Lecturer brings medieval painting into modernity
■Terry Tempest Williams is
fixated with Hieronymous
Bosch’s “The Garden of
Earthly Delights”
By Serena Markstrom
Oregon Daily Emerald
The lights of the EMU Ballroom
went down and all eyes focused
on Terry Tempest Williams. The
petite author’s head scarcely
cleared the podium, but her read
ing held the attention of the near
full capacity audience for almost
two hours.
Williams was this year’s Robert
D. Clark Professor in the Humani
ties, a position that was estab
lished in 1995 to promote public
discussion on the natural sci
ences, the history of Oregon and
the connection between science
and social affairs.
The lecture, “Hieronymous
Bosch in North America,” ex
plored Williams’ seven-year ob
session with Bosch’s famous 15th
century painting, “The Garden of
Earthly Delights.”
Steven Shankman director of
the Oregon Humanities Center,
said of Williams in his introduc
tion “she is an extremely genuine
and generous person.”
Slightly poking fun at her Mor
mon upbringing, Williams intro
duced the lecture by saying Eu
gene forever changed her life after
she had her first cup of coffee and
first chocolate covered espresso
beans.
In the presentation she mixed
poetry and storytelling to cre
atively weave together a story of
how studying the painting, which
resides in Madrid at the Prado
museum, and writing about it in
“LEAP,” Williams’ book about the
painting, has been a journey for
her as a person and writer.
Williams’ writing is generally
about nature and she is a noted
environmental and political ac
tivist, but, as Shankman noted,
the focus of the lecture was a dif
ferent sort of landscape — the
painting.
She talked about how the
painting, which was projected on
a screen over the stage, captivated
her imagination for seven years.
“We have forgotten who we
are,” Williams read. “We have
distorted our power.”
Bosch, she said, “reminds me.”
The transparency of the paint
ing was the only lit constant as
she described the people, the col
ors, the fruit and the animals in
the painting.
Williams said as she worked on
the project she did not reveal to
many that she was taking pilgrim
ages to Spain to view the paint
ing.
“It was a secret I did not tell for
fear of being called mad,” she
said.
She described moments when
she would stare at the painting
with binoculars to see the differ
ent animals closely, often with
guards laughing at her. The
names of species became poetry
as she listed them; mallards,
owls, swifts, cuckoos, white peli
cans, stork and gold finch.
When the mood became in
tense she often interjected a joke.
She said in medieval times cher
ries were associated with female
genitalia and that the Utah state
fruit is the cherry.
“I wonder if the legislators
knew that,” Williams, who is
from Utah, said.
Though she chided her own
obsession with the painting, she
noted that others, such as Ernest
Hemingway, have been likewise
fascinated by it and have offered
their interpretations for what it
means.
“Hieronymous Bosch painted
our passions,” Williams said.
Williams believes the leap the
painting suggests in contempo
rary times is one of restoration
and a renewed belief in the im
portance of saving the earth.
“I believe this painting has nev
er been more relevant,” Williams
said.
“There is a war raging within
our nation,” Williams read. “And
it’s not civil.”
Audience members shared
their thoughts and asked ques
tions after the lecture.
One audience member walked
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Kevin Calame Emerald
Terry Tempest Williams discusses her book, “LEAP,” and her love for Hieronymous Bosch’s fruit-and-animal-filled painting.
Bookmaker uses press to print poems, projects
By Serena Markstrom
Oregon Dairy Emerald
Bibliopegist Sandy Tilcock
has been operating her business,
the Lone Goose Press, for 10
years, but a year ago she con
tracted with the University. Now
Tilcock makes books in the name
of Knight Library Press •— the
University’s first fine printing
press since the 1930s.
Tuesday the press’s most re
cent project, an excerpt present
ed on broadside from Terry Tem
pest Williams’ new book
“LEAP,” was sold at the Robert
D. Clark lecture at the EMU Ball
room.
Only 125 copies of the indi
vidually numbered broadsides,
which sold for $65 each, were
for sale.
“They’re just gorgeous/’ Chad
J. Barker, who is Tilcock’s lone
paid employee, said of the three
paneled broadsides.
Williams said Tilcock is a re
spected artist and friend and she
is pleased to see her own words
displayed so beautifully.
Barker sold the broadsides at
the event and said “the people
really seemed to enjoy it.
“They seemed thankful they
had something special to take
home and commemorate the
event,” Barker said.
Each item that comes out of
Tilcock’s west Eugene shop is
made entirely by hand, down to
each letter set and every piece
of paper folded. Once a project
is complete it is never reprint
ed.
“That’s what makes it
unique,” Tilcock said.
All projects must be approved
by the board of directors. She
usually prints poems, short sto
ries and parts of novels created
by regional artists.
“I don’t think everyone’s work
is appropriate,” Tilcock said.
Since Lone Goose Press and
Tilcock have added the respon
sibility as Knight Library Press,
her work has become higher
profile, a position she said she
is not necessarily comfortable
in.
But she takes it in stride as
part of the job and the work re
mains the most important thing
to her.
“This is more than a job, this is
who I am,” Tilcock said.
up to the microphone with a mes
sage for Williams.
“I have been to literally hun
dreds of readings,” he said. “You
have the most beautiful voice.”
A book signing and reception
followed the question and answer
session where audience members
bought copies of “LEAP” and an
autographed, limited edition
broadside, produced by Knight
Library Press.
For those who wish to see the
lecture, the videotaped version
will be broadcast on channel 12
in the fall. For more information
call the Oregon Humanities Cen
ter at 346-3934.
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senior
Thursday, May 25
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
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EMU Amphitheater
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