Other Arts
Textural (Margaret Cusack)
Poetry Theatre (Edwin Torres)
Textural Art:
Quilted U.S. Postage Stamp, "We Give Thanks"
When Brooklyn artist, Margaret Cusack, is asked how she got to do a stitched United States postage stamp, she answers matter-of-factly, "I just answered the phone." Cusack was chosen for the project by Scottsdale, Arizona designer, Richard Sheaff, who felt that her stitched illustration style would lend a nostalgic, Americana quality to the new Thanksgiving stamp. When Cusack asked Sheaff how he'd found her, he said, "I've been following your career."
Cusack's stitched artwork has graced the cover of Time magazine, ads, bus posters, children's books, greeting cards and Broadway show posters. Recently, Ravensburger F.X. Schmid, USA chose three of Cusack's images to market as jigsaw puzzles. "We Give Thanks," as well as the rest of her works, can be seen on her website:
The colorful Thanksgiving stamp she designed is actually an 8" x 10" miniature quilt square sewn on her Bernina sewing machine. The words, "We Give Thanks," are stitched above a quilted cornucopia. When several stamps are used together, they combine to form a quilt.
On October 19, 2001, Cusack attended the inauguration and First Day of Issue of "We Give Thanks" at Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, Texas. "I hope all the quilters in the area will help celebrate with me," she said. While in Dallas, Cusack delivered a slide lecture on her artwork, "Illustrating the Fabric of Life." And on October 23, she attended another stamp celebration of "We Give Thanks," a Second Day of Issue, back in her home town at Brooklyn's Borough Hall. An exhibition of her stitched work was also mounted.
Cusack's work is also included in several upcoming art exhibits, including: "Studio Art Quilt Associates," January 23 - February 21, 2002, Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York, and "Piecing the Quilt of Life," March 7- June 3, 2002, South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, South Carolina. For more information on Ravensburger F.X. Schmid, USA jigsaw puzzles: 800.886.1236.
|
Gecko Suite: An Opera In Three Colors
By Edwin Torres
Gecko Suite is the story of a dreamer lost in a world of his own making. Where Wind and Ground are characters in Gecko’s landscape, it is Vision that questions his destiny. Eventually Vision becomes one with Gecko and brings him back to the beginning, as all stories do.
|
|
RED
I: Gecko Is Born Into The World
the long ago
was in the when
of words and
one long poem ago
it was
a poem of
one world words
where the story
leads to the world
in which it all created
the into
of one poem
a long time ago
II: Vision Dances With Moonlight as Gecko Dances in Butterlight Garden
Gecko Hugs & Kisses
tells me I’m the one an’ only
Gecko Hugs & Kisses
me in places I’ve been lonely
Gecko quills me questions
quaintly quacks me quite inquizzical
Gecko leaves me tragically
and yet I’m no less magical
Gecko says that menless gods
are homeless independencies
Gecko says that echos
are the gods that we all wanna be
Gecko’s true romance
lies in the pants of punks and pansy-cals
Gecko’s transcendental
in the rants of runts and radicals
Gecko claims indifference
at the innocence of savagery
Gecko claims that magic
is the essence of all tragedy
Gecko’s true confession
lies inside this mental-lation
Gecko moons the luna
sez I am my own sensation
|
WHITE
III: Gecko Laments Rotating Birds As Vision Questions Moonlight
if a moon / is what she says
if a moon / is next to nothing
if a moon / has nothing left
is the sin
of the sun
her song
in my dream / your arms are mine
in my dream / I hold my body
in my dream / your body’s mine
but your bones
and your blood
are gone
sing me a song of a broken heart
play the part
and I’ll save your heart
sing me a song of a broken heart
play the part
and I’ll save your heart
IV: Gecko Melts The Sun
I am the unknower
stopped - in a fit unplaced
I have arranged for my bare ride
a glacier of fortitude
directionless but simpled, as if
headless in a having
The unknown
a mount of stop - unbound
sharpened by crystal my
plummage of ice
hold this lens and see
my flight this trail I leave
when one has found their fit
one is forced to reckon with
the space you left to fit in - you step forward
your shadow makes a home
in every new step
when one chooses
to become unknown
one stops to arrange choice
I have become the choice itself
And I ride
on this convenient denial
melting, as I expose
only the part you see
I’ll have melted
before you see everything
but you had your chance
when I offered you the sun
to magnify me with
-----------------------------------
IVa: Vision Kills Gecko With The Moon Across His Throat
|
BLACK
V: Stars Form A Constellation
offstood
offcharge
offroar
offpearls
offrose
quick gait
offlance
spit striding
some hand
sierra lina purr
offpounce
forage
offpuss
VI: Ghost Of Old Gecko Remembers His Life As Wind Blows
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
un conejo muy belloso
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
canta bien y con calorso
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
clun cla clun y canta bomba
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
junta run karan charonta
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
masque bobo con coroncha
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
masque tonto pero rompa
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
jente niña banda’dentro
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
minta sin talente vengo
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
siempre limpio para santo
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
si, es lindo pero quanto
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
que mentira nove ciento
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
mentiraso mancharanko
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
quiere sinta hombre nuevo
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
tiene briza hombre sueño
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
avanico niño viento
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
quiere sangre hombre viejo
ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-yeh
ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-yeh
VII: Vision Appears As A Mirage Behind Gecko As Gecko Disappears
/ relay
/ screamers
/ recount
/ rounders
/ yellsters
/ circlos
/ revoloose me
Cirlos / Revoluses
los luzes, revoluzes
G’ener’gia / Dias y Noches / De Lengua
sensua, sensua, sensua
Dua / Cara Cuerpo
pa llerbo, para uerpo, su’erpo
El Cielo / Profundo
profundo, no fundo
La Cara / Mer / De Se
una puerta, me llama
|
WHITE
VIII: Young Gecko Encounters Mature Gecko In Moonlight Speaking Of Lost Life
we were strangers in the same sentence
I was alien
I may have come here to receive you
but I never wanted to outlast you
unfit muzzle roast lichen murk
how I ember sunk in you
how the clay splays apart
at every minute of you
my shoes are fat thirsty
I was known for battle
a shining of the past
a rock impervious to failure
a scene for seers
abandoned for mystery
my warning
was how I play at your mouth
how I can see
with feelers
that float from my dungeon
I was sent to ride on your back
a ram in the badlands
a prarie on the playfields
IX : Vision Sings Love Waltz With Wind
I catch you - destroyed
by everything & still
I’m nothing - destroyed
by everything
I watch you - & still
I catch nothing
I leave you - destroyed
by everything - but
still - I watch you
destroy nothing
by catching - I watch you
by leaving - I catch you
watching
everything - destroyed
by nothing - still
nothing’s destroyed - until
everything
X: Wind Protects Vision From Gecko
love / is in the air / TRUE MIGHT
love / is in my hair / TRUE LIGHT
love / is in the stars / TRUE NIGHT
love / is in my arms / HOLD TIGHT
love / is in the stars / TRUE LIGHT
love / is in my arms / TRUE NIGHT
love / is in the air / HOLD TIGHT
love / is in my hair / TRUE MIGHT
love / is in my stare / TRUE NIGHT
love / is in the air / TRUE LIGHT
love / is in my hair / TRUE MIGHT
love / is in my arms / HOLD TIGHT
|
RED
XI: Graffitti Appears In The Sky
The more
We get together
The more we know each other we
Build this energy and you and i
Are beautiful and
We build a circle around the two of us that
Can be penetrated or not penetrated but
We have this figure eight going on
Between us and we don’t need
This tomorrow
XII: Vision’s Spirit Floats Overhead as Gecko Plays Basketball With The Planets
Die Ego Self!
Sepulchural Being,
Sun dial files the day into smaller days - rasp - an hour’s past!
Th’ one
Thone
Thee Own
Prone Best Kiss,
The golden wrecking ball across cerulean julian augustus semptebrus, too!
Die Ünger Shmérnt!
Lamentable Beingst,
Beast of Lagrimanz - 28 rants for every one winged!
Wangeled Air
The Engo.I.Stayed and lay down dearn milk for 3 o’clock charmer!
Preened Ripshod Door
Class A, a class operation for the underclassmen,
Stivung-out, statored, satoried in C G F progs-notics(-ogression)!
Head Neck-Go-Centric
Charlemagnes
Darla pants in marzipanties, silk for 10 o’clock snake!
Why Y’e.G.o. Ego Self!
Sufficient Pighead in the sun,
Cry you least offended denter, hire the mountain fire - (the mount)!
XIII: Gecko Lost In World Chants For Help
XIII: Vision Sings To Soothe Gecko
XIII: Gecko Rediscovers Vision
XIII: Vision Embraces Gecko
|
|
the end
|
|