Artists Among Us

I serve as a commissioner on my city's cultural arts commission and as a liaison to the public art committee.   As someone who works in assessment and evaluation and is passionate about evidence-based research and practices, I saw the opportunity to serve on such committees as a way to expose myself to the arts and give back to my community.  While I studied dance for more than 10 years and wrote poetry for the better part of my youth, my transition to responsible adulthood has yielded little opportunity for me to formally either dance or write poetry.  I dance (informally) all the time, at home, in the car and in the grocery store.   (Side note: I would like to start a movement for people to dance in the grocery store.)

Our city is now holding an exhibit called Artists Among Us, which is a showcase of the art work of the commission and committee members.   The majority of such folks are artists in varied mediums of sculpture, photography, painting and singing.  While not mandatory, I took this as a sign that I should take time to put some practiced effort into stretching my artistic muscles.   Here are the results of such stretching.

THE PLURAL OF ANECDOTES

by Heidi Mallon

The sum of stories makes a rich picture.

Each tale, an anecdote

provides an example of how life goes.

What is evidence

but the collection of data points

gathered

interpreted

presented as truth.

A story is a data point

embossed with subjective perspective.

Decorated to entertain

to persuade

or even inform.

It can’t be helped

as storytellers are human

flawed and blessed.

So how to find truth?

Unwrap the actual facts

and enjoy the wrapping.

The plural of anecdotes is data.

Perhaps

by Heidi Mallon

What will happen?

Maybe

God-willing optimism will poke out its head

from the turtle shell of despair.

Is there hope

that the sun shining bright

will shine brighter still

to shield one

from the cold embrace of anxiety?

I am a realist, a pragmatist

sensible at nearly every turn.

Dare I hope?

What lurks beyond the corner

could be pernicious

earthshaking

ridiculous

humdrum

aimless

puckish

or some more of the same.

The one thing that is for sure

is that it is uncertain.