Peter Paone has described his work as the reverse of illustration. Rather than creating images to accompany an existing story, he creates images that feel as though a story is already there, waiting to be imagined, uncovered, and written.
Throughout Before Words: The Art of Peter Paone, we invite you to become part of that process. Seven works from the exhibition have been selected as creative prompts, with one featured each month from October through April. Look closely at the characters, setting, expressions, details, and strange possibilities within each scene. Then decide where the image takes you.
Caption This
Give the artwork a short clever, funny, mysterious, or unexpected caption for a chance to be featured on the Biggs Museum’s social media.
Tell the Story
Take the idea further with a short story, poem, dialogue, monologue, or scene inspired by the artwork for a chance to be featured on the Biggs Museum blog.
How To Participate
View all seven featured works and submit your response. You may choose Caption This, Tell the Story, or both, and respond to as many or as few of the artworks as you like.
There is no single “correct” interpretation. Let the artwork spark an idea, follow where it leads, and tell us the story you see. Look closely. Imagine freely. Write what comes next.