“Real Art, and Beautiful Creations”

April is National Poetry Month, and I’ll be celebrating by leading an Instant Photo Poetry Workshop at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center.

Wondering what this is all about? Basically a bunch of us will be traipsing around downtown Frederick with Polaroid cameras, taking pictures of words we find on signs and buildings. Then we’ll go back to the Delaplaine and use the words to make a poem.

Details from the Delaplaine website:

Join us for a Polaroid photowalk as instant film aficionado and Impossible Project test photographer Jessica Hibbard shares tips for shooting instant film with vintage cameras. We’ll be celebrating National Poetry Month and Frederick’s vibrant food scene by photographing words in restaurant signs around downtown Frederick. At the end of class, we’ll create a photo-poem to be exhibited at the Delaplaine’s Creekside Gallery in May. Bring your own Polaroid 600 or SX-70 camera or borrow one of ours! Class fee includes a pack of Impossible colorshade instant film ($24 value) with 8 exposures. Students may bring their own additional film if desired. Students age 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

I took a brief stroll with my camera on Market & Patrick streets this morning, and this is what I came up with. The process is fun and inspiring … A low-pressure way to learn your way around a Polaroid camera, and a fresh approach to crafting a simple poem.

This all goes down on Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Class fee is $40 per person ($30 for Delaplaine members), which includes camera rental and a pack of film. Sign up online.

See you there?