PRELIMINARY DIALOGUES:
St. Louis area artists dialogue about St. Louis

The following pages present some of the initial art dialogue developed for the Fall 1999 "Panel Discussions" project at Left Bank Books in St. Louis. From August 22 until the opening of the exhibit October 29, St. Louis artists, therapists, and community members dialogued in small groups, individually, and in pairs on themes of interest that relate in some way to St. Louis. some of this work was posted on this website to provide stimulus for those working in solitude. Many of these panels ultimately were installed in the formal exhibit at Left Bank Books.

The concept is that visual imagery can stimulate greater awareness and understanding of the self and other in dialogue. Images "speak" in a multi-dimensional way: our bodies and perceptions become more fully alert and engaged, a "whole-brain" activation occurs so that we remember in both body and mind. We are literally "visible" in a very rich and emotionally charged way. Words can be attached to the images, but the images encompass much more than words. Art is a way of "knowing" ourselves and others. Art also gives us the opportunity to make variation after variation on the themes that we grapple with, each time coming closer to what we believe, know, think, desire, etc. The creative act allows for chaos, a necessary part of dialogue. Chaos allows us to relinquish our cherished beliefs while we consider alternative or additional information. While making art, we "suspend" our old structures long enough to create something new. Perhaps this new image isn't exactly "it", but represents a viable option that we can change, embrace or eliminate.At the moment of bringing a new image into view, we may suddenly realize that a new thought has come as well. Making art is a vulnerable process. Being vulnerable in a social art dialogue also brings greater opportunities for empathic understanding among people, even if they don't agree with each others' ideas. These are some of the ideas that underly the development of a "visual dialogue" process, and this exhibit.

To view the preliminary image pages, click on More Preliminary Panels below. To view the formal Left Bank Books exhibit, click on Left Bank Exhibit below.

                                                    Pastel on cardboard                                                  Shannon Earnest
    "Embrace - and embrace the city- its buildings, its dilapidation, its diversity, its problems, its successes."
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          Visual Dialogues Project         More Preliminary Panels      LEFT BANK EXHIBIT
           Visual Dialogues Project webpages are sponsored by The Art Therapy Center