The exhibit "Fission of Form," on display at Panza Gallery in Millvale, brings together the talents of members of three distinct art groups -- Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, Pittsburgh Poets and Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors -- in what is a tour de force of creativity and unique collaboration.

The exhibit started with works created by the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors, then, members of the Pittsburgh Poets wrote a poem inspired by a particular sculpture. The Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators members randomly chose a poem, and created an illustration without seeing the original sculpture. The sculptures, poems and illustrations are displayed as installed triads.

Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators member and exhibit coordinator Michael Leahy says the exhibit provides a rare window into 20 stories told by 20 unique sculptures, and then "opens 20 new windows with infinite stories to tell."

"Each sculpture, poem and illustration speaks its own language that will find its own resonance. Together, they tell a singular tale of ideas passed down and disseminated from a single point of origin into three unique perspectives," he says.

The results speak for themselves.

Take for example, the three-piece combined works by poet Shirley Stevens, sculptor Elizabeth Asche Douglas and illustrator Rick Antolic.

Stevens' poem, "Il Poverello, St. Francis and the Wood," was inspired by a found wood sculpture by Douglas entitled, "The Phoenix."

When Antolic first received the poem to illustrate, he began by delving deep into research.

"I knew that St. Francis was the patron saint of animals, but I wanted to know more," Antolic says. "I also investigated how the tree, the forest or wood have all been used as symbols throughout the history of art. But there was a line repeated a few times in the poem, 'Wood finds its way.' I kept repeating this line over and over again."

This line certainly had more influence over Antolic's final illustration than anything else.

"I thought about the cyclical life of trees ... the dormant winter season leads to a rebirth of bright color in the spring; the fullness of the summer season leads to falling but colorful season of autumn, forecasting the melancholy of death to come. Throughout the cycle, wood finds its way," Antolic says.

Although Antolic imagined Douglas' sculpture to include a white phoenix-like bird, he tried to not dwell on what her sculpture might look like, as seeing it was not necessary for him to complete the illustration.

"I set out to do a more literal illustration of the poem as I envisioned it," Antolic says. "I was pleasantly surprised to see how many characteristics the St. Francis character in my painting shared with Douglas' sculpture."

The color in Antolic's painting is a perfect match, and the long, vertical, stretching of St. Francis mimics the beautiful and graceful movement of Douglas' phoenix.

"I was fortunate to have an inspiring poem with which to work," Antolic adds, "but the quality of the poem was no surprise, having been born out of the mastery of a talented and experienced artist such as Elizabeth Asche Douglas."

Of course, there are plenty more compelling combinations to explore, too many to list here. Nevertheless, this show truly is a stunning exhibit -- even more so because of its collaborative nature, which was extremely difficult to pull together logistically. None of the illustrators saw any of the original sculptures until the final show was installed.

Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators member and past president Fred Carlson says that when he saw piece after piece by the illustrators all "hitting home runs, I was just blown away."

"For many of these artists, the pieces they did for 'Fission of Form' were the greatest things I ever saw them stretch out for."

Additional Information:

'Fission of Form'

When: Through Oct. 31. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays

Admission: Free

Where: Panza Gallery, 115 Sedgwick St., Millvale

Details: Z412-821-0959

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