Roland Poska’s art and philosophy

By Edith McCauley
Theater Critic

Monday, Jan. 18, Roland Poska displayed his lithographic prints at the Sullivan Theatre on North Main Street and invited his audience to join him in dedicating their energy to ending prejudice and violence.

He began by asking for a Declaration on Intent to be signed by everyone and to eventually have the entire community involved in the effort. Mayor Larry Morrissey and his father were the first to do so.

Poska’s talk involved nearly every aspect of human interaction—politics and the defeat of the “master races,” religious beliefs, educational philosophy, the definition of negative and positive emotions, and the quest of perfection.

Acknowledging several people in the audience, he briefly described their contributions to create a better world. My knowledge of Poska began when I taught school at old Montague School and later at Martin Luther King. His studio on Lincoln Avenue is in the neighborhood, and his artistic talent in creating handmade papers and complex prints is widely known.

From his interaction with the audience, he seems determined to make radical changes in society and the world. He invited everyone to a gathering on July 4, 2010, to “Do the Impossible” and to meet at noon on North Main Street to finish the Declaration.