AN AFTER POEM FOR AFTER POEM "An after poem can be loosely defined as a poem in homage to, in conversation with, or inspired by another poem. This collection by Meghan Deroma not only elicits admiration but also a moment of deep reflection. Each piece weaves together scraps of paper foraged by the artist, some kept for years by her family. With every layer of paste, she brings together meaning—often other people’s. A mother’s dusty box of her daughter’s homework. The A+ spelling tests. The homework deemed keep-worthy. A cut-out photo of author and artist, Judy Chicago. A career fair pamphlet on radiology, just in case this art thing didn’t pan out (Yes, these are real examples.) But first, a confession. Much like the overlapping paper in the Practice, my experience with the work and my deep friendship with the artist cannot be pulled apart. And I think, actually, that might be the point? We all carry stories of the people in our lives. Sometimes as a power source. Sometimes as a source of disease. But do you see the glue here? The permanence? There’s no separating who we are and who we’ve surrounded ourselves with. If our lives are a poem, then they can only be thought of as an After poem, a response to the poetry that’s come before us." This is an edited excerpt of a piece written by Brittany Grinham in response to the After-Poem body of work. After-Poem will be on view 9/20-9/30, 2023 Soft Opening 9/20 6-9p Closing Salon 9/30 6-9p Please visit us at dorado806.com for the space or learn more about the artist at mderoma.art