Key West The Newspaper

Key West Art & Historical Society’s film series continues on Thursday, December 22 at 6:00pm in the Helmerich Research & Learning Center at the Custom House Museum, 281 Front Street with Welcome To This House, a feature documentary film creates a layered portrait of the person behind poet Elizabeth Bishop, from her childhood in Nova Scotia to her death in 1979.

Part essay, part historical documentary, the 2015 film showcases interviews with poets, friends, and scholars that provide “missing documents” of numerous female lovers. Director Barbara Hammer keeps the film’s focus primarily on a sensorial experience of Bishop’s work and chosen habitat, which includes Key West, Brazil, and Cambridge, and reveals her secret loves while also giving insight to the poet’s art-making process. Bishop’s intimate poetry is beautifully performed by Kathleen Chalfant, and the creative music composition of Joan La Barbara brings Bishop into our lives with new ways and unexpected details.

In addition to the film, Key West Poetry Guild members Malcom Willison and Key West Poet Laureate Rosalind Brackenbury will be present to offer their poems on the world-celebrated poet, and Marie Claire Blais, who is interviewed in the film, will be on hand to help field any questions after the film’s viewing.

Made possible in part by the generosity of the Helmerich Trust, the film is offered in conjunction with The Society’s Distinguished Speaker Series presentation “Elizabeth Bishop: All the Untidy Activity Continues” by Thomas Travisano. The Key West Art & Historical Society film series is curated by Society board member and cineaste Michael Shields, who offers “films that expand our vistas and give us fresh views of our home.” Tickets for the event can be purchased online at KWAHS.ORG/LEARN: $5 for members, $10 for non-members. For more information about this and other programs, please contact Adele Williams, Director of Education, at 305-295-6616, ext. 115. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island.