School of Art and Humanities ∙ Wayne State College ∙ 1111 Main Street ∙ Wayne, NE 68787

E-mail: wscpress@wsc.edu      Phone: 402-375-7118

State Poet, renowned Wayne artist compile book of 'connections'

WSC Press presents its newest publication, the collaboration of the poems of Nebraska State Poet William Kloefkorn and the paintings of Wayne artist Carlos Frey.

“Still Life Moving is a book that deals with connections,” Kloefkorn said.

Frey had taken 1,500 photographs from Native America celebrations and ceremonies and had begun transfer them to the canvas.

“I felt a great sense of pride being there. I felt like I was surrounded by something important, witnessing history first hand,” Frey said. He wouldn’t copy the image; rather, he would look for a specific aspect that struck him and connect with it in his own way.

After reading at Wayne State College in 2004, Kloefkorn wandered into Antiques on Main where Frey was painting the images that became Still Life Moving. That day, they decided to compile a book of Frey’s art complimented by the poetry of Kloefkorn.

“It was absolute serendipity,” Kloefkorn said.

The book is comprised of 52 paintings and 52 poems. Frey painted a piece, and Kloefkorn wrote a poem about the emotions derived from the paintings. On several occasions, however, the poet wrote a piece he felt would fit into Still Life Moving. The roles were then reversed, and Frey used the written word to inspire visual art.

“For me, it was an interesting experiment...to see how the painting and the word on the page just might fit together,” Kloefkorn said.

The book begins with a painting of Standing Bear and a poem titled “Blood” about shared blood. Kloefkorn feels the trial of Standing Bear to be one the most important in America’s history.

“This business of getting along together was addressed by Standing Bear at his trial when he said ‘my blood is the same color as your blood,’ and so my poem came out of that,” Kloefkorn said. “I remembered my brother cutting an artery when he was quite young, and it was the first time I had ever seen blood spurting...and when I saw that, I realized for the first time that he could very well die from that, and if my brother could die from that, I could too. So, we had this blood connection, and that’s what Standing Bear was talking about in his defense.”

William Kloefkorn is an Emeritus Professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University where he taught for 40 years and was awarded the position of Nebraska State Poet in 1982. He retired from teaching several years ago and continues to write and give readings. Carlos Frey attended graduate school at Kansas State and has lived in Wayne since 1966, where he has taught classes for Wayne State and hosted numerous workshops, recently one in June for the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs. Frey has received numerous national and regional awards for his work.

Both Kloefkorn and Frey have agreed to a follow-up book; the details are still being discussed.

Still Life Moving is set to be released in April and will be available at Amazon.com, Lee Booksellers in Lincoln, and the Wayne State College bookstore. The book can also be ordered through WSC Press at (402) 375-7118, wscpress@wsc.edu or at the address listed above.