Fusing art and language, artist Lesley Dill will open '13 at Halsey Institute (Updated)

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The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is kicking off the new year with an exhibition of work by contemporary New York based artist Lesley Dill.

Entitled, Poetic Visions: From Shimmer to Sister Gertrude Morgan, the exhibition will be on view January 25 - March 9, 2013. The opening reception on Friday, January 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. will be open to the public and guests will enjoy complimentary refreshments and light hors d'oeuvres.

Nationally known for the unexpected and dramatic ways in which she fuses art and language, New York-based Dill explores the relationships between language and transformational experience through multi-faceted work that appeals to a wide range of interests.

"Poetic Visions invites audiences to delve into art, literature, spirituality, feminism - even fashion," says curator Barbara Matilsky, of the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA, who worked closely with Dill to mount this traveling exhibition. The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art rarely hosts traveling exhibitions; preferring instead to originate its own exhibitions and educational programs. An exception was made for this show, however, according to Halsey director Mark Sloan: "Dill's work has always been fascinating to me in its combination of word and image". "When I learned my colleague Barbara Matilsky was organizing an exhibition of Dill's recent works, I jumped at the chance to participate in the tour".

Before the opening reception on January 25, Dill will give a lecture about her work in Room 309 of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip Street at 5pm. All events are free, with the public encouraged to attend.

Update December 28:The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art will be hosting a series of poetry readings during the January to March 2013 exhibition, Lesley Dill's "Poetic Visions: From Shimmer to Sister Gertrude Morgan".

The poets to be featured are Poetry Society of South Carolina members Richard Garcia, Kit Loney, Susan Finch Stevens, SC Poet Laureate Marjory Wentworth, and Katherine Williams; College of Charleston students Alexandra Daley, AJ Johnson, Avis Norfleet, Anthony Pugliese and Madeline Thieringer; North Carolina-based poet Ted Pope; Samuel Amadon, professor of Poetry at University of South Carolina, Emily Rosko, Creative Writing professor at the College of Charleston, and Jillian Weise, Creative Writing professor at Clemson University.

The readings are scheduled to last about one hour and will take place in the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, located at 161 Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston. All readings are free and open to the public and will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 7; Thursday, February 14; Tuesday, February 19; and Thursday, February 21. A reception will follow each evening of readings.

The Tongues Aflame poetry series is co-sponsored by the Halsey Institute, the Poetry Society of South Carolina, the College of Charleston's Department of English and Crazyhorse.