Local artist focuses on a ‘quest to be alive’

by Laura Kingsbury

Some creative minds choose one or two outlets to express their hopes, dreams and inspirations. Vanessa German extends across artistic mediums to speak her mind, turn common objects into art, poke fun at daily life as well as share her experiences from a difficult, but inspirational childhood.

Though probably best known nationally as a performance poet, German has showcased her talent through sculpting, acting and photography to create art in as many ways as possible.

She is an artist, a performer, an African American, an out lesbian, but most importantly, she is a person who appreciates life and is glad to be alive.

“I am inspired by life, the world, human behavior, soul, spirit and an abounding love of words and word sound,” German says.

It was this love of words, not just in what they mean but in how they sound, that sparked her interest in poetry at a very young age. Growing up in L.A. with the strong artistic influence of her mother and the culture around her, she began reciting poetry as means of entertainment during difficult financial times.

What she discovered was powerful.

“In about first or second grade I realized internally and spiritually I loved the way that it felt to read words aloud,” she says. “I loved what happened and what I experienced in my body.

“I would recite poems to get through daily tasks such as doing the dishes, and sing and perform for my brothers and sisters. We couldn’t afford to go out, so we had ourselves.”

Despite what German describes as a gang war zone going on coupled with the discovery of AIDS and other social upheavals of the ’80s, she tried to focus on really living her life despite fear in what she calls a “quest to be alive.”

However, after further cultivating her talents at the LA Center for Enriched Studies performance arts school, German was uprooted to Loveland, Ohio, at about age 14 after her father’s job transfer.

She describes what resulted as a complete shock traveling from cultural LA to a much smaller town where people of color were scarce, racial slurs were abundant and opened minds appeared to be next to non-existent.

“I felt like I was going back to 1947 when people didn’t understand diversity,” says German, who belonged to one of only several black families in her high school’s community.

Despite the setback this could case many young people, from German’s accounts, this seemed to add fuel to her poetic fire, and by age 18 she began writing and performing her own material.

After a brief stint at the University of Cincinnati, a societal norm that she never felt compelled to conform to, and some time spent back in her hometown of LA, her career began to take off.

In addition to writing and performing her own poetry, German’s sculpting career began with a mosaic chair that she created out of a collection of wine bottles that she had broken up and started to piece together. Making something beautiful out of seemingly ordinary objects felt so right, she says of her piece that ended up being featured in one of her mother’s art shows.

Though German technically lives and works out of Pittsburgh, she spends a great deal of time traveling across the county and throughout the world to places as far as Africa, Sweden and Germany.

Closer to home, those in Pittsburgh have had the opportunity to see German perform at many Pittsburgh Pridefests and Three Rivers Arts Festivals as well as well-known venues such as Heinz Hall, the Benedum and many local art galleries.

She describes her typical performance as a real connection with the audience.

“They are usually a full evening of performance poetry, not just reading,” German says. “I make a connection with the audience and take them on a story-rich journey.”

Some of these journeys include stories of her childhood, as she says this has played a large role in what she does today. Others include stories about the women she’s dated, which she said “tells the truth about things most people won’t say.”

Currently, German is preparing a series called “Smut,” which she says is a combination of love poems she wrote about women she’s dated over the years and experiences of gay people she’s known. The inspiration comes largely from the 2006 movie Small Town Gay Bar.

To see German in action, she will be performing Feb. 13 at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church and Feb. 20 at Borders Books, also in East Liberty. In terms of artwork, she is planning for a solo exhibition displaying her sculptural works at the 709 Gallery downtown.

Later this year, German will be part of the International First Voice Festival May 20-23 at the August Wilson Center downtown Pittsburgh, where she will be featured in several evening-length poetry performances.