The Kent Bellows Foundation has generously acknowledged the capacity of conversation as an art form. Moreover, the Foundation recognized that among the numerous remarkable opportunities it affords its art students, conversation was an element that could expand their artistic and, indeed, human potential. Having now produced 5 Squishtalks experiences with students there, I remain delighted at the ability shown by the students to develop their potential, in a broad sense of that word, through the medium of discussion.
The last event included a robust assertion of the subjectivity inherent in beauty, which principled statement then had to evolve and adapt as this student salon conversation moved into areas where subjectivity seemed less appropriate, such as in moral judgements about how people appeared or manifested their personal aesthetic. This and other topics demonstrated the maturity of engagement that is not always enjoyed or explored by many of us. The students at Kent Bellows Foundation have embarked on what I hope is a lifelong pursuit of animated, rewarding conversation.