"One thing art, again and again, has done, is to create a structure where the things that are beneath the surface in ordinary life are revealed. And, I think, one of the things we all crave is for what is real to be revealed. But, it's often frightening," declares poet Frank Bidart.

In the Art Close Up feature, Frank Bidart, The Maker, filmmaker Jay Anania crafts an intimate portrait of Bidart's life and work, including readings and discussion of poems "Song," "Homo Faber," "Lament for the Makers," "'Light' from the poem 'Elegy,'" "Ellen West," "The Yoke," and "To My Father."

During the 28-minute documentary, Anania visits Bidart in his Cambridge home, a cultural paradise filled wall to wall with music, film, and literature. He also follows Bidart to his classroom at Wellesley College, and procures a brief homage from former student and poet Dan Chiasson.

The Maker illuminates how Bidart transforms the essential elements of ordinary objects and experiences into poetry. Bidart states that there is a "profound human desire to make something, to transform spirit into matter, objects."

Directed by Jay Anania (2004). Not Rated.