Response to “ARC Poetry Magazine Annual 2011”

  1. Gillian Says:
    I LOVED what you created out of my poem, Marisa! Great website too.

    My poem can be found here:
    http://gillianwallace.ca/2010/09/poetry-and-art/ Thanks for speaking so nicely about it!

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