The fundamental purpose of an exhibition is to educate, and this is true whether the materials selected are of historic, scientific or aesthetic value. In reviewing the slides of the work submitted for the 1999 Electronic Gallery Membership Exhibit, I asked what purpose does this project serve and who benefits from it? The purpose of the exhibition, I believe, is to give artist educators the opportunity to present the results of their studio research and thereby extend their teaching beyond the confines of the classroom. The exhibition serves the institution visitor who has the opportunity to see the artwork first hand. It also serves the presenting institution's students and participants' colleagues. Finally it serves the artists themselves who can present their work (research) in a public forum and engage in dialogue between themselves.

As a communication format, the exhibition is capable of doing three things: It may confirm a point of view, it may change a point of view and/or it may open the mind to new areas of interest. This exhibition should confirm to the public the commitment of the artists/educators to their disciplines. As a tool in changing attitudes, the quality of the work in the exhibition puts to rest the old lie of "those who can't do, teach." It is in fact, "those who can, teach-for they must." The final category leads in many directions. The new areas for the gallery visitor may be an expanded appreciation for techniques, philosophies and content in the visual arts. It could lead to an investigation of the role art education serves in the development of a whole person. It could lead to those first steps in a lifetime of learning and involvement in the arts, perhaps not as an artist or teacher, but as a school board member, an enlightened business or civic leader, an informed voter and a parent who supports the arts in education.

The criteria for selecting objects for an exhibition should be how well the material articulates the thesis of the exhibition. It also reflects the juror's education, experience and those intangible influences that prejudice a person one way or another. I hope my efforts are well balanced and serve well those who will make use of this exhibition.

In closing, I wish to commend all the artists in the exhibition for their outstanding efforts. I also want to express my sincere thanks to the NAEA for their kind invitation to participate in this worthwhile program and especially to Ms. Lucí Maurício-McMichael for her heroic efforts in organizing this program.

Terry Suhre
Director
Gallery 210
University of Missouri-St. Louis