TASK,” a self-generating, improvisational art-creation event developed by experimental artist Oliver Herring, is on display through Dec. 5 at Gallery 210 at UMSL.

More than 180 people took part recently in an event of self-expression, building bridges and defying expectations of art making. The results will be on display until Dec. 5 at Gallery 210 on the North Campus of the University of Missouri−St. Louis.

The event was “TASK,” a self-generating, improvisational art-creation event developed by experimental artist Oliver Herring.

“I’m not trying to cater to these people,” Herring said in a  UMSL Daily video. “I’m trying to give them a fantastic playground to be themselves or be who they want to be.”

Herring developed the “TASK” events to take place in a designated area with a variety of props and materials and rely on the participation of people who agree to follow two simple rules: to first write down a task on a piece of paper and add it to a designated “TASK pool,” and secondly, to pull a task from that pool and interpret it any which way he or she wants, using whatever materials and space is available.

Gallery 210 is on the North Campus of the University of Missouri−St. Louis between the MetroLink Station and the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. All Gallery 210 events are free and open to the public. Public parking for Gallery 210 is available at the South Millennium Parking Garage on the east side of Grobman Drive. Handicapped parking is available behind Gallery 210.