Words Take Shape Exhibit of Dillís Delicate Artwork Inspired by Written Language by Heather Nalbone A sign at the entrance of the newest exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts warns visitors that the artwork is ìextremely fragileî and should not be touched, even though none of it is encased in glass. The pieces are fragile but not because they were fashioned from any precious or expensive materials. Instead, many of the hangings were carefully crafted from simple items such as tea-stained muslin, paper and horsehair. These 35 works that make up ìLesley Dill: A Ten Year Surveyî were inspired less by textiles and colors than by written language, a topic that has captivated the contemporary artist since her 40th birthday, when she was given a volume of poetry by Emily Dickinson. Yet Dillís works are so varied that the only signature item among them is the artistís use of poetry and essays for inspiration. Words and phrases spill out from mouths, are stamped across bodies and draped through statuettes. In some pieces, the inscriptions are barely visible; in others, the writings are the central theme. ìGhost Eyes,î created in 1997, is a good example of Dillís didactic ap proach. The six-by-four-foot blackened silver print paper consists of nothing more than a photograph of a womanís face positioned in the lower left corner. A silvery substance streams from her eyes to the upper right section of the dark painting. Beneath the image is an excerpt from a well-known letter written by Czech-born novelist and short story writer Franz Kafka: ìIt is, in fact, an intercourse with ghosts, and not only with the ghost of the recipient, but also with oneís own ghost which develops between the lines.î Although the passage included in ìGhost Eyesî is longer than most, each of Dillís pieces is laden with some selection of words. Some items contain entire verses from favorite poems, while others offer no more than a word or two extracted to foster the imagery or interpretation. Each of the leaf-shaped pieces of paper that make up ìI Heard a Voice,î for instance, are imprinted with the same two words: ìvoiceî and ìheard.î At the other end of the spectrum is ìWire Wall of Words.î The 10-by-20-foot wire sequence of poetry takes up an entire wall of the gallery. ìI read constantly as a child, buried myself in the invisible world of books,î Dill is quoted as saying. ìThe whole world looked like a book to meóblack against white.î The writers themselves inspire a few of Dillís works. Such is the case with ìPoem Dress of Circulation,î a conglomeration of acrylic and thread stitched through refined Japanese kozo paper. The entire structure is shaped to resemble the type of dress Emily Dickinson would have worn, and words from Dickinsonís ìThe Heart Has Narrow Banksî are sewn into a makeshift train that flows from the heart of the transparent gown. Dillís style is arguably unique, but not all of the works are as striking or remarkable. ìWords Escape Meî is a notably dull concoction of white paper, thread and cloth stitched into a large, unrecognizable garment. The flat dress-like piece reminds one of a child or student who is just learning to sew. Taken together, the exhibit is a somewhat trendy though thought-provoking diversion from the museumís permanent displays, which tend to feature more traditional paintings and photographs. The collection was organized by the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in New York, where it was on display for six weeks before coming to Washington. ìLesley Dill: A Ten Year Surveyî runs through Sept. 14 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave., NW. For more information, please call (202) 783-5000 or visit www.nmwa.org. Heather Nalbone is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.