Ekphrastic 2 Brings Artists and Writers Together in Traverse City
Ekphrastic 2 at the Crooked Tree Arts Center Carnegie Galleries pairs artwork with new writing from local and visiting creatives, running Oct. 24 through Nov. 15. The exhibit and a public reading on Nov. 14 offer residents a chance to engage with art and words, strengthening community connection and supporting local cultural life.
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Ekphrastic 2 opened at the Crooked Tree Arts Center Carnegie Galleries this month, presenting a collaboration between 16 visual artists and 16 writers whose poetry, prose, and reflections respond to the artworks on view. The show runs from Oct. 24 through Nov. 15 and culminates in a public reading on Friday, Nov. 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to check the Crooked Tree Arts Center website for gallery hours and additional details.
At its core, the exhibit is a conversation across mediums, pairing image and text to invite multiple ways of seeing and understanding. For Grand Traverse County residents, the project offers a local showcase of creativity that invites participation rather than passive viewing. The reading on Nov. 14 provides a rare opportunity for the public to hear writers read aloud in the same space as the artwork that inspired their words, turning the gallery into a site of shared reflection.
Beyond artistic value, events like Ekphrastic 2 have implications for community wellbeing. Arts engagement creates social spaces where people gather, listen, and reflect, and those interactions contribute to social cohesion and emotional resilience. For individuals feeling isolated or stressed, accessible cultural programming can offer comfort and a sense of belonging. Local arts centers therefore play a significant role in supporting public health goals that extend beyond clinical care.
The exhibit also speaks to questions of equity and access in the arts. By centering collaborative projects that pair writers and visual artists, the show models ways to lift diverse forms of expression and to broaden who participates in cultural life. For community leaders and funders, local initiatives like Ekphrastic 2 illustrate the value of sustaining neighborhood arts infrastructure so that creative opportunities reach a wide cross section of residents.
Crooked Tree Arts Center has long served as a hub for arts education and community events in Traverse City, and this exhibit aligns with that mission by foregrounding dialogue and connection. The program invites educators, caregivers, and local health and social service providers to consider the arts as complementary to strategies that foster mental health and community engagement.
Ekphrastic 2 is free to view during gallery hours, and the reading on Nov. 14 is open to the public. Those seeking details on hours and accessibility should consult the Crooked Tree Arts Center website. In bringing artists and writers together, the exhibit offers residents a simple but powerful reminder that shared culture can strengthen the social fabric of Grand Traverse County.
