Artist Statement:
Kyoko Heshiimu is a visual artist and poet who has created art and poetry since she was a child. She received her first art award in fifth grade. She majored in visual arts at LaGuardia High School and Pratt Institute where she received her BFA. She continued her education at The College of Staten Island receiving a MSEd in childhood and early childhood education in 2013. Kyoko has self publishing four poetry books and four children's books between 2016 and 2017. She has performed spoken word at various venues around NYC since 2007, featuring most recently for Phoenix Poetry Open MIC at Shades of Green Pub. She was awarded a Staten Island Arts DCA Grant in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. She also a recipient of a NYFA City Artist Corp grant in 2021. Her works focus on global and local political issues associated with women's struggles and the challenges African Americans face from living in a racially divisive society.

Instagram:

The Return of Poetry Broadsides: Flight of the Pigeon

Before books, there were broadsides. Broadsides are large one sided printed sheets of paper - a flyer by today's standards. They were created in mass and dispersed to the public even before newspapers and magazines were available. Initially they were used as royal decrees and did not contain images of any kind. Later, they were distributed to spread word of current events, speeches, manifestos of resistance, any announcements that the public needed to be made aware of about the government, and to notify people of sales of merchandise and goods. This included advertising the sale of slaves and antislavery messages during chattel slavery.

Click on photo for a larger image.

Broadsides were not intended to be kept, often plastered on walls and supposed to be thrown away after the event was over. Because of this, they were printed on cheap paper. Broadsides were sold at executions and illustrated using a woodcut of the crime or at times, a hanging. Later they were used for religious purpose, often publishing lyrics to songs for sale, as there was no radio or recordings for people to learn from. This was the best mode for information to be shared. In these instances, they were often folded and turned into a pamphlet or chapbook.

Click on photo for a larger image

Poetry broadsides use this same format, using a single poem which can include an illustration, but does not have to. Unlike traditional broadsides, poetry broadsides were made with the intent to be framed and hung on the walls of homes as keepsakes. They were still used to communicate a message , but regarded more as a way to share literature with company on walls of homes and places of work. The purpose of this show, “Return of Poetry Broadsides - The Flight of the Pigeon,” was meant to fuse together two communities on Staten Island that I am part of – the visual arts community and the poetry community.

Click on photo for a larger image

I wanted to tackle tough topics of discussion, using simple means of visualization. For this reason, I chose linoleum prints for its simplicity of design using negative space. I used pigeons, a common bird to New York City to depict complex ideas using mundane visualizations. I use the pigeon because I could adapt its body to different scenarios without being vulgar or offensive when engaging with the audience. My poetry deals with topics that can sometimes be viewed as activist poetry and deals with topics focusing on controversial topics. For this reason, my goal was that the images I paired with the poems, will encourage people to explore the writing more in depth in a way that makes them feel more comfortable and at the same time showcase what is being spoken about openly - whether it be about struggles of Black lives or motherhood and so forth.

Click on photo for a larger image