Art Opening / Minds Opening

It should not be hard for you to stop sometimes and look into the stains of walls, or ashes of a fire, or clouds, or mud or like places, in which... you may find really marvelous ideas.

Leonardo da Vinci, Italian polymath (1452-1519)

New and different experiences exhilarate just by being new and different from the well treaded path of life. Attending the opening of the art exhibition Perceptions of Promise: Biotechnology, Society & Art widened my vision and provoked my mind to think about things that I wouldn't have otherwise considered as a group of nine artists used imagery in a variety of media to pose visual questions about the issues and potential of stem cell research.

All of the art caused my brain to think along different lines and the perspectives of the scientists and artists presented during the opening's panel discussion were fascinating. Walking within the tent-like, chapel-like structure created by artists Liz Ingram and Bernd Hildebrandt, being enveloped by juxtaposed images of rushing waters, human bodies, stem cells and poetry, and looking down into its mirrored path, one feels a part of creation. The sensation of being a part of the art and part of the question of creation was comforting and a bit disorienting; as in this image, which is actually upside down. Experiences like this open eyes to different perspectives and minds to new and marvelous ideas. Bravo to all!