2023-2024 Artist in Residence: Leesa Haapapuro
Passages: A Collaborative Community Art Project is inspired by the hand-painted and gilded manuscripts of the Middle Ages. From January through March, Artist in Residence Leesa Haapapuro worked with the community to illustrate over 180 pages of the the William Carlos Williams’ epic poem Asphodel, That Greeny Flower. The poem, represented in over a hundred pages, or passages, throughout Rosewood, was an ever evolving visual artwork through March 30, 2024.
Upcoming Programs
Book Viewing of Passages: A Collaborative Community Art Project
October 11 - November 23
Community Gallery
Over the course of a year, Rosewood's Artist in Residence Leesa Haapapuro hosted numerous workshops for over 500 participants at Rosewood and throughout Dayton to create Passages: A Collaborative Community Art Project. Inspired by the hand-painted and gilded manuscripts of the Middle Ages, Leesa and 111 participants illustrated over 180 pages of the the William Carlos Williams’ epic poem Asphodel, That Greeny Flower. The project concluded with the complete poem being bound into a three volume artist book portfolio. The portfolio is available to look through for a limited time in our Community Gallery!
Book Viewing and Artist Conversation with Leesa Haapapuro
Monday, October 28, 6 – 6:30 pm
Kettering Health Art Gallery
Presented by the Dayton Metro Library and Rosewood Arts Center
Artist Leesa Haapapuro will be on hand to talk about the book, her residency at Rosewood Arts Center and for visitors to view the resulting work in person!
Past Workshops
If you have time to help, or just want to stop in to say hello, on Saturday, April 8 from 11:30 to 2:30, Leesa will be applying gesso to the backs of the pages and cutting glassine to go between them before beginning the process of binding.
Paper marbling workshop: Saturday, June 15. Marbled paper will be the endpapers for the bound volumes.
Bookbinding workshop: Saturday, June 29.
Illuminated manuscripts sometimes had the addition of little artworks in their margins by the page’s text. These images did not necessarily illustrate the text, but the use of creative, and at times bizarre, imagery delighted the reader and made each page memorable. Passages is an opportunity for anyone to make their own mark in the margins of this poem.
Directions to participate:
- Select your poetry page from the installation at Rosewood Arts Center;
- Bring the page to the Rosewood front desk and sign your name to the corresponding page in a special project binder;
- Illustrate the page you’ve chosen by way of the following:
- Bring the page to Rosewood open studio hours in the Printmaking Studios (Please see open studio hours below)*
- Take the passage home to illustrate with your own materials, but please bring your work in progress back to display often.
* Rosewood has materials for woodblock printing, watercolor pencils, gouache paints and gold leaf.
- Return the work to the installation at Rosewood in the location you found it. A corresponding cling will be installed on the wall making it easy to remember the pages’ location.
Open Studio Hours with Leesa at Rosewood Arts Center, Printmaking Studio A:
If you have any questions, please contact the artist through Leesahaapapuro.com or call Rosewood Art Center at (937) 296-0294.
This project made possible by Rosewood Arts Center and an Artist Opportunity Grant from The Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, administered by Culture Works.
2020 Artist in Residence: Nicki Strouss
2019 Artist in Residence: Arthur Kettner
