the Haiku ninja collective: Who we are
When the shelter in place came to Pittsburgh on March 23, staci already had the first Haiku Happiness Zoom Party scheduled with local news source, The Incline for the 26th. Little did she know where it would lead. That first event allowed 20 people to talk about their concerns and fears surrounding the pandemic. You can read the resulting Haiku here.
The next event, two weeks later, was in celebration of National Poetry Month. The group drew inspiration from a painting by local artist Frank Harris and created a collaborative multi-stanza Haiku known as a Ku-Ren. (you can see it below in the photo slide show of all the art we've done).
By the middle of April, it became clear to staci that it would be beneficial to talk about what everyone was going through with the enormous changes and adjustments brought on by COVID.
Each week, the group would start with a discussion about the pandemic, create a Ku-Ren, and then get inspired by pieces from incredible artists like James Simon, Jacob Lawrence, Mary Cassat, Harper Henry and Ashley Longshore. Then staci took the words and found a way to apply them in or around the painting.
Over six months later, the Collective is still going strong, meeting 2-3 times per month, documenting the emotions and experiences due to the virus and honoring artists by focusing on their work with words.
What is a Haiku?
Haiku is the ancient Japanese form of poetry that consists of three lines in a 5/7/5 syllable structure. These poetic nuggets capture the essence of an experience or emotion like nothing else because of its brevity. There is no room for fluff. Only the most essential words make the cut.