KINGSTON, R.I. — January 13, 2006 — Visitors to the University of Rhode Island Library on the Kingston Campus will find the gallery walls awash with a visual version of Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad.

The exhibit, “The Iliad—A New Translation,” will feature mixed media works by Rhode Island artist Merle Mainelli Poulton from Jan. 23 through March 2, 2006. Free and open to the public, the gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday 1 p.m. to midnight. Additionally, the artist will speak on Feb. 9 in the University Library Galanti Lounge from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Each painting contains an entire book or chapter based on Richmond Lattimore’s translation of The Iliad. “This body of work is a new translation – a literal, visual one,” said Poulton in her artist’s statement.

The artist’s The Iliad series began in July 2001 and was completed in Nov. 2003. “During its creation, many significant world events unfolded before us, often mirroring the Greek epic,” Poulton said. “It validates the notion that our unfolding history is in fact cyclical and that the Iliad is still a contemporary piece of work.”

Working as a full time artist since 1984, Poulton has published drawings/illustrations in two books, and her work has been included in exhibits nationwide. The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts awarded her the Painting Fellowship in November 2001. Poulton received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. and her comprehensive jewelry- making diploma from the Jewelry Institute in Providence, R.I. The artist lives in Lincoln, R.I. and has a studio in Pawtucket.

The exhibit and reception are sponsored by the URI Center for the Humanities, the Department of Languages, the Honors Program and Visiting Scholars Committee, and the Department of Art.

Pictured above

The Iliad Series – A New Translation, featuring works by Merle Mainelli Poulton, will be at the URI Library Gallery Jan. 23 through March 2. Shown here, Book 2 Catalog of Ships, mixed media on paper.