Hedi Kyle’s Poem

Mark Wangberg, an artist featured in the HELLO HEDI exhibition opening Friday wrote the following poem celebrating the star of our show, Hedi Kyle.

Mark's work in the show, Rusty, is typical of the love that so many artists feel for Hedi. In his artist statement, Mark writes, "The Rusty book IS a Hedi Kyle structure, though it may be unknown as I don’t think she named it or ever taught it. Hedi WILL recognize it, however, as I purchased her model at her home sale. It was in a box with many other models. When I visited Hedi this past September she remembered it, but didn’t offer much encouragement about using it. I think it’s one of her brilliant and simple solutions for making a book with folds."

Hedi Kyle's Poem

Would have to be unusual on the page, hands excited at the touching.

Rich color and textures, pages wrinkled, tea-stained love, re-read, worn in...

Hedi’s poem encloses pages unfolding in mysteries, folds and flaps, flags, secrets...

Hedi’s poem is ancient leather, supple, playful decoration and marks. Or, shiney blue bubblewrap stitched against shock of orange nubbly scrim.

Hedi’s poem excites the listener across a room, makes readers run to meet the living joy.

Hedi’s poem holds all, her students going off like stars, exploding from good planet, bright moon, shining light finally found orbiting time, space.

Hedi’s poem places her in books, her hands caressing the real Declaration of Independence. Again and again she declares independence from any tyranny, how a book should fit in a box... She invents, reinvents, "What can a book be?"

Hedi’s poem is belief in her bones about the beauty of friend, family, daughter, son, granddaughter, husband, home.

Hedi’s poem binds together all her knowing... Another artist said, "Hedi may have forgotten more than you and I will ever learn about books."

Hedi’s poem knows the legend, loves sharing what is unknown and discovered. Talking with students, she finds the unique, eyes opening to what she sees in their books.

Hedi is a poem walking this earth, opening her books like herons taking wing after resting in the reeds, trout rising on the crescent of fishing line, the geese in their ragged V, a kite gone wild, honking their joy as they follow that call to another world, a warmer place.

Hedi answers the question, "How can soaps and bugs, bees and butterflies, coexist?"

Hedi's great gift -- taking us inside, to other worlds, places warmer, wilder, yet somehow familiar, places we long to find.

~Mark Wangberg

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P.S. This poem may be available as a broadside. Contact Mark directly if you’re interested. MARK WANGBERG Greenbrae, CA www.markwangbergart.com