Feldman to read from his work

SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus Irving Feldman will read from his work during a special event on Oct. 8 being held in conjunction with the UB Anderson Gallery’s current exhibition, “Robert De Niro Sr. and Irving Feldman: Painter and Poet at UB in the Late 60’s”

The poetry reading will take place at 7 p.m. in the UB Anderson Gallery, One Martha Jackson Place, off Englewood Avenue near the South Campus.

Free and open to the public, it is sponsored by the Anderson Gallery and the University Libraries Poetry Collection.

Feldman taught at UB from 1964 until his retirement in 2004. A recipient of a National Institute of Arts and Letters Award, as well as fellowships from the Academy of American Poets, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation and The MacArthur Foundation, Feldman is UB and Buffalo’s most distinguished and renowned poet. 

His collection of poetry includes All of Us Here (1986), a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; “The Pripet Marshes” (1965) and “Leaping Clear” (1976), both finalists for the National Book Award; and “Works and Days” (1961), winner of the Kovner Poetry Prize of the Jewish Book Council. “Collected Poems 1954-2004” was published by Schocken Books in 2004.

In 1962, the private University of Buffalo merged with the SUNY system and then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller provided generous support that enabled UB to hire an ensemble of progressive and innovative artists from across the disciplines, Feldman among them.

By 1967, UB’s English department was a well-established and renowned center for literary scholarship and creativity in poetry. Robert De Niro Sr., recommended by his friend Feldman, was among the recruited “star” artists. De Niro taught at UB for six summers, beginning in 1967, which provided him the opportunity to complete a series of paintings that responded dramatically to the light and color of Buffalo’s landscapes.

The Anderson Gallery exhibition includes paintings by De Niro and a selection of poetry books, literary magazine publications and broadsides from the Poetry Collection, as well as ephemeral materials — posters, photographs and reportage — from the University Archives.

The exhibition features selected lines, excerpts and aphorisms from Feldman’s collection of poetry that have been enlarged and displayed on the walls as integral parts of the exhibition. Feldman's conscious selection of text both enriches the narrative of the exhibition and reflects the affinities between poets and painters.

The exhibition is on display through Oct. 24.