Check out the next two challenges:

3. Have an animated conversation with a young transplant or multi-generational loyalist and you will understand the passion people here have for St. Louis. But, too often, the message falls back on empty boosterism. Whatever the cause, we must understand it, admit it and fix it. How do we deepen the pool of diverse people who love St. Louis and are personally invested in its progress?

Jeff Rainford, Office of the Mayor Francis Slay and Hank Webber,Washington University

Brain Drain: Matt Strom, Tara Pham, Logan Alexander, Noah MacMillan, Zoë Scharf, Amanda Yates, Andrew Warshauer, Kuan Butts, Danielle Wallis, Christine Stavridis, Bennett Gale

4. Located in the heartland, St. Louis has unique resources that could allow it to become a leader in urban agriculture. Yet most of the food consumed in the region is produced hundreds or thousands of miles away, and many urban areas of St. Louis have limited access to fresh food. How can St. Louis use our resources and stakeholders to increase accessibility of healthy, locally grown food?

Craig Heller, Food Works; Frank Finnegan, St. Louis Area Foodbank; Mike Sorth, Gateway Greening; Eric Schneider, RCGA

STL Provocateur: Rhonda Smythe, Jeanette Reynolds, Stephanie Co, Nat Zorach, Andrew Flachs, Anne McCullough

GOOD Ideas for Cities
Thursday, March 8
Doors: 6:00 p.m.
Program: 7:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public, no RSVP required. Invite your friends to the Facebook event. Cash bar. Pi On The Spot will be selling personal pizzas outside of CAM.

GOOD Ideas for Cities is hosted by GOOD, CEOs for Cities, HOK, and the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, and supported by ArtPlace. Special thanks to our partners: AIGA St. Louis; ALIVE Magazine; Amber Murphy, nextSTL; Nine Network; St. Louis Regional Arts Commission; UrbanReviewSTL.

This Thursday, March 8 we will be hosting GOOD Ideas for Cities, an event that taps creative problem-solvers to tackle real urban challenges and present their solutions. Last year, we issued a call for creatives in St. Louis, and chose seven teams to represent the city. Each team was issued a challenge proposed by local urban leaders. At the event, the creative teams will present their solutions to their assigned challenge, and the urban leaders will join them onstage for a brief Q&A.  Afterwards, join us for drinks and more conversation as we discuss how to make these ideas a reality for St. Louis.

For the next few days we will be introducing you to a couple challenges a day so you can get acquainted with what will be presented this Thursday.

Check out the first two challenges:

1. We have a world-class light rail system in St. Louis. However, we have not seen a major effort to leverage the system as a catalyst for building more livable communities in the St. Louis region How might we increase ridership on St. Louis’ light rail to help demonstrate to the city the important opportunities around transit?

Kim Cella, Citizens for Modern Transit and Rhonda K. Hamm-Niebruegge, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

STL Alley Lovers: Christopher Galli, Andy Heaslet, Derek Hoeferlin, Monika Jankowiak, Jenny Murphy, Jonathan Stitelman

2. Historically, St. Louis neighborhoods have been racially and economically segregated. The effects of these historic policies, and some current policies, allow the City of St. Louis to remain segregated in these ways: Throughout the city there are streets and public spaces that serve as dividing lines. How can we design the borders between our communities to act as bridges between our neighborhoods?

Vince Schoemehl, Grand Center and Jennifer Allen, Trailnet

Arch City Revival: Katy Mike Smaistrla, Emily Hemeyer, Joyce Gorrell, Amy Lampe, Sarah Paulsen, David Burnett, Michael Allen, Kara Clark Holland

GOOD Ideas for Cities
Thursday, March 8
Doors: 6:00 p.m.
Program: 7:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public, no RSVP required.  Invite your friends to the Facebook event.  Cash bar.  Pi On The Spot will be selling personal pizzas outside of CAM.

GOOD Ideas for Cities is hosted by GOOD, CEOs for Cities, HOK, and the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, and supported by ArtPlace.  Special thanks to our partners: AIGA St. Louis; ALIVE Magazine; Amber Murphy, nextSTL; Nine Network; St. Louis Regional Arts Commission; UrbanReviewSTL.

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 16, the CAM and the St. Louis Secret Sound Society will host a “secret show” at the Annual Concerts in the Courtyard. You won’t know who’s playing until you get here, but trust us – this lineup is worth the wait!

The St. Louis Complaint Choir – the final installment of a Winter 2011 Front Room exhibition – opens the show at 7:00 pm with their music compilation of over 100 complaints submitted by local St. Louisans. The concert kicks off the weekend-long St. Louis Arts Project Conference – a national arts and music conference held at select local venues.  For more information visit http://www.stlartproject.org/.

Concerts in the Courtyard is presented in partnership with the St. Louis Secret Sound Society, Yelp, KDHX, and Eleven Music Magazine.

WHAT: Annual Concerts in the Courtyard
WHERE: CAM / 3750 Washington Boulevard / St. Louis, MO / 63108
WHEN: Thursday, June 16 / 6:00 – 11:00 pm.
Free admission and cash bar.

Here at CAM, we know that for some people good wine and art go hand in hand. This Thursday, we’ve got an event that stays true to that sentiment, and we hope you can join!

This Thursday CAM is hosting CAM Nights / Pinot & Picasso from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Stop by and sit down at an easel with a glass of your favorite vino and enjoy an evening of wine-tasting and live model drawing. For those who can’t draw, or who don’t know anything about wine, we’ll have artists and local wine expert Jayce McQuerter – Director of Wine at Robust – on hand to offer pointers!

Mark your calendar for the third Thursday of each month for CAM nights, a free and ever-changing series of after-hours exhibitions, entertainment, live music, and drinks. Start the weekend early and enjoy a fun night out with colleagues or friends!

Here’s what you can look forward to at future CAM Nights:

CAM Nights / Feast Your Eyes
March 17 / 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Free and open to the public, no RSVP required. Cash bar.
Enjoy a delicious night of Indian and Southern cuisine and music inspired by the cultural backgrounds of our exhibiting artists. Watch chefs prepare tastings right in front of you and listen as they talk about their styles of cuisine, methods of cooking, and concept behind the featured dish being served! During the feast, enjoy hand-crafted Belgian beer selected by local beer expert and brewer, and enjoy an entertaining live musical performance. Presented in partnership with Feast Magazine and Yelp!

CAM Nights / Pecha Kucha / Cultural Chit Chat
April 21 / 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Free and open to the public, no RSVP required. Cash bar.
Join us for a drink and a lively public dialogue about what makes St. Louis great: the personalities, the creative thinkers, the musicians, the urban fabric, the rich cultural heritage, and entrepreneurs’ right in our midst. Meet, network, and listen to quick presentations from a wide range of creative professionals in the quick-moving Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “chit chat”) format.

Wine for CAM Nights / Pinot & Picasso donated by: Appellations, Trademark Wines, Classique Wines, A. Bommarito Wines, Garco Wine Company, Major Brands, Missouri Beverage, and Golden Barrel.

Come May 2011 the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis will feel more like a little slice of Spain than an art museum in the middle of the Midwest. Mark your calendars for Misterios de Mayo, a month-long series of Spanish-Inspired special events culminating in CAM’s May exhibition featuring works by Spanish master Francisco Goya paired with contemporary artists!

Can’t wait until May to find out about Misterios de Mayo? Join CAM on January 27 from 6:30-8:00 pm for the Mysteries Revealed Kick-Off Party. Be one of the first to hear about the extraordinary series of Spanish-inspired events hosted by CAM in May 2011! Enjoy cocktails, tapas, and Latin tunes as the mysteries are revealed. Sign-up to be on the Host Committee and purchase event tickets at a special pre-sale price. Cocktail attire.

For more information and to RSVP to the Mysteries Revealed Kick-Off Party contact Lisa Grove at (314) 535-0770 x206 or visit www.camstl.org.

¡Viva CAM!

If you missed Open Studios this year, don’t worry, there is always next year. A previous blog post already mentioned the Preview Party which had a record breaking 720 people in attendance. Special thanks goes to the River City Professionals for co-hosting the program, helping to promote the event, and bringing all of their members to party. In addition to the 150+ Open Studios artworks on display in the galleries, Pi on the Spot, also known as PiTruckSTL on Twitter was parked outside the building serving up fresh pizzas straight from truck’s oven. As a local phenomenon, Pi has been embraced by the St. Louis community and even Chicago based Senator, turned president Barack Obama has endorsed the iconic deep dish pizza with his seal of approval. Just recently, chefs of Pi were flown to the White House to caterer an event especially for the president. Alongside the Pi Truck, a Frosty Treats ice cream truck was also parked outside for those looking to fill their sweet tooth on a hot summer’s evening.

As an added bonus to the Preview Party, guests were encouraged to enter a bike raffle to win a Electra Pink Hawaii Cruiser donated by Big Shark Bicycle Company. Ramona Scott was the winner and stopped by the museum the next day to pick up her prize and even rode it home.

With temperatures reaching over 99 degrees, that still did not stop the devoted cyclists from riding over 14 miles and stopping at a variety of studios along the way. Led by Greg and Alex from Bike Shark Bicycle Company, the bike tour departed the Contemporary on both Saturday and Sunday at 10am. Special thanks also goes to Bike St. Louis, a division of Great Rivers Greenway for endorsing the program and helping to make bike riding in St. Louis safe and accessible.

Later that day, Director Paul Ha and Associate Curator Laura Fried introduced themselves at the museum to over 30 people that registered for a 4 hour bus tour to select studios. As visitors boarded the luxurious air-conditioned bus provided by BEST Transportation St. Louis, “Pops” the driver greeted them and drove them all over the city to studios chosen directly by both the director and the curator.

On Sunday, winners from our Facebook competition joined Joe and Jeff from Glide St. Louis Tours for a segway excursion to select artist studios. Director of Individual Giving & Stewardship Emily Klimek acted as the Contemporary representative on the tour. If you applied to win a spot on the segway tour, do not give up, become a Fan of the Contemporary on Facebook now and look out for the next opportunity on this platform. Those that won the Facebook competition also received a free meal ticket to the Open Studios BBQ.

What better way to end a whole weekend of programs and tours plus a Homegrown Summer for that matter then to enjoy barbeque from Pappy’s Smokehouse and ice cold beer from Schafly. The watermelon was sweet and chilled to perfection, but the pulled pork sandwich was definitely the crowd favorite. Normally, you would have to wait hours to get a taste of Pappy’s perfectly cooked BBQ, but at the Contemporary it was all there for the taking for only $10 a meal. In addition to the BBQ, sides, and beer, Ted Drewes frozen custard was offered as an additional summertime treat.

What could be more “Homegrown” than Ted Drewes, Pappy’s, Schlafly, 150+ local artists, and the Great Rivers Biennial exhibition? Well, you asked for it… the Rum Drum Ramblers, with upright bass, harmonica, and banjo guitars rocked the courtyard with down and dirty St. Louis blues. The summer might not be over, but this year’s Open Studios was the climax of the Contemporary’s Homegrown Summer, a series of programs featuring local art, food, and music.

For those looking for something to do this holiday weekend, why not stop by the Contemporary on Saturday, July 3 for First Saturday Tasting and Tour. Chef John Judy from L’École Culinaire will be  serving a Deconstructed Grilled Peach Melba using locally grown peaches in the cafe at noon. After the tasting, Associate Curator Laura Fried will offer a tour of the Great Rivers Biennial exhibition in the galleries.

To attend the Tasting and Tour, please send an RSVP to aelmestad@camstl.org.

On Thursday, June 24 over 350 people attended Concerts in the Courtyard at the Contemporary. The crowd drained two kegs of local Schlafly beer and consumed over 17 pounds of candy from local phenomenon Crown Candy Kitchen. All in an effort to support the local music scene, KDHX promoted the concert on the radio and Vintage Vinyl honored the museum with a spot on their famous marquee.

The weather was nearly perfect at 85 degrees with a slight cool breeze. As the sun began to set, Theodore opened the show with their signature folk sound. Traditional at first glance, but as the members start to integrate an accordion, an autoharp, a banjo, and even a trombone, a listener quickly realizes the level of musical talent the members bring to the table. As one member switches from an upright bass to an electric, dark  and honest vocals complete the musical narrative.

Standing alone as a solo artist, Syrhea Conaway of Syna So Pro looped guitar, bass, vocals, and occasionally, the violin, while tapping on multiple pedals on her self-constructed pedal board to create the illusion that she was being backed by an entire instrumental ensemble. Syrhea showed her experimental side by quickly moving around the stage and playing her various instruments to create a looping soundscape that would accompany the best instrument in the mix… her voice.

Blood Pony took the stage after Syna So Pro and delivered the same musical complexity, blending violins, acoustic guitars, trombones, and even a megaphone. The vocalist added a pop melody that only furthered their bright sound in the dark courtyard. Just as a classification came to mind, the musicians would switch roles, pick up different instruments and begin to play with a completely altered style. And their fans weren’t afraid to scream their name in support.

Each musical group told a story and N. Nomurai did not disappoint. With only three members performing, the local legend Eric Hall led the way by sampling, mixing, and creating an atmospheric noise that tuned itself into electronic euphoria. Part machine, part human, the members abandoned convention, as a bass guitar morphed into something a little less tangible. If you could not see the instruments, you might not know where all the sound is coming from. The dreamlike sound was continuous and free. The drums started softly then a collision of echoed buzz mutated the beat into punk aggression that melted into a planned narrative of well-execute musical technique.

Special thanks to Fauxto-Booths which set up a great set in the performance space and took pictures of guests at the concert.

In case you haven’t heard, the Contemporary is in the midst of a Homegrown Summer, a season of St. Louis art, food, music, and conversation. To kick off the season, the Contemporary partnered with the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts for Art/Food on June 5. The event featured a variety of local culinary experts, urban farmers, beekeepers, and urban farmers. The Garage Brewers Society came stocked with over 20 different varieties of home brews for the public to sample. A crowd favorite was the watermelon wheat beer, which possessed the slight aroma of the summer fruit mixed with the fresh flavor of the popular grain.

The beer was as cold as the day was hot. Earthways Center took advantage and harnessed the power of the sun with a solar powered s’mores oven. Meanwhile, the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association offered visitors samples of local honey. Each honey possessed a different color and unique flavor depending upon the season it was produced. The summer honey has the lightest color, while the winter honey appeared to be dark amber. The spring honey had a subtle floral taste that was iconic of the blossoming season it was produced in.

Over $800 was donated to Saint Louis University Campus Kitchen, a non-profit student service program that provides nourishing meals to those in need.  Plus the public in exchange for admission into the event donated over $200 worth of oil, flour, and vinegar. The donated products are basic cooking ingredients utilized by the kitchen to create the meals. In addition to all that, leftover food from the event was donated to the kitchen to help feed the hungry in St. Louis. Through the power of food, the community really came together, not only to eat, have a fun an afternoon, and explore two exhibitions, but also to help others in the process.

Make sure to attend the next program, Concerts in the Courtyard on Thursday, June 24 which will feature 4 local musical groups.

We’re just two days away from Dada Ball 2010: Dada Rocks with Decades! Full-access tickets have sold out and the wait list is growing. But we do have tickets for the infamous After Party! Come mix and mingle with the celebs and VIPs on our star-studded guest list: Chloë Sevigny, Golden-Globe winning actress; Karlie Kloss, St. Louisan and Vogue supermodel; Cameron Silver, fashion master and owner of Decades LA; and Derek Blasberg, fashion writer and author of the just-released, best-selling book Classy. (Don’t miss his Dada booksigning at Left Bank Books Downtown, Sat., 4/17, 2:00 pm.)

Friday night, Cameron and Derek lead a fashion-oriented panel discussion in Wash U’s Steinberg Hall, another Dada don’t-miss. And did you catch Cameron this morning on KMOV. He spoke eloquently about vintage fashion: how to wear it, where to find it. If you missed it, check him out here. 

But you want to know about the After Party, right? A $35 ticket (sold online, by phone (314-535-0770 x204) or at the door the night of the party), includes: complimentary valet parking, an open bar, savories and sweets from Mosaic and Ruth’s Chris, and the chance to win Best Dressed in a contest produced by St. Louis Magazine. Two winners will take home a $500 gift card from Saks, a $100 gift card from Ruth’s Chris, plenty of swag, and the all-important bragging rights.

So put on some glam! Come be a diva on the Contemporary’s dance floor! Make the Dada Ball After Party your late-night destination on Saturday. Doors open at 10 pm. See you there!