Write!  Ekphrastic 

Write! Ekphrastic visits the
Picasso Museum in Barcelona
An online event led by Wilda Morris

Saturday, September 20, 2025
at 2:30PM CST via ZOOM

RSVP by email by Thurs., Sept. 18 to
receive a link to the Zoom

September 20 at 2:30PM CST via ZOOM

RSVP by email by Friday, September 19 to receive a link to the Zoom

The Cost
This is a FREE Poets & Patrons event and there is no cost for the online tour of the museum. 

The Event
• To begin the event, we will briefly review ideas for writing ekphrastic poetry. 
• Then Wilda will provide the link and give suggestions on how to successfully navigate the museum website. 
•  Each poet will select one or more of Picasso’s works as inspiration for a poem (or poems). 
• After some writing time, poets will have an opportunity to share their drafts if they wish to participate.

What’s in the Picasso Museum Virtual Tour
The virtual tour of the Picasso Museum in Barcelona allows you to see the museum’s collection, which focuses on Picasso’s early formative years and his growth as an artist. You can view his works chronologically, from his early realistic pencil sketches and paintings like First Communion (1896) to his later creative phases, including the complete series Las Meninas (1957). The collection includes over 4,200 works, encompassing paintings, sculptures, drawings, and ceramics.

What’s an Ekphrastic Poetry Event?
An ekphrastic poetry event is an event where people write and share poems inspired by art. Ekphrastic poetry is a form of artistic expression that uses words to describe and expand on a visual work of art, such as a painting, sculpture, or photograph. The word “ekphrastic” comes from the Greek word ekphrasis, which means “description” or “interpretation”

Past
workshops

We are always seeking new venues for our Write! Ekphrastic visits and Write! Chicago trips. Please e-mail us if you have suggestions.

Write! Ekphrastic – Visit to the Joan Miró Museum in Barcelona via Zoom January 20, 2024
A fantastic virtual event with 15 attendees, organized and hosted by Wilda Morris. The event began with an online tour of the galleries in the Joan Miro Museum in Barcelona. There was a collection of Miro’s major works and a collection of his sketches, paintings, textiles, sculptures and ceramics. After visiting the galleries, participants selected works of art then had time to write ekphrastic poems. Participants were then invited to present the work of art that inspired them to write and to also read their ekphrastic poem. The poems expressed a wide range of approaches to writing an ekphrastic poem and the variety of Miro’s work that inspired the writers.

Write! Ekphrastic – Visit to the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi
via Zoom July 29, 2023

Write! Ekphrastic – Visit to the National Galleries of Scotland
via Zoom May 27, 2023
After a short discussion of ekphrastic poetry, we went online to The National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh. Each poet selected one or more art objects to respond to in poetry.

Write! Ekphrastic – Visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art
via Zoom January 28, 2023
Participants met on Zoom for a brief introduction to ekphrastic poetry, followed by an orientation to the museum’s virtual galleries by Wilda Morris. Poets selected one or more art objects to respond to in poetry. Participants shared their poem drafts, as time allowed, at the end of the workshop.

Write! Ekphrastic – Visit to the Museo Abierto in San Jose, Costa Rica
via Zoom July 23, 2022
Led by Wilda Morris. After a short discussion of ekphrastic poetry, we went online together to Museo Abierto in San Jose, Costa Rica. Each poet selected one or more art objects to respond to in poetry. Some time at the end was reserved for sharing poem drafts. After the workshop, those who wished joined an email exchange to share their drafts for mutual critique.

Ekphrastic Poetry featuring art in the Tokyo National Museum collection
via Zoom – Jan. 22, 2022
Led by Wilda Morris, the workshop began with an introduction to the museum website and art collection. Poets then had 45 – 60 minutes to explore the website on their own and write about art that interested them. The group reconvened a little later to share their poems.

Ekphrastic Poetry featuring paintings by Vincent Van Gogh
via Zoom – March 20, 2021
Led by Sheila Elliott and Wilda Morris. After a short discussion of ekphrastic poetry, we went online together to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Each poet selected one or more of Van Gogh’s paintings to respond to in poetry.