Manchester Artists Showcase Their Work in Dual Exhibition

Daniel File remembers the day he published his first photograph. When he was 10, File's grandfather took him to a train wreckage in Decatur, IL, the town where Daniel was born. With the new Brownie Camera his grandfather had given him, File took a photo of the accident. Days later, the photo was published in the local newspaper.

"That inspired me," said File, a Manchester resident. "I thought, 'Maybe I have a talent for this.' Ever since, I've always had a camera nearby."

File, now a photographer, and two other Manchester residents were chosen along with other St. Louis artists to showcase their work in Drift, a joint exhibit from both the St. Louis Artists' Guild in Clayton and at Art St. Louis downtown.  

The juried show's aim was to bring together area artists within a 200-mile radius of St. Louis to one exhibit, said Robin Hirsch, gallery director at Art St. Louis. The show explores the concept of drift which, Hirsch said, is as broad as it sounds.

"We expected the artists to come up with everything in the spectrum," Hirsch said. "There is a lot of memory, there are some transit pieces, some travel, all of those concepts come into play with what people are making and how they respond to the theme of drift. "

Hirsch said she approached the St. Louis Artists' Guild with the idea of creating a joint exhibit that would bring St. Louis-area artists closer together.

"In St. Louis, we have this thing where people just kind of disperse, and they stay in their own neighborhoods," Hirsch said. "As an organization working with a 200-mile radius, we want to bring people together and make a community out of our artists."

Manchester resident Helen Hume, a retired art instructor for the , was also chosen for the exhibit. Hume, who has authored eight textbooks on teaching art, said the exhibit shows that the St. Louis artist community is alive and well.

"It's not New York and it is not California, but we shouldn't discount what's happening in St. Louis," Hume said. "It's avant-garde in many, many ways. There are many artists, young and experienced, who are aware of what's happening in the art world and breaking barriers themselves."

The exhibit contains everything from paintings, photographs, sculptures and mounted pieces. Some pieces have a direct relation to the theme, while others remain in the abstract realm.

"We never tell our artists to give us any one thing," Hirsch said. "We tell them 'Here is the theme, and this is what we are kind of talking about.' And then we get all these different wonderful responses."

Making a living out of art

For File, a retired theater professor from Washington University, the exhibit was a great way to get his photography exposed among other artists. File said a few years ago he got burned out from his job as a professor and decided to pursue his passion with the visual arts.

"It was a big decision to basically cut half our income," File said. "But it was the right thing to do. That has just made all the difference in the world. It doesn't improve our financial situation a whole lot, but it has made me a happier individual."

Local resident Dion Dion, whose paintings were also chosen for the exhibit, said she understands how hard it can be for artists to dedicate all of their time to the arts.

"A source of income for artists can be very elusive," said Dion, who is the former director for Art St. Louis. "The more they exhibit their work, however, the more they can build an audience for themselves. It's a tough road, but Art St. Louis and the St. Louis Artists' Guild serve a very important role. A lot of artists are initially afraid of showing their work, but if they get showcased, they get encouraged."

Hume said it can be hard for artists to support themselves with art alone. However, she said even if they have to get another job to support themselves, they should continue to do art.

"They have this thing that's in them that wants to express itself in a different way," Hume said. "Over the years, I've known many, many fine artists who work as a doctor or as an attorney or as teachers. You have to have something besides what you do to earn a living."

Dion, an adjunct professor at Town and Country's , teaches her students a class on how to become a professional artist and make a living out of it. She tells her students to never give up art.

"Just keep creating as much as you can, as long as you can afford to," Dion said. "Keep trying to show your work and build your reputation, build your audience and hopefully, when the economy turns around, you will have some people ready waiting for you."

The Arts in Manchester

All three residents said the artist community in Manchester is a growing one, but could use some help. File said there are not many places in the municipality to showcase art.

"I would love to see Manchester have a little more push to establish more galleries or something of that sort," File said.

File said promoting the arts would make Manchester a better place to live.

"I see it in fact as something people really need," File said. "It is not only necessary for the artists in terms of expressing him or herself, but it is also about enlarging the thought process and catching sight of new ways to look at every day things. It provides intellectual and emotional impetus. It reminds us we are all part of a community."

Hirsch said she hopes Art St. Louis and the St. Louis Artists' Guild can become a home for those artists who don't have a place where to showcase their work or never dared to.

"There are a lot of people who make art and keep it at home, and no one ever sees it," Hirsch said. "This exhibit is about those who decided to showcase their work. It may be your attorney, it could be your kid's art teacher, it could be your next door neighbor, your realtor or the guy who just painted your house. If you think of every career and every walk of life, that's who these people are."

File said whether the artists decide to showcase their work or not, they should always pursue their passion.

"Do what gives you satisfaction," File said. "If we all take time to look at ourselves in quiet moments of reflection, we all know what kind of person we are and what we'd like to do and what would give us satisfaction. We all have a sense of how best we communicate. Maybe initially you can't follow that on a money-making basis, maybe you have to be a waiter, or you have to work in some kind of business, but you have to allow yourself to pursuit your passion. If you follow that, that's what actually will make you happy."  

Drift runs through Aug. 19 at both the St. Louis Artists Guild and Art St. Louis. The exhibit is free to the public.