LANCE G. NEWMAN II, A Thousand Words - The Exhibition

Let's be honest, a picture is worth much more than a thousand words. 

And Art can be worth thousands of dollars but which has more value? 

The words or the picture? 

As a spoken word poet, for two decades, I've collected words. Stories filled with letters that were expertly placed by an artist who needed to convey a thought. I used to be one of these artist. I'd paint pictures on pages, that resembled humanity and reality. I used graphite and ink and keyboards as materials and then exhibited my work in front of crowds, on a stage, to ensure the emotional transaction was delivered. Yet in my evolution, I lament to find that we no longer value words as a society. We loath words, for they have been used to elect bad policy, misinform the masses and shame the most vulnerable among us. 

“Self Taught” by Lance G. Newman II

I now have too many words. My notebooks can no longer hold my feelings or express the sentiments I am considering as I grow older. The poem is an exercise in scuba diving. Going deep enough to see all the beauty beneath the surface but lasting only briefly. I intend to submerge myself and live amongst my traumas. I seek to explore the themes that were once suppressed. The Patriarchy. Fatherhood. Masculinity. Commitment. Culture. Promiscuity. Intimacy. Purpose. Love... With my first solo visual art exhibition, I plan to confront these themes.

I once thought I was bare as a poet. I thought that because I wrote the words, that they'd heal my heart while helping others. But the words faded from the publics memory once I finished and the poem only served as a reenforcing tool of denial, leaving little room for more words to be written. A 3 minute poem cannot be lived with; it does not hang on the wall and remind you each day of the beauty you find in living. The poem often servers as a reminder of pain, bitterness, and everything wrong. I no longer wish to rely on words for my expression, now i seek to inspire words, conversations, ideas, and imaginations. 

Each piece in "A Thousand Words" was created using found objects, pastels for color and Black&Mild Cigar paraphernalia. Discarded wooded boards, doors, and tables that I've rescued from Westend alleys act as canvases. The Black&Mild Cigar paraphernalia is provided by continuously collecting them from friends, gas stations and my own purchases. This material is special to me, because I've been intimate with this product for years. This materials' papers, and tobaccos, and plastics, and smells, all lend themselves to an artistic experience that interacts with multiple senses at the same time. All coming together with hopes that you take more than a thousand words home with you and share those words with those you love. 

SpreadLove...

Lance G. Newman II