On Friday, Sept. 1, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Third Street Writers will host a public event on the Festival of the Arts grounds to celebrate the publication of “Art Inscribed,” a writing anthology inspired by art at the Festival.
“We are thrilled to forge relationships with Festival artists for a second summer,” Third Street president Amy Francis Dechary said. “It’s been an honor to write about their art and expand the project to include more written pieces and feature more works of art.”
The group published its first edition of “Art Inscribed” in August 2022, raising more than $1,100 to benefit The Artists Fund’s Benevolence Fund. The Artists Fund began in 2010 and provides artists with hardship grants, money for special projects and professional development. The fund also sponsors art shows and events for the public.
This year’s writing effort began in July when Third Street members visited the Festival, selected art pieces that inspired them, and in many cases, struck up personal connections with the artists.
“This is an exciting writing challenge,” said Rina Palumbo, vice president of Third Street Writers. “The writers really felt an emotional connection to the artwork they chose to write about, and their stories and poems reflect those emotions—joy, sadness, wonder, humor. We are proud to feature 27 writers and 25 artists.”
The selected short stories, essays and poems were edited and compiled into a limited edition soft-covered book that will be available for purchase for $15.
During the “Art Inscribed” celebration, authors will be reading their work
while images of the art pieces are projected onstage. A light reception will follow. “We are proud to support The Artists Fund which does such important work to support Laguna artists,” said Dechary.
And the artists themselves are excited about the project.
“Every artist aspires to create work that provokes an emotion in the viewer. And if that viewer is a writer, and that emotion inspires the writer to create a new story or poem, then the artist has received a very special gift,” said photographer Jeff Rovner, whose works “Illusions” and “Typewriters” inspired two pieces in the book.
“Art Inscribed” is funded by a grant received from the Festival of Arts Foundation.
“We are so grateful for the support of the FOA Foundation. This kind of collaboration between Laguna artists is impactful, and it would not be possible without the Foundation’s support,” Dechary said.
The Third Street Writers fosters the growth of the writing community in Laguna Beach through weekly workshops, reading events and annual publications. Weekly workshops will resume in September on Mondays at the Susi Q from noon to 2 p.m. More information can be found on www.thirdstreetwriters.org or by contacting Amy Dechary at [email protected].
