May Swenson, a literary icon hailing from Logan, is most known for her timeless contributions to poetry, with her works frequently gracing the pages of The New Yorker and shaping her tenure at the Academy of American Poets. But, there's an untold story about Swenson, one that weaves through her unseen artwork that provides a new dimension to her celebrated verses. Utah State University (USU) student researcher Brook Haight is delving into these non-literary creations to unravel a fresh perspective on Swenson's creative prowess. According to USU Today, Haight's efforts reveal that to fully appreciate Swenson's artistry, one should not narrowly define her as merely a poet.
In her research, Haight had to closely look at Swenson's minor in art, an element as vital to her creative formation as her English major. Swenson's concrete poetry, which arranges words visually to amplify meaning, is a testament to her artistic side. This visual element was further illuminated when Haight stumbled upon a drawing titled “Boa” while examining Swenson's collection at USU's Special Collections and Archives. As obtained by USU Today, Haight expressed excitement about the connection between Swenson's visual arts and her poetry, pointing out that this intersection is a rarity in poetic research. Haight's findings adeptly show how Swenson's observational process didn't limit itself to crafting words but also embraced the contours of visual art.
Haight's scholarship from The Cache Valley Historical Society has bolstered her ability to proceed deeper into the artistic side of Swenson. She's uncovered parallels between Swenson's poems and her drawings and collages, such as the relationship between “Orbiter 5” and a collage of what might be its inspiration photo, according to materials found in the Washington University Archives. Haight told USU Today, “It gave me more insight into her process,” stressing the importance of Swenson's engagement with the physical attributes of her subjects, the shape, the color, and the essence, beyond mere description.
The reasons Swenson's artistic works never reached publication are unclear, but Haight posits it might relate to how we label artists and their crafts. She relayed to USU Today an interaction with the executor of Swenson's estate who pointedly remarked, “May Swenson is a poet, not an artist.” Haight argues that such reductive classifications fail to fully embrace the creative individuality of artists. Christine Cooper-Rompato, Haight's professor, sees this research endeavor as expanding Swenson’s legacy, elucidating the visual facets of her poetry that go beyond the written word. Indeed, to ignore these creative artifacts is to willingly exclude chapters from Swenson's comprehensive portfolio of work.
Haight is set to share her research with the Cache Valley Historical Society at 7 p.m. on April 9, where she hopes to offer attendees a window into Swenson's complete creative identity. She asserts that understanding Swenson involves engaging wholly with her innovative oeuvre that transcends conventional literary analysis, granting insights that could be lost if one were to stop simply at the text. As USU's College of Humanities and Social Sciences continues to foster a nurturing environment for research and creative discovery, Haight's work stands as a beacon, reminding us that to seek a deeper knowledge of an artist’s intent, we must dare to delve beyond the familiar confines of their most famous mediums.
