In 2012, I was living in Asheville, North Carolina, a vibrant city in western Appalachia with a reputation for liberal politics and an active cultural community. I was peripheral to a network of local artists because, at that time, I had begun to write poetry seriously—enrolling in a university class taught by poet-editor, Eric Steineger; joining a poetry workshop headed by poet, Meghan Sterling; taking a Master Class under Meghan’s supervision. As a practitioner of the Japanese lifestyle philosophy, Wabi Sabi, derived from the traditional tea ceremony, I was constantly “in the market” for things of Beauty, particularly, visual artwork. Invited to an exhibit by a friend, I was introduced to Liz Trader Williams’ painting and photography, immediately recognizing a talented young woman in her twenties whose work I wanted to share with others. Noting her name, I was eager to track Liz down, conducting a Google search as soon as I returned home (samples of her art may be viewed at makemesomeart.org). Using her online contact form, the artist and I arranged to meet at a popular gathering place in Asheville to discuss an idea brewing in my mind about creating postcards of her work superimposed with my choice of quotations—some from other writers, some that I wrote, myself. The idea appealed to Liz, we agreed on a price for her efforts, and our collaboration began in earnest. Over the course of a year or so, Liz and I created several unique postcards, some of which Andy Martrich was interested in archiving at Hiding Press. I was delighted to say, “Yes.” to his idea, so the present display was born. Though I was unable to locate Liz to insure her participation in this publishing effort, she and her amazing artwork deserve most of the credit for making our postcard project possible. I served, ultimately, as a novice vehicle for highlighting the potential of Text Art inspired by the unsurpassable work of Jenny Holzer, Erica Baum, Kay Rosen, Barbara Kruger, EJ Hauser, and The Guerilla Girls.
— Clara B. Jones, November 2022

Download PDF