Summer Arts Residencies: Marcus Emel, Poetry & Installation
Come see Marcus’ work and be a part of the experience! All events are free and open to the public.
GRIT: A Living Archive of Becoming
Public Installation + Open Gallery Hours
August 10–16 | Daily, 2-7p
Visitors are invited to move through the installation during open gallery hours and engage with interactive components, including “Failures Anonymous,” an evolving participatory archive that will grow throughout the week.
Live Reading + Performance Activation
Saturday, August 15
7- 8:30p
The performance will feature a live reading of selected works from GRIT, audience engagement, and participatory elements connected to the themes of the installation.
Closing Gallery Day
Sunday, August 16, 2026
2-7p
Visitors are invited to experience the completed installation during the final day of public viewing hours.
ABOUT THE RESIDENCY: “During the residency, I will be developing GRIT: A Living Archive of Becoming, an installation based on my poetry collection GRIT. This project is an experiment for me. I am exploring how poetry, sound, conversation, audience interaction, and physical space can work together to create a more immersive experience rooted in intimacy, secrecy, transformation, and self reflection.
A central part of the installation is ‘Failures Anonymous,’ an interactive piece where visitors can anonymously contribute personal reflections that become part of the work over time. I am interested in how participation changes the meaning of the piece and how poetry can help create space for honesty, conversation, connection, and community.”
As a multidisciplinary artist and poet, Marcus’ practice has lived on the page, at open mics, in performance, or through digital storytelling and social media and begins with lived experience and writing.
Follow the artist for more updates on their residency and events! @iammarcusemel #IGBFH
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Since 2018, SMUSH Summer Arts Residencies have offered artists the chance to enjoy the “gallery as studio" with self-directed time for generative work. Open to all disciplines, our residencies are an exceptional opportunity for artists to feed their creative practice with studio work, rehearsal, performance, and exhibition.