Venable in Charlottesville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Testimonial

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 17, 2024

1. Testimonial Marker

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Testimonial. . The Charlottesville Mural Project and New City Arts Initiative, in partnership with Graduate Charlottesville and UVA Arts, present a mural by Poet Laureate Rita Dove and artist David Guinn. This is a collaborative mural led by the Charlottesville Mural Project and New City Arts initiative as part of their 2015-2016 mural series, Paint and Poetry, a public mural series that incorporates poetry into public art in the Charlottesville area. Generous support was provided Graduate Hotels and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts at UVA. The dedicated participation of all parties resulted in this dynamic community partnership., The mural was inspired by Rita Dove's poem, "Testimonial". The poem was chosen by Dove and Guinn because of the positive message that both UVA students and the community may find inspiring.,

"I believe that my poem 'Testimonial' is a very appropriate fit for this space right at the seam of Charlottesville's 'town and gown'. Of course, Charlottesville is also a dynamic hub for artists and musicians not necessarily affiliated with UVA. The desire to reach out to the wider world, a longing to cause impacts beyond local confines, the dreams that one's messages will reverberate, casting circles far and wide in the American imagination, this kind of visionary energy makes Charlottesville unique, from Thomas Jefferson to the Dave Matthews Band." -Rita Dove

Painted over five weeks in the summer of 2016, artist David Guinn worked with his assistant, Josh Smith, from suspended "swing stages" that allowed access to all points of the wall. Working from a small painting on paper, Guinn transferred the design using a grid technique.,

"In the mural design I wanted to express the emotion of Rita Dove's Poem 'Testimonial' with its beautiful exuberance and optimism, its enthusiasm for, and wonder at life. In this spirit, I tried to create a space for the viewer's mind to enter and connect with those emotions., The abstract, elemental shapes and sweeping brushstrokes of the design reflect the opening lines of the poem, 'Back when the earth was new and heaven just a whisper'. I wanted to connect with a time before objects and identities. The motion of the design carries the viewer into the distance in the upper right, implying the line 'Back when everything was still to come'. In general, the intensity of emotion in the poem connected me to the rich and bright colors of a sunrise. Rita remarked in our conversation that the line 'The world called, and I answered' would be a good line to excerpt from the poem because it stands alone, rather than being part of a couplet. Using two triangle shapes, I brought focus to the word 'I' by bringing their points just above and below the word., Furthermore, I considered the architecture of the hotel in the design. The prominent horizontal line, that one might call a horizon in the design, falls at the top of the 6th floor windows and carries that natural line in the architecture across the mural design. Blacks and grays are contrasted against the colorful palette of the mural to represent that life is composed of both joyful and difficult moments." -David Guinn

Rita Dove has been teaching at the University of Virginia since 1989 and holds the chair of Commonwealth Professor of English. She served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993 to 1995 and as Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2004 to 2006. Her numerous literary and academic honors include the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry as well as the 1996 National Humanities Medal from President Clinton and the 2011 National Medal of Arts from President Obama, she is the only poet with both presidential medals to her credit. To date she has received 25 honorary doctorates, most recently from Yale University, and she gave the 2016 commencement speech at UVA. Among her recent publications are Collected Poems 1974-2004 and Sonata Mulattica (2009), she has also published a novel, a widely produced play, short stories, essays and (together with composer John Williams) a song cycle., David Guinn is an artist based in Philadelphia, Penn. A graduate o Columbia University in New York City, he was originally trained as an architect. Since 1998 David has painted over 35 murals throughout Pennsylvania and other cities worldwide including Amman Jordan, Montreal, Quebec, New York, Washington DC, and Chicago. His work has been noted in books, newspapers, magazines, on television, and radio including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Spin Magazine, La Presse, Montréal, and WHY TV Philadelphia. He is the recipient of numerous awards and grants including and being a finalist for the prestigious Knight Arts Challenge (2013), a finalist for the Pew Foundation fellowship in the Arts (2012), and being awarded an Independence Foundation Fellowship (2004) and a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Fellowship in the Arts (2002).

The Charlottesville Mural Project and New City Arts Initiative, in partnership with Graduate Charlottesville and UVA Arts, present a mural by Poet Laureate Rita Dove and artist David Guinn
This is a collaborative mural led by the Charlottesville Mural Project and New City Arts initiative as part of their 2015-2016 mural series, Paint and Poetry—a public mural series that incorporates poetry into public art in the Charlottesville area. Generous support was provided Graduate Hotels and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts at UVA. The dedicated participation of all parties resulted in this dynamic community partnership.

The mural was inspired by Rita Dove's poem, "Testimonial". The poem was chosen by Dove and Guinn because of the positive message that both UVA students and the community may find inspiring.

"I believe that my poem 'Testimonial' is a very appropriate fit for this space right at the seam of Charlottesville's 'town and gown'. Of course, Charlottesville is also a dynamic hub for artists and musicians not necessarily affiliated with UVA. The desire to reach out to the wider world, a longing to cause impacts beyond local confines, the dreams that one's messages will reverberate, casting circles far and
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wide in the American imagination—this kind of visionary energy makes Charlottesville unique, from Thomas Jefferson to the Dave Matthews Band." -Rita Dove

"In the mural design I wanted to express the emotion of Rita Dove's Poem 'Testimonial' with its beautiful exuberance and optimism, its enthusiasm for, and wonder at life. In this spirit, I tried to create a space for the viewer's mind to enter and connect with those emotions.

The abstract, elemental shapes and sweeping brushstrokes of the design reflect the opening lines of the poem, 'Back when the earth was new and heaven just a whisper'. I wanted to connect with a time before objects and identities. The motion of the design carries the viewer into the distance in the upper right, implying the line 'Back when everything was still to come'. In general, the intensity of emotion in the poem connected me to the rich and bright colors of a sunrise. Rita remarked in our conversation that the line 'The world called, and I answered' would be a good line to excerpt from the poem because it stands alone, rather
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 17, 2024

2. Testimonial
Testimonial

Back when the earth was new
and heaven just a whisper,
back when the names of things
hadn't had time to stick;

back when the smallest breezes
melted summer into autumn,
when all the poplars quivered
sweetly in rank and file . . .

the world called, and I answered.
Each glance ignited to a gaze.
I caught my breath and called that life,
swooned between spoonfuls of lemon sorbet.

I was pirouette and flourish
I was filigree and flame.
How could I count my blessings
when I didn't know their names?

Back when everything was still to come,
luck leaked out everywhere.
I gave my promise to the world
And the world followed me here.

Rita Dove
than being part of a couplet. Using two triangle shapes, I brought focus to the word 'I' by bringing their points just above and below the word.

Furthermore, I considered the architecture of the hotel in the design. The prominent horizontal line, that one might call a horizon in the design, falls at the top of the 6th floor windows and carries that natural line in the architecture across the mural design. Blacks and grays are contrasted against the colorful palette of the mural to represent that life is composed of both joyful and difficult moments." -David Guinn

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a novel, a widely produced play, short stories, essays and (together with composer John Williams) a song cycle.

David Guinn is an artist based in Philadelphia, Penn. A graduate o Columbia University in New York City, he was originally trained as an architect. Since 1998 David has painted over 35 murals throughout Pennsylvania and other cities worldwide including Amman Jordan, Montreal, Quebec, New York, Washington DC, and Chicago. His work has been noted in books, newspapers, magazines, on television, and radio including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Spin Magazine, La Presse, Montréal, and WHY TV Philadelphia. He is the recipient of numerous awards and grants including and being a finalist for the prestigious Knight Arts Challenge (2013), a finalist for the Pew Foundation fellowship in the Arts (2012), and being awarded an Independence Foundation Fellowship (2004) and a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Fellowship in the Arts (2002).

Erected by Charlottesville Mural Project; Graduate Hotels; New City Arts; University of Virginia; Blue Ridge Buidlers Supply & Home Center; Benjamin Moore Paints; Gropen; Charlottesville Area Community Foundation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #42 William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #44 Barack Obama series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 2016.

Location. 38° 2.025′ N, 78° 29.931′ W. Marker is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is in Venable. It is on West Main Street (Business U.S. 250) west of 13th Street Northwest, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1325 West Main Street, Charlottesville VA 22903, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome to UniBap Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Charlottesville General Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); Barry and Bill Battle (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The University “Corner” (about 500 feet away); Georgia O’Keeffe (about 600 feet away); John Vowles House (about 700 feet away); Claude Moore, M.D. (approx. 0.2 miles away); Memorial to Enslaved Laborers (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlottesville.

Additional keywords. #paintandpoetrycville

Credits. This page was last revised on May 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 213 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 18, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.