Tonight is the opening of John Armleder and Olivier Mosset. The public reception starts at 7:00 pm, but there is a Member Preview at 6:00 pm and a Patrons Preview at 5:00 pm. In just a little bit the entire staff and all of the docents and gallery attendants will take a walk through the exhibition with the curator. It is definitely a great experience for guests who come to Opening Nights, because they too will get to experience what the staff does on the walk through - access to the curator, director, staff members and artists…a chance to ask questions and to really get an idea of what the exhibition is all about. I highly recommend Openings!

Opening Night is in two days, and we are still working hard. Yesterday, Olivier Mosset was in the museum all day working on installation and meeting with Chief Curator Anthony Huberman. I stepped out of the office for a few moments to check out the progress of the wall (which I have a perfect view of from the balcony right outside the offices), and I head Mosset say “it’s done” as he threw up his hands, then shared a clap with some assistants, then sat on our concrete step for reflection…so “it’s done!”

Over the past couple months I’ve been doing some work on the museum’s MySpace page and I have also created a Facebook profile and group. I am finding that there are so many things an organization can do with these two online communication tools. We currently use both to network with other organizations and individuals in the art world or who have interest in art or museums, to spread word to people about upcoming events at the museum (on Facebook we can even create event pages allowing people to write on the discussion board to ask questions or leave comments), and to share photographs and videos from events, programs, and exhibitions. These are also great places for us to compile all of the museums online communication tools in one place. And since the individuals who are signing up to be a part of our network are artists, art organizations, or have interest in art, these pages are also good for artists or event planners to get word out about their art or art happenings. If you’d like to take a look at the pages click here for MySpace or here for Facebook.

The toblerones have arrived.

In the upcoming exhibition, John Armleder and Oliver Mosset, Mosset will present an ambitious installation of Toblerones… sculptures based on anti-tank obstacles used by the Swiss army in World War II. The toblerones in this exhibition are cardboard replicas, something made possible by our friends at Boxes Inc. Once they are all put together (there are 30 of them), they will stand around six feet tall and completely take over one of our gallery spaces. So, not only will a viewer be trying to digest what they are staring at initially, they will also have to try to figure out how they are supposed to deal with this and may have questions in their mind such as “do I walk through these large sculptures,” “am I supposed to just stand here and look at them,” “why are these massive sculptures blocking the paintings on the other side?” It will allow people to undergo a complete art experience, probably entailing confusion and wonderment. 

Check out this article in the St. Louis Business Journal. If you are interested in further information on toblerones, click here.

We are also in the process of installing Armleder’s wallpaper and if you are interested on a giant wall update…it is now bright orange.

In only a few days, the Contemporary’s space has changed dramatically. The space that was previously a large, open space, allowing event space and gallery space to merge as one, is now divided approximately in half. There is so much “wall talk” that goes on here: “How will constructing a wall affect our space when it comes time for events,” “do the upcoming exhibitions also need a large wall and/or smaller rooms for displaying work,” and “how will this wall change climate control?” After all this wall deliberation, it is up!And in the way of the exhibition…the work has arrived. The last couple of weeks we have been patiently waiting for the work to travel from Zürich then to New York before making here. I have word that one crate has been opened and everything is right on track.

I got to take a look at some of Mosset’s work…it’s still in plastic, but exciting to see!

Since we are closed for installation, we do not have a Walk-In Wednesday to recap today. But I can tell you about our upcoming Walk-In Wednesdays in May. On May 14, Chief Curator Anthony Huberman will discuss the current exhibition and explain the importance that John Armleder and Olivier Mosset play in the world of contemporary art. On May 21 Assistant Curator, Laura Fried will provide historical insight about student uprisings in Paris, France in May 1968; and on May 28 Bradley Bailey, Assistant Professor of Art History at Saint Louis University, will take a look at how and why Fluxus came about and the impact it had on contemporary art. If you are interested in any of these topics, don’t forget to mark them on your calendar and either take a trip to the Contemporary at noon or check back here for the recap and a continued discussion. We also welcome any discussion points you can think of now to bring up during the program!

 The deinstallation of the Great Rivers Biennial 2008 begins (and so does the sound of power tools). The troops are hard at work; just about half of the exhibition is down already (the show just ended yesterday!) and the wall that we are building is already in construction. I am amazed with the incredibly quick turn around we make here. One day you walk in to a completely wide open space and a couple days later there is framework for a wall (or like the last exhibition change, a whole new room…if only housing and highway construction moved that quickly). It has got to be interesting for visitors to come into the museum after each exhibition and not only see all new work, but an entire new space as well.

 The last Front Room exhibition to go along the Great Rivers 2008 exhibition is a highly-stylized installation of rare vinyl pressings, local zines, and “other media of the exotic and esoteric.” Beginning April 15 and lasting until April 20, The Front Room occupant is local independent record shop, Apop Records. For this exhibition, co-owners Tiffany Minx and Dustin Newman are presenting a temporary merchandise booth focusing on art books, one-of-a-kind packaged musical releases, and “oddities from the fringes of underground culture.”

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye……….today was the last Walk-in Wednesday to be held during the Great Rivers Biennial (which closes THIS Sunday so hurry if you haven’t been!).  The Education Staff, Kathryn Adamchick and Katrina Hallowell, led a walking tour of the exhibition.   Stopping in each artist’s area, Kathryn and Katrina recounted the different ideas and interesting thoughts that were brought up during the GRB’s Walk-In Wednesdays. 

Gearing up for de-install, the museum will be closed April 20 at 4:00 pm through May 8, re-opening on the 9^th for the upcoming exhibition featuring renowned artists John Armleder and Olivier Mosset.  

We’d love to hear your farewell thoughts on the Great Rivers exhibition!

The Great Rivers Biennial 2008 is almost over. The last day to view this exhibition highlighting local artists is Sunday, April 20. The Contemporary will then close for the installation of John Armleder and Olivier Mosset. Tomorrow, during the last Walk-In Wednesday of Great Rivers, the Contemporary’s education staff, Kathryn Adamchick and Katrina Hallowell, will discuss some of the ideas explored during the Great Rivers Biennial exhibition (including what critics, artists, and visitors had to say). If you are unable to attend this Walk-In Wednesday, check back here tomorrow to get the recap of the discussion and read through some of the thoughts of the exhibition.