The Society for the Encouragement of the Arts Artists on Artists Series

Vincent and Henry Ferrini: Poem in Action
Reading by Vincent Ferrini and screening of Henry Ferrini’s rarely seen, award winning portrait of his uncle

Gloucester, MA – October 29, 2005

Event: The Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (seARTS) of Gloucester continues its Artists on Artists series on November 17, 2005 at 7 p.m. with poet Vincent Ferrini and filmmaker Henry Ferrini.

When: Thursday, November 17, 2005, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (member reception, 6:30 pm)

Where: West End Theater, 2 Main Street, Gloucester

Admission: Free to members, $5 for non-members. Refreshments will be served.

Who:

Vincent Ferrini, self-taught Poet Laureate of Gloucester, was born 24 June 1913 in Saugus, Massachusetts, the oldest son of Italian immigrants. His first book of poems, No Smoke (1941), was written while he worked at General Electric in Lynn (MA). Much of his poetry focuses on social issues relating to his factory experiences and on the relationships of work, life, and poetry. In the early 1950s he edited a small magazine entitled Four Winds.

Ferrini married Margaret Duffy, with whom he had three children, and then artist Mary Shore. He moved to Gloucester in 1948, taking over a framing business. For many years, Ferrini was a close friend of the poets Charles Olson (1910-1970) and Robert Creeley. He participated in the WPA program of the 1930s and the CETA program of the 1970s, the two federal programs to employ artists. In 1979, Ferrini published Know Fish, a four volume work of poetry on Gloucester and its fishing industry.

Ferrini says that he was "... was born out of my mother with a pencil in my hand"

Henry Ferrini is an independent filmmaker Henry Ferrini from Gloucester, his muse for more than 25 years. Much of his work focused on his hometown and cultivated a passion in him for local cultural geography, leading him to surrounding working-class communities such as Lynn, Salem, Peabody and Lowell to unearth material most would overlook. His latest project returns him once again to Gloucester.

All of Ferrini's work has a central mission to "uncover local spirit and reveal the profound connection between person and place." Most well known for non-fiction films, Ferrini’s trademark free form approach creates distinctive films and videos. Powerful independent elements (imagery, music and narration) become fused in a non-linear fashion to create, according to Ferrini, "film poems." This style is inimitable in his most recent release, "Lowell Blues: The Words of Jack Kerouac," a 30 minute journey through Kerouac's hometown guided by readers Gregory Corso, Johnny Depp, Carolyn Cassady, David Amram, Robert Creeley, and Joyce Johnson, with an original musical score composed by international jazz legend Lee Konitz, Willie Alexander and Jim Doherty. Lowell Blues garnered the "Grand Festival Award" in the 2001 Berkeley Film Festival, and has been featured in over 20 film festivals around the world. It has been incorporated into the Lowell public school curriculum, and many universities and public high schools include it in syllabi.

Ferrini's current project focuses on the seminal avant-garde poet, Charles Olson. Little-known outside literary circles, Ferrini intends to bring a greater audience to the achievements and contributions of Olson, who was, according to Ferrini, "The ultimate misunderstood character."

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For more information: call Michele Miller 978-283-9923 or write Susan Erony at erony@searts.org

The Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (SEArts) is a recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Adams Arts Fund for Cultural Economic Development.