by Lea Thompson via laprensasa.com

Artist Lesley Dill combines the emotional impact of literature with physical art and theatre in “Performance as Art,” which runs at the McNay from June 10 to Sept. 6, 2015. (Photo by Lea Thompson)

Artist Lesley Dill proves that powerful words can spark creativity for any medium in the exhibit “Performance as Art,” which opens at the McNay Museum on Wednesday.

The McNay’s first solo exhibit by a woman ever, the show spans over 20 years of Dill’s performances and art pieces, including a recording of her 2008 opera “Divide Light,” which was based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

“Reading is what woke me up to who I would be in this life,” the New York- based artist said.

Dill walked through the exhibit with an audience on Tuesday, often referencing Dickinson’s work in to her own work with performance garments, photos and sculptures.

“To be alive is power,” Dill recited as presented the incredible dresses used in the opera, which physically move with the actors and unroll with different lines throughout the performance.

“It was as if lines of her poetry had this electrical light and just jumped into my eyes. Falling in love with her words has given me the strength and vitality to make this work.” Dill said of her discovery of Dickinson’s work as an English major in college.

The costumes are displayed in sequential order and can be seen as a representation of the human experience, which is shaped by the internal and external cultural expectations. Visitors can walk through the collections and enjoy recordings of her past performances and collaborations with choral groups, composers and musicians.

”She may have stayed in her room, but her language went everywhere. That’s what we as artists hope to do. We stay in one place before the work is activated in the world,” Dill said.

“Performance as Art” runs at the McNay Museum from June 10 to Sept, 6, 2015. Visitors can also catch an original presentation of “Drunk with the Starry Void,” Dill’s collaboration with vocalist and composer Pamela Ordonez, at the McNay’s Leeper Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 9.