PARK RAPIDS/BEMIDJI — Artist Dawn Rossbach didn't know there was a name for the way her mind works.
In 2019 she read a New York Times article about people who don't see images in their minds.
"I went, oh, that's a bunch of hogwash," she explained in a recent KAXE Morning Show conversation.
A year later, she came across another article. This one was about aphantasia, the inability to create mental images in your mind.
She began to realize the article might be describing her.
The possibility her mind worked differently than she assumed stayed with her.
During a family gathering, Rossbach decided to ask the people around her a question: Could they see pictures in their heads?
They all said yes.
After more digging, she began to think aphantasia might describe her.
But one question nagged at her.
How could she be an artist if she couldn't picture images in her mind?
Rossbach told Area Voices the idea served as the inspiration for her new exhibit "The Blind Mind", on display at the Watermark Art Center starting Nov. 13 until Jan. 30 in 2027.
In her new work, Rossbach set out to uncover how her mind guides her creative process. She began with ten tools, painting them without looking at the actual objects.
Afterward she photographed the actual tools to compare with her paintings. Finally, she drew directly on top of the same sized photographs of her paintings.
"The whole idea of that was to try and discover what the process was and where I was pulling the information from. Because if I can't reference it in my head, how was I remembering this stuff or where was I pulling that information from?"
For some of the tools, she found herself relying on how they worked, how they felt in her hands and whatever shapes she could remember.
"Sometimes I would just draw maybe a line or something. And then it was just basically seeing what would come out of it," Rossbach said.
The resulting artwork offers a glimpse into her process. Some pieces feature recognizable tools, like a hand drill or paintbrush, as well as layers of sketches, outlines and handwritten notes.
The paintings show both what Rossbach remembered about an object and how she worked to understand how she knew the details.
Rossbach was suprised her painting process brought back memories. As she had come to learn, a lot of people with aphantasia can also have SDAM or severely deficient autobiographical memory syndrome. It is often characterized by the inability to recollect past experiences.
Rossbach hopes the exhibit encourages recognition. She said, "There is a different way of thinking, and it just shows how vastly different we are and that we, especially in education, cannot slot those kids in one-size-fits-all."
She added, "I think it needs to go a little bit further than that. I'm hoping people that use those techniques or that are in visualization techniques like therapists and teachers really start to incorporate it."
She has produced a series of YouTube videos explaining her process of art and aphantasia as well.
There will be an artist reception and talk with Rossbach at the Watermark Art Center on Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Listen to the full conversation with Rossbach above.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
