ELLA FREARS READS POETRY AT THE TATE ST IVES GALLERY IN CELEBRATION OF THE WOULD-BE BIRTHDAY OF FAMOUS LOCAL SCULPTOR BARBARA HEPWORTH. ANYONE CAN CATCH THIS READING FROM A CHERISHED AND GIFTED POET
Nothing beats a live poetry reading. Whether it’s the drama of the moment, the hanging on the poet’s words or the atmosphere that’s conjured up by the power of the spoken verse, you just can’t beat a good reading. If poetry gets your pulse racing, then don’t miss a true modern talent at the Tate St Ives gallery next to Porthmeor Beach in St Ives on Tuesday 10 January 2023.
Ella Frears is the talent. And Barbara Hepworth is the inspiration. This poetry reading in ‘Gallery 6’ celebrates the would-be birthday of the famous sculptor who lived in St Ives for so many years. Learn all about the late Hepworth and her current exhibition at the gallery: here. This is an event that draws inspiration from the iconic sculptor and from the St Ives Modernists – the group of talents who revolutionised British art from the comfort of Cornwall in the early and mid-20th century – as a whole.
Frears, who is both a poet and an artist based in London, reads a selection of poems that were commissioned for the Tate St Ives gallery back in 2020. Some of the works actually reference the artists from St Ives and their powerful pieces of art. One such poem is called ‘On Stringing The Form’. This piece, which is full of joy and love, draws inspiration from Hepworth’s much-loved stringed sculptures.
There will be sign language interpretations at the reading by Frears, who was recently named as the ‘Poet in Residence’ for the Dartington Trust’s Grade II listed gardens. She has previously been ‘Poet in Residence’ for Tate Britain, SPUD (the Observatory), the National Trust and the Royal Holloway University’s physics department, where she wrote passionately about the Cassini Space Mission. Her debut collection was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation in 2020 and was shortlisted for a number of major poetry prizes.
Be aware that a gallery admission ticket, Tate membership or a ‘Local’s Pass’ is required to attend this reading but, once in, enjoy one of the most celebrated up-and-coming poetry talents drawing inspiration from one of the most celebrated artistic talents that Cornwall – nay, the world – has ever had the good fortune to meet and admire.