Interpretive oil paintings inspired by responses of 36 United States Poets Laureate
to The New York Times inquiry
“What people in their State would be thankful for” during the Covid pandemic.
When thirty six United States poets laureate responded to the New York Times request to write, in 100 words or less, “what people in their State would be thankful for,”” their submitted poetry inspired New York artist Hilda Green Demsky to interpret their words in paint.
During the pandemic, Ms. Demsky had been looking for a project that would jumpstart the unease she felt about the growing loss and pain caused by Covid 19. Finding comfort in the beautiful words of our State poets laureate, her artistic goal was to capture the spirit of hope and recovery, and share it in an exhibition combining poetry and paintings, which she called “The Gratitude Project,”
“The Gratitude Project” exhibit is comprised of 36 oil on canvas paintings, each measuring 20” x 16” mounted alongside the poems that have inspired them, The New York Times article, and some information about the artist. Each painting contains a hidden outline of the state, objects unique to its history and poetry, and is color coded to the geographic region of the U.S. that it represents. For example, all of the paintings of the Midwest have an underpainting of the color yellow ochre which represents the vast fields of wheat.
