Mary Oliver’s poem “Wild Geese” isn’t about geese, at least not entirely. Sure, the naturalist/Pulitzer Prize-winning writer paints a vivid picture of the birds flying “high in the clean blue air,” destined for the place they belong. But at its heart, “this poem reminds us of our connection to the miraculousness of nature’s exquisite repetitions and cycles, and our inherent need as human beings to tell each other the stories of our lives,” says Mira Gerard, founder of Tyger Tyger Gallery in the River Arts District. Nodding to a single line of the poem — “Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine” — the venue will present I will tell you mine this spring. The group show will feature 27 makers working in paper, including Asheville artist Kaysha Siemens. For the exhibition, Siemens has prepared several small egg-tempera skyscapes that are like tiny windows into the sublime. “I work in realism, with a gentle dose of unfaithfulness in the service of faithfulness,” she says. “There is little point in copying reality slavishly if it doesn’t achieve the feeling I felt when I chose this image or that moment, and ultimately it’s the feeling that is the most important for me.” Oliver would likely agree.
I will tell you mine: April 19-May 26; Opening Reception: Friday, April 19, 6-9pm
Tyger Tyger Gallery / 191 Lyman St., Suite #144, River Arts District Asheville / tygertygergallery.com