Warning: this description may induce intense nostalgia for those times when large groups could mingle indoors.
Ten artists and ten writers took part in this project.
Artists brought a piece of their art to our initial gathering. Writers brought a poem or story not exceeding 500 words.
The written pieces were placed in blank envelopes and the artists drew from the envelopes at random to find the writer with whom they were paired. Writers read their work. Artists spoke about their art. And then we enjoyed wine and cheese pairings and each other's company in the space prepared by our beloved librarians.
We parted for a month and each artist created a work inspired by the written piece they had selected, while each writer wrote a story or poem (again, not exceeding 500 words) that arose from time spent gazing upon their creative partner's work of art.
We met again to share and revel in our new creations. And then the library gathered it all together into a book!
It truly was a beautiful collaboration.
In fact, it was so much fun that we did it again the following year!