"The poems are set into a new situation and the narrative is being generated for it," says Einspruch. "The idea behind the exhibition was to draw new narratives from excerpts of existing poems. Authors include Edna St. Vincent Millay and E.E. Cummings."
For an artist whose experience is most recognized in webcomics, "The Talk That Walked" is a new challenge. The world of webcomics offers limitless working space (where cyberspace is the canvas), uncensored language and graphics (nice try, FCC), and a (potentially) eternal presence in the public eye. In the halls of the Main Library, however, the space, imagery, and time span is significantly edited. But it doesn't dampen the intended effect; carefully drawn ink-on-paper works laced with lyric poetry creates a modern ballad, at one point stretching to twelve feet in length over the library's walls.
Einspruch cites the origins of this exhibition stemming from a small, earlier work combining comic-style images with a poem from William Carlos Williams. "It really comes out of a sense of play with the original poem," he notes. "This is more of an expansive way of handling it, but honoring the original in a comics format." To coincide with the physical, paper-based installation, Einspruch generated a web-based version of the project, thetalkthatwalked.com, which launches on November 4. This virtual gallery will offer viewers peeks into source materials, texts and behind-the-scenes photos of the exhibition setup.
Einspruch received his B.F.A. in Illustration at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and spent time in Paros, Greece and the school's European Honors Program in Rome to augment his graphic arts studies. He went on to receive his M.F.A. from the UM in Painting, and has remained in the public realm in Miami having been featured in the collections of Martin Margulies, the Florida Department of State, and ArtCenter South Florida. With this exhibition, Einspruch anchors his illustrative roots and reaches towards an audience beyond the contemporary art underground.
"The Talk That Walked" opens on November 4 and runs through December 19, with a Program and Reception from 6:30 to 8:30pm on Thursday, November 18. The 1st floor exhibition space is housed at the Main Library, 101 W. Flagler Street, Miami. Call (305) 375-2665 or visit http://www.mdpls.org/news/exhibitions/exhibitions.asp.
