RESOLVE

AUGUST 3 - OCTOBER 5, 2018

We all want to find resolution to life’s challenges. I sought insights, perspectives, and artistic solutions to the dysfunctions and divisions which sadly and, ironically, unify every human being’s experience. Artists from St. Louis and around the country submitted work of remarkable depth and breadth, each with a unique interpretation of the theme Resolve. Packages rolled into the studio, the exhibition design ensued, and gradually the visual and conceptual connections started to thread together. Throughout this program you can read the artists’ own words narrating their content and intent. I’ve also offered a conceptual piece, a third-party interpretation of the art that can serve as a mediator. So often contemporary art can be elusive and confusing and we can feel foolish for not “getting it,” even for those of us professionally trained in art. The notes here are intended to reconcile you through that conflict, to experience the beautiful, challenging, and poetic ideas contained within each work of art here. Each color and material and choice the artist has made carries meaning, and my intention is to offer at least one perspective of how that meaning might be interpreted. Some works are more readily understandable than others, and others take patience, effort, and an investment of time and mental or emotional energy to gather the richness they have to offer. You may not agree with every perspective here, but we invite you into one of the fundamental aspects of conflict resolution: listening. Thank you for sharing these images with us, listening to the artists’ thoughts and perspectives, entering into conflict, and hopefully leaving with a more enriched and fuller understanding of resolution sought, aspired, and achieved.

Sarah Bernhardt | Exhibition Curator | Executive Director, Intersect Arts Center