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"The purpose of art is not a
rarified, intellectual distillate-
it is life, intesified, brilliant life".
-Alain Arias Misson
Charles Dickens visited Belleville Illinois in the 1842 describing it "as "knee deep in mud and slime". (see
contributor's page).No doubt we were not as paved as London, New York or St. Louis for that matter but our citizens still
had great interest in the best selling author and lecturer. Sam Clemens Aka Mark Twain grew up in Hannibal just up and across
the river. Our German heritage was peopled by the intellectual class searching for a new life in Milstadt, Germantown, Darmstadt
and other towns first populated by the French.Belleville's "Latin Farmers" had the nation's second Community Philharmonic
Symphony and led the way in the "Kindergarten" movement to educate children at an earlier age.
We do not live in cultural isolation here in the Midwest but we as a group can be very opinionated as to our cultural likes
and dislikes.Across the Mississippi River in St. Louis we have one of the country's leading art museums.Surrounding counties
have community arts programs, councils and museums,yet we in St. Clair County are restricted in scope to a nicely done outdoor
arts and crafts fair with another on the way. In addition, we have a "Thomas Kinkaid. Painter of Light" trademark
dealership and some very capable wildlife artists.
A survey of the St.Louis Art Museums mailing list shows that participation in programs and special exhibits by those with
St. Clair County addresses are so minimal as to be amost non existant.The Illinois Arts Council's last grant award was to
hold a German style Dinner at $25 per person at a local restaurant.Art comes in all guises, even spaetzle.The latest announcement
of Illinois Arts Council Grants shows no participation from our citizens and educators.
So why would a small group of people decide to embark on a quest to establish an alternative to the mall postershops and factory
produced "folk arts"? A local banker told us that "this new modern art is just not our cup of tea". This
same banker said that "East Enders" will not come to the "West End " and "West Enders" do not
want "East Enders" out here anyway."Such divisiveness!
We believe that there is room for all and that at the core there are art lovers who appreciate diversity. A commercial gallery
selling the works of Diebenkorn, Dine or Rauchenburg would not survive. This is why we are starting a modest, seminal effort
(with somewhat idealistic and yes,altruistic notions)to start a "floating art exhibit" in high traffic areas around
the county.We have nothing against "pretty pictures" of gardens and blue paintings of whales but feel that there
is more to expand our horizons and provoke thought.
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