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Artists on Artists
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.
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. 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."
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.
Past Artists on Artists Lectures
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