Markus Gottschlich
Dear WADA Friends,
Whether under the sharp lights of the stage or the relentless Florida sun, one truth remains: to be seen—to be heard—you must do more than whisper.
At the Warehouse Arts District Association, we don’t trade in silence.
This summer, as workshops deepen and our campus hums with ‘making’, we’re reminded: art is never neutral. It’s declaration. Sometimes protest. Sometimes prayer. But always a response to the world that surrounds us.
This month, that idea takes shape in Silent Conversations in the Street, a new photography exhibit by Dave Decker. These aren’t just images. They’re fragments of testimony—capturing the unsaid, the overlooked, the real. Art, in its quietest form, still speaks back.
In a time when so much is digitized or disembodied, the work we do—through sculpture, storytelling, music—serves as both anchor and compass. We need grounding. And we need direction.
And when politics demand not just opinion but participation, artists—and citizens- play a heightened role. Democracy doesn’t run on ‘autopilot’. It relies on those who show up, think critically, speak clearly, and keep listening actively.
Looking ahead, next month, we invite all ArtsXchange campus artists to exhibit in our annual Where Art is Made show. This is not just a showcase—it’s an affirmation of relevance, of resilience and a way to say: We are still here. We are still creating. And what we create still matters.
And as Gustav Mahler once said:
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
This ‘fire’ moving forward is very much the ethos of the ArtsXchange.
With appreciation
Markus Gottschlich
Executive Director
