潘元石（1936-）在臺南藝文界不僅是藝術家，也曾是美術老師、臺南美術研究會理事長、奇美博物館館長。在這多元身分下，潘元石始終保持著深根臺南在地藝術教育的熱忱。

在臺南米街（今新美街）生長的潘元石，受到當時版印年畫的吸引，對於版畫創作情有獨鍾。1955年自臺南師範學校藝術師範科畢業後，受校長引薦進入臺南盲啞學校（1968年分設為「啟明學校」及「啟聰學校」）任教，自此開始實踐他的藝術教育。從事啟聰學校教職期間，潘元石推動版畫藝術，藉此啟迪身障學生的藝術涵養，並於1960年代起發表多篇版畫教育、特教生美術教育的專論，獲得教育部學術著作獎。

此外，自小與藏書票收藏家賴建銘為鄰，1986年退休後，潘元石透過賴建銘以及臺南市政府的引薦，結識日本著名文藝家西川滿（1908-1999），兩人因版畫與藏書票結為好友，藏書票也成為潘元石的另一項藝術事業。他的藏書票創作屢次獲得世界各國的獎項肯定，並在1990年代積極推廣藏書票文化給臺灣民眾認識，頻繁地舉辦藏書票相關展覽、撰寫論述、成立「臺灣藏書票協會」。2000年後，他在臺灣與丹麥之間來往奔波，以促進臺灣加入「國際藏書票聯盟」，使臺灣的創作進入了世界的舞台。

離開服務25年的啟聰學校後，潘元石受聘為信誼基金會學前教育資料館臺南館館長、臺南市文化基金會執行長、奇美基金會執行長與奇美博物館館長等職位，持續在臺南這塊土地上進行藝術教育推廣，並培養藝術行政人才，奠定臺南市文化基金會與奇美博物館良好的營運基礎。同時他也趁著工作之餘，蒐羅不被重視或即將拆除的古蹟文物，甚而提報政府單位注重，對於臺南歷史文物的保存貢獻了一份心力。

藝術創作、版畫設計，常與藝術家的手感緊密相連，而潘元石在教導聽障、智能不足的孩童時，更鼓勵其身處自然當中，接觸顏料、畫材，利用手指尖的敏感神經，以刺激腦部發育，加強孩子的空間與觸感體驗。因此，本次展覽將以「手心的對話」為題，除試圖傳遞潘元石教導孩童以雙手創造藝術來豐富生活、建立信心、與他人交流外，同時也體現出他的另一藝術教育事業──可置於手掌心的藏書票，以版畫建立古今對話的性質。本展將藉由潘元石悉心創作與收藏之版畫、藏書票，與相關教學文獻、工具，傳達其一生立志貢獻特殊兒童教育、版畫藝術與臺南文化的用心。

Pan, Yuan-Shih (born in 1936) is not merely an artist at Tainan art and culture circle, but once art teacher, chairman of Tainan Fine Art Research Association, and director of Chimei Museum. Under such diverse titles, Pan always passionately commits to dedication of Tainan art education.

Grew up at the Rice Street of Tainan (Now Xinmei Street), Pan was deeply attracted by printed New Year pictures and thus develops fonds of print making. After graduated from Art Department of Tainan Normal College (Now National University of Tainan) in 1955, Pan was recommended by principal to Tainan School of Mute and Blindness (In 1968 the school was divided to School of the Visually Impaired and School for the Hearing-impaired Students). Since then, he has realized the art education. While teaching at School for the Hearing-Impaired Student, Pan promoted prints art to awaken disabled students’ art cultivation. From 1960s on, he presents many essays on print art education and fine art education for special education students and won academic publications award by Ministry of Education.

In addition, Pan has been neighbor next to book plates collector Lai, Chien-Ming. After retired in 1986, Pan made acquaintance with well-renowned Japanese folk literature and art specialist Mitsuru Nishikawa (1908 – 1999) through referral from Lai, Chien-Ming and Tainan City Government. They befriended with each other because of mutual fondness of prints and book plates. Book plates also emerges as another art career for Pan. His book plates have been recognized with awards from many countries in the world. In 1990s he actively promoted book plate culture to Taiwan audience. He frequently organized book plate-related exhibitions, wrote special essays, and founded Taiwan Book Plate Association. After 2000, he traveled between Taiwan and Demark to facilitate Taiwan join International Federation of Ex - libris Societies (FISAE), which makes book plate creation at Taiwan come to international stage.

After leaving School for the Hearing-Impaired Students where he served for 25 years, Pan was appointed as Tainan branch Director of Hsin Yi Foundation Preschool Education Library, CEO to Tainan Culture Foundation and Chimei Foundation respectively, and Director of Chimei Museum. He continues to promote art education at Tainan, and cultivate art administrative human resources to offer a solid operational base for Tainan Art Foundation and Chimei Museum. In the meanwhile, he used leisure time to collect antiquities and artifacts that were discarded or about to be torn down and reported to the government for their attention. Therefore, he contributed to the preservation of historical artifacts at Tainan.

Art creation and print design are often closely associated with artists’ handling. When Pan taught kids with hearing impaired or mental retardation, he encouraged them to be in the Nature and to contact with pigment and painting equipment. By using the sharp and sensitive nerve of finger tips during art creating, it could further stimulate development of brain and enhance children’s spatial and tactile experiences. Consequently, this special exhibition chooses “Dialogues in Palms” as title to deliver the fact that Pan taught children to create art with hands to enrich life, to boot confidence, and to communicate with others, as well as to present another focus in his art education career – book plates that can be placed in palm, with the nature of prints to initiate conversations between old times and new age. Through prints and book plates that were carefully created by Pan and related teaching documentations and tools, this exhibition presents his devotion to special education students, print art, and culture development at Tainan.

藝術家：潘元石（1936-）

Artist: Pan, Yuan-Shih (born in 1936) 

策展團隊：郭懿萱、蕭楷競、陳琪涵

Curators: Yi-Hsuan Kuo, Kai-Ching Hsiao, Chi-Han Chen

I. 接觸鄉土之手

潘元石個人的創作深受版畫影響，從幼時在米街觀看版印年畫，一直到臺南師範學校的薰陶，包含日後受到藏書票的啟發，一生大多以刻版印製作為主要的藝術表現。在主題上亦緊扣合自己生長的土地，不論是日常生活記憶的場景，又或是府城特有的古蹟文物，都在他手上刻印成線條和圖形，搭配著豐富的色彩呈現。其作品中不僅富具趣味，也呈現了創作者對於生活與環境的念想。

I. Hand to Touch the Homeland

The art creation of Pan, Yuan-Shih has been deeply influenced by prints. From watching printed New Year pictures at Rice Street (Now Xinmei Street) in childhood, to academic cultivation at Tainan Normal College (Now National University of Tainan), including inspiration from book plates later, print making has remained the major artistic presentation in Pan’s life. The subject matters of his prints are also closely associated with the land he grew up. Whether scenes in daily life memories or historical sites and artifacts that are exclusively of Tainan Castle Town (Tainan City), those images are transformed into outlines and graphics with rich palette presentation. His artworks not only are amusing, but also depict this creator’s nostalgia toward life and surroundings in this homeland. 

II. 奉獻教育之手

「我一生最值得珍惜、有價值的年華，就為特殊教育而工作，能為失聰的孩子付出全部的愛心和耐心，覺得意義非凡。如果來生有機緣，我還是會選擇特殊教育，相信會比現在做得更好更有效能。……」

潘元石在本地教育界奉獻超過半個世紀，榮獲無數教育與藝文獎章，不論是啟聰生或是學前幼兒，都可見他耐心沉穩的教學身影。因自身對拓版與藏書票的喜愛，潘元石大多以版畫作為教育的媒介，不只是教導美感，也是透過藝術教育從中幫助學生們塑造信心，鼓勵勇於創作、發揮個人特長。

II. Hand to Devote to Education

“The most cherishing and valuable years in my life, are those when I worked for special education. Giving all my love and patience to the hearing-impaired children means the world to me. If I had chance in next life, I would have still chosen to devote to special education. I believe I would have done better and more efficient.”

Pan, Yuan-Shih has contributed at local education over half century and receives countless educational and art and cultural medals. Regardless hearing-impaired students or preschool children, one could always see his patient and calm presence as teacher around those students. Because of his fondness of monotype and book plates, Pan often adopts prints as a medium of teaching. In addition to teaching aesthetics, he uses art education to helps students regaining confidence by encouraging them creating artworks and deploying their talents.

III. 傳承彩繪之手

潘元石生於臺南長於臺南，看盡斯土一甲子的變化，對於這塊土地的藝文風采身歷其中。各類民俗、宗教、古蹟等藝文圖象，他都熱心關注，不論身在哪個職位上，皆致力於保存舊時文物，並推動相關的維護、展覽與研究，個人也盡其所能的收藏即將消逝的古物與圖像。本次展覽展出他個人收藏的代表作品，從中窺見臺南在地的藝文發展。

III. Hand to Inherit Color-Paints

Born and grew up at Tainan, Pan, Yuan-Shih witnesses the development and evolution of hometown for six decades and deeply involves with art and culture on this land. He is deeply concerned with artistic and cultural images in categories including folk, religion, and historical sites. No matter which positions he works, Pan always makes best effort to preserve antiquities and artifacts of old times and further promotes related preservation, exhibitions, and research. He also solely contributes to collecting antiquities and images that are about to disappear. In this exhibition, some signatural pieces from Pan’s personal collection are shown to provide viewers better understanding of art and cultural development at Tainan.