Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 1-22-21

Feature
Tampa Couple Launch Unique Art Venture, ‘ Mouth Of The Mural’
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Next Monday, Tampa residents can get a unique perspective on the artwork that decorates the town. Walter and Charmaine Jennings have launched a new venture titled 'Mouth of the Mural.' ‘Mouth of the Mural’ is an ekphrastic event. Accord- ing to the Poetry Foundation, based in Chicago, "an ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art."
More generally, an ekphrastic poem is a poem inspired or stimu- lated by a work of art. Their event unites visual, literary and perform- ance artists to celebrate community, connection, and conversation. There will be four episodes and each episode is centered around a public art piece and provides an opportunity for artis- tic interpretation and expression.
The couple are spoken word artists and poets. After participating
WALTER AND CHARMAINE JENNINGS
in an ekphrastic event at a Little Rock museum, the couple went on to par- ticipate in other programs at USF and the Tampa Museum of Art. In these events, the poet or spoken word artist writes about the work of art. The Jen- nings are excited about the city of Tampa’s welcome of public art such as murals. They have noticed that
more businesses are incorporating wall art and mural as signage.
‘The Mouth of the Mural’ is a four- part film series that will air on their website https://www.mouthofthe- mural.com. The first episode will air on Monday, January 25, 2021, at 8 p. m. on the website.
Jzsleigh Johnson, a senior at Howard W. Blake High School, will be one of the featured poets. She is a stu- dent with the acclaimed Creative Writing Program established by Mrs. Casey Curry. The poets have viewed and written their reactions to the mural. They were filmed reacting and reading their interpretation of the mural.
The theme is 'Begin Anywhere', which is based upon the massive mural located off I-275, between the Hillsborough and Sligh Ave. exits. The program will investigate the his- tory and meaning behind the murals and the community’s reaction. “Begin Anywhere” was chosen because of its
prominence in the community and sets the tone for the series.
The Jennings are native Floridi- ans. He is a native of Tampa and she is a native of West Palm Beach. They are both graduates of Florida A & M University. They just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and have two beautiful daughters, Charmione and Simone. He is the Assistant Director of Diversity Initia- tives at the USF Foundation and the program director of USF Black Lead- ership Network. She is an educator and a national training specialist for Phalen Leadership Academies, guid- ing and teaching principals, teachers, and school administrators.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDA PAGE 7-A