From the Executive Director:

Back in 2018 (thereabouts) a medical discovery was made about a new organ, the interstitium.  In layman's terms, the interstitium is a fluid-filled “highway,” a space between all our tissues that interconnects every part of our body. The discovery has opened completely new ways of thinking, for instance, about how our organs are protected during the impact of daily activities, or how breast cancer can suddenly metastasize to an extremity like the knee. 

To make a slight correction to the information above, the interstitium was discovered in 2018 in Western medicine.  Traditional Chinese Medicine has been harnessing the knowledge and effects of the interstitium since 1027 (thereabouts).  Western medicine arrived 1,000 years late to the interstitium party because of how Western science looks at slides under the microscope. With a practice of looking at a part in detail, the interstitium, being a fluid filled canal, collapses on a microscopic slide, rendering it essentially invisible.  With the use of a scope, in real time in the body, looking at the interstitium is seen easily, once you know to look for it. 

Where do we draw the lines between what is art, and what is a medical image, what is an icon, or propaganda, or marketing? Why do we create these categories?  In what ways can a particular genre of imagery, methodology of inquiry, or context of presentation help us see differently or recognize something previously unknown to us?  Drawing from both ancient and modern approaches to caring for the body, this collection of 11 artists helps us explore, cope, discover, and heal, in new ways that can impact our holistic wellbeing. Using paint, clay, glitter, ink, thread,lace, photos, AI, and even brains, they illuminate stories of the body, the many things it can do, the joys and sorrows of its limitations, and how we learn to care for it with love.

One striking theme that emerged especially in the work of Dylan Mortimer, is the way our bodies and our health, something so incredibly individual, seemingly private, and perhaps unknowable to anyone else, is so inextricable in relationship and community. These art works rewrite a script that our health experience in the world is a lonely one, helping us to see how we deeply depend on one another to be healthy. In the case of Mortimer who explores living with chronic illness and the gift of receiving not one, but two double lung transplants, his overwhelming, glittering images of his health care experience recount how we need each other first to survive, and then to find the sparkling hope to thrive, together. 

Like the interstitium connecting every part of our body, we know that art can be a thread, a highway, a network that can keep us connecting through the challenges and joys of living as embodied creatures. We look forward to continuing our connection with you! 

In relationship,

Sarah Bernahardt 

Executive Director

In the Gallery:

Interstitum opens to the public for regular viewing Tuesday, now through March 22, 2026. Our gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11am-5pm.

(The gallery will be closed November 1-8, 2025 for staff development, November 26-29, 2025 for Thanksgiving, and December 20, 2025 - January 10, 2026 for Christmas and New Years.)

Insider tip!  The exhibition includes a massage chair, please stop by for your fill of amazing art and a free massage! 

Interstitium is curated by Sarah Bernhardt and features work by:

• Wayne Adams

• Susan Aldworth

• Madeline Brenner

• Marcella Hackbrandt

• Grant Harris

• Leslie Holt

• Megan Kenyon

• Dylan Mortimer

• Emily Taylor Rice

• Sara Simonson

SAVE THE DATE! We will have a second Dovetail event for Interstitium, a Concert + Conversation event on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 from 6-8pm

Interstitum Dovetail Recap:

On Tuesday, September 30th we enjoyed the Dovetail for Interstitium! Participants viewed the work in the show, enjoyed hand massages, checkout specimens in the microscope, created doodles, relaxed in the massage chair, listened to their breath, and got adventurous with culinary creations by chef William Pauley of Confluence Kombucha! Many thanks to everyone who joined in!

Summer Recap: We Are What

Our summer show, We Are What, came to a close on August 15th,and it was marked by two special events! 

In July, we hosted our Dovetail and participants enjoyed a creative menu titled Skewered  by Alex Braden of Nothing Sacred Kitchens. He crafted a fresh take on the classic church potluck, reinventing popular midwestern like potato salad into kebab form, and of course, finding ways to work in jello!

Attendees engaged with the art and the theme of the show through a looking exercise, designed to observe various artworks and discover some ingredients to create a “recipe for the good life”. We also shared personal recipes in a recipe exchange and created their own recipe boxes. Kids who came explored an playful  grocery market, kitchen, and cafe on our stage, created by Intersect studio artist Neeka Allsup out of recycled and reused items!

On August 10th, we hosted an Empty Bowls + Curator Lunch event. Empty Bowls is a nation wide effort where Ceramic artists donate hand-made bowls, and participants purchase a bowl and simple lunch as a fundraiser for a local hunger-fighting organization.  Sarah Bernhardt  presented a curatorial tour of the work along with presentations from local artists Sam Slone and Taylor Yocom and we enjoyed a meal from the vine raising $670 proceeds benefiting the St. Louis Food Bank which will provide 2,639 meals for folks who struggle with food insecurity.  Thank you for everyone who came to see the show and support these events!

In the Artrooms:

From our Education Director, Aida Hasanovic:

This fall has been one of our most exciting seasons yet. We’re thrilled to share that 60 students are enrolled in our afterschool program! With more student artists filling our classrooms, we’ve been exploring new ways to build community, creativity, and structure together.

This year also marks the launch of our Early Education program, designed to nurture emotional intelligence through art and play for kindergarten and first grade. Our youngest students are learning to recognize and name their feelings, practice empathy, and express themselves in creative ways. Over the summer, we revamped our music room to better support this group, and it’s quickly become a joyful space for singing, storytelling, and imagination.

Across all age groups, we’ve also been integrating literacy efforts into our artmaking. Students are reading books and creating projects inspired by the stories they read, helping them connect words, ideas, and self-expression in powerful ways.

It’s been a vibrant season of growth and curiosity. We can’t wait to see what our students dream up next!

In the Studios:

We’re highlighting our community studio spaces for this newsletter:

Woodshop- Our woodshop space provides tools and space to create both for our studio artists and for those who have a membership. We also offer community open studio days for the woodshop; every first and third Saturday of the month, the woodshop is open from 11am-3pm for you to drop in (free of charge) and use the machines in the studio. Our woodshop manage Destiney is on site during that time to answer questions and help train on any machines you may need assistance with.

The remaining dates for open wood shop for the fall are: Nov 1, Nov 15, Dec 6

Ceramics Studio - Our managers Emily and Jill, as well as several members of the ceramics studio, did an amazing job organizing bowl making and glazing days to help us with bowls for the Empty Bowls event! Many thanks to them for all of their incredible work! Emily and Jill have also been hard at work organizing the studio, getting new members in, and creating a flourishing studio community that serves our studio artists, ceramics members, kids in the afterschool classes, and those who come to take monthly workshops here.

We have an exciting series of classes happening this fall!  On the first Saturday of each month (except December), we offer child + adult classes where kids ages 5 and up can come with an adult to explore a hand-building project! In November, particpants will get to create ceramic bobble heads! Tickets are $40, which includes tuition for both adult and child as well as supplies for the class. Check out our website to learn more and get signed up!

We also offer monthly intro-to-wheel-throwing classes on the third Saturday of the month (except December). These classes are a great way to learn a new skill and get oriented to the ceramics studio if you are interested in becoming a member! You can learn more here.

We also offer four week courses on handbuilding techniques on Thursday evenings.  This fall, explore with a fall-themed, open-ended handbuilding experience with instructor Ani Kramer. You can learn more about these classes and register here.

In Collaboration with Holy Cross:

Feast service this Sunday, October 26th! 

The next feast service is Sunday, October 26th, observing Reformation Day.

Service is at 10:30am, with lunch to follow over at Intersect in the gallery. Feel free to invite a friend to come and enjoy the feast!

You can learn more about this art-enriched service at holycrossstl.org/feast

Feast Service Dates for 2025/2026:

October 26th • February 18th • April 2nd

• April 3rd • April 5th • May 31st

The Bridge House Gallery has a new name! Introducing Mezzo Gallery!

Mezzo Gallery, a literal third space between Holy Cross and Intersect, provides a cozy venue for meeting and for exploring art and faith. You can learn more about the gallery on the Holy Cross website, or follow us on Instagram for show updates and events!

Mezzo’s current show, Robert Hodgell: Linocut Artist of Bible Stories features 20 prints exploring common Old and New Testament stories, but in unexpected ways. Robert Hodgell (1922-2000) worked on a variety of subjects, but he is best known for his religious work, using lino-block and woodcut prints to bring the beauty, the tragedy, the mystery of Scripture to life. He wanted to illuminate “truths and insights from both the Old and New Testaments that had long been dulled and obscured by well intended but nonetheless trite teachings and insipid preaching.” The works in this gallery certainly push against a saccharine approach to Scripture. Hodgell’s vision is sometimes dark, sometimes humorous, occasionally gritty, but always infused with a love for the story that leaps across ink and paper, beckoning us into new contemplations of familiar stories.

The show is on view from now through November 23, 2025 by appointment only. You can make an appointment to see the show by emailing Megan at hclcstl@gmail.com