At the beginning of the summer the 5^th Anniversary issue of MESH Magazine was produced. MESH is the Contemporary’s magazine that is created annually to let the public know a little more about the exhibitions, events, and programs happening at the museum. The most current issue has received much positive attention. We would like to share the electronic version of MESH with you all. Click here to see images from past shows and programs, read quotes from artists and visitors, and learn more about what the Contemporary is all about.

As the deadline approaches for the call to artists for the Great Rivers Biennial 2010, now is a good time to talk a little about this program done every two years at the Contemporary. Let me start off by saying how wonderful I think the program is. For the fourth year, the Contemporary gets to work with and promote artists in St. Louis and the surrounding areas. The work of the selected artists makes up the Great Rivers Biennial exhibition at the Contemporary. Each selected artist also receives a $20,000 grant, an award that has increased since previous years. There are applications coming in every day. I am excited to see who is selected, what type of work they produce, and what their show will be like the Contemporary’s space. It is always interesting to see how the exhibition turns out, as the artists practices are so diverse. The show is still a little while away, but the buzz is already beginning.

Curatorial intern, Brittni, who worked behind-the-scenes on Open Studios, provides her thoughts on the event. You can also find images of the 4^th Annual City-Wide Open Studios on the St. Louis Post Dispatch website and on the Open Studios website. Enjoy!

Discovering St. Louis Through Art / Brittni Zotos

A young art enthusiast, curious and eager entering my first day of interning at the Contemporary, I was thrilled when I began working on preparation for Open Studios, a fast-expanding event started four years ago to expose the unseen spaces where artists conceive and create their works. 

Celebrating the vibrant local artist culture of St. Louis, Open Studios provides artists an opportunity to present their studios and works to the public, while connecting the community to local artists, allowing them to gain insight into how (and where) an idea in its simplest form materializes into Art.

Behind the scenes, at the intern station of the Contemporary’s upstairs office, I took part in organizing the weeklong event of Open Studios. My role in Open Studios came to fruition when I helped set up the pieces for the Preview Party and witnessed others discover the unique works. The beautiful mélange of works speckling the space and the exciting chatter of visitors that evening made the past month of endlessly streaming emails worthwhile.  The Preview Party, and ultimately Open Studios weekend, allowed me to enjoy one of the many things I’ve come to value about my internship: the ability to interact with local artists and take part in the exchange of artists and community members savoring locally grown contemporary creations. 

Hopping on the Saturday Trolley Tour took me from The Hill to Tower Grove Park to Cherokee Street to South Broadway. With each highly unique space, the tour became more than a discovery of local art; it became a discovery of the distinctive qualities of our city. It was a richer experience when I began to see art in the context of the place in which it was created. Visiting Firecracker Press I saw their posters hanging in windows on Cherokee Street. Overlooking the Mississippi River I entered an aged lair filled with expansive painterly works.  I even visited a small 18^th century cabin brimming with Fluxus mail art. Having memorized nearly all the names of participating artists, I was excited when upon venturing into their studios I was finally able to put a face, as well as particular styles and works, to their names.

After helping organize Open Studios and taking part in Open Studios weekend, I was affirmed of the benefits gained by both artists and community members because of this event. Exploring the white-walled niches filled with sketches, paint cans, even a kinetic apparatus, I began to see St. Louis as a budding artistic community, rivaling the prowess and force of more widely known art centers.

This weekend’s Open Studios event was… Wow. I like to think I’m at least somewhat articulate, yet I can’t seem to come up with a word to adequately describe the event. Amazing? Interesting? Fun? Awesomely fantastic? Nothing does it justice.

This year was my first experience with Open Studios. Since I’ve been interning at the Contemporary, I knew all about the event before heading out to explore, and I was really excited about it. But after visiting about three studios, I realized that my enthusiasm hadn’t been enough – Open Studios turned out to be even better than I had imagined it would be!

I set out on my St. Louis art adventure with two friends. One of them is an art major, so I cheerfully let her make the difficult decisions about which studios to visit; my job was simply to drive and enjoy. And I’m not going to lie: I was completely surprised by just how much I learned from the experience.

My realization started to form at the second studio we visited. After glancing around for about eight seconds, I was ready to move on. It was abstract art, which I’m not really into, personally. But my friends were discussing the various drips and streaks on one of the paintings, so I started talking to the artist, Angela Ament. I asked her which pieces were her personal favorites, we talked about what inspires her, and she explained how she creates some of the interesting effects on the canvas. And despite myself, I was absolutely enthralled.

After leaving that studio with a new bounce in my step, my friends and I continued our exploration, stopping at the Tower Grove East Artists Studios. There, we spent probably 45 minutes talking to Vicki Flier, laughing and learning and discussing not only her art, but also life in general. Throughout the day, I saw more studios, talked to more artists, and enjoyed myself immensely. And I went home that night with an open mind and a new appreciation for artists and their creative processes.

But my adventure didn’t stop there. The next day, I worked at the front table in the Motorworks Building. I turned on some music, poured drinks, answered questions, and spent a lot of time chatting with the artists. Everyone had something different, a new idea to offer. I’m now really excited about an upcoming project of Michael Bolton’s (yet another person that changed my opinion of abstract art), and I promised myself that someday, when I have a house to decorate, I will purchase one of Janice Schoultz Mudd’s paintings.

Not only was Open Studios weekend extremely fun, but I also learned a lot about art, about artists, about imagination, creativity, and appreciation. I never knew there was so much to discover right here in St. Louis, and the experience left my brain stuffed with new thoughts and ideas. I hope you all had the opportunity to explore and learn as well. And if not… there’s always next year! See you there!

Open Studios kicks off tonight, and let me tell you-there is excitement in the air. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Open Studios such an exciting event. Maybe it is the overall community movement, or the intimacy of so many details coming together. It’s just such an amazing experience. My first year, I drove with friends to different studios throughout the studio. The second year, I hopped on a trolley (bus tour info here), last year I rode my bike in 100 degree heat (and it was awesome. Trek organizes the tours. Meet at the Contemporary at 10 am this Saturday or Sunday and embark. You can even drop out part way through if you aren’t able to commit to the whole day). This year, I may do a little of each. With so many artists all over the city, there’s certainly not a lack of opportunity.

Recently, our info email account received a request from a MESH reader, pleading to know who had created a artwork pictured in the magazine. Serendipitously, I had visited that studio two years ago and remember the experience so vividly that I knew exactly who the artist was and could connect them. While I was chatting on the phone with the artist this week (as a result of this email connection), He mentioned that around fifteen people visited his studio last year. I was going to apologize for the light traffic and hope for more this year-but he stopped me in mid-sentence and told me he sold six or seven works that day. Holy Cow! Amazing! And although selling artwork isn’t a primary goal (it hasn’t been on our list at all yet), it’s certainly nice.

City-Wide Open Studios began as an attempt to promote a conversation between those who appreciate art and those who make it. The first year we started this program 37 artists joined us. Just four years later, we have more than 150 artists, from such varied backgrounds and practices. Does everyone understand the wealth of art being made in St. Louis today? It’s incredible. Go out. See art. Support the community. Just enjoy. A studio visit is a unique experience that will reside in your memory for years to come. Hesitant? For a taste of last year’s event (and to see some of the dialog happening) visit the video by Laurent Torno 3.

Tonight, the preview of work kicks off with a good old fashioned reception, complete with drinks and DJ. The work will remain in the museum for the rest of the week, admission free. And this weekend is IT: Open Studios 2009. Please visit the website for more info.

The Contemporary has a variety of opportunities for area artists, one being the Great Rivers Biennial. Every other year, up to three artists are selected by a jury of national art and museum professionals. Each selected artist is able to show work at the Contemporary as part of the Great Rivers Biennial exhibition and, this year, will be awarded $20,000. This will be the fourth year the Contemporary will dedicate its Main Galleries to area and emerging artists as part of the Great Rivers Biennial Awards Program. Not only does this program give artists funding and the incredible opportunity to show work at the museum, it gives the public a chance to see what area artists are doing, and feel more connected to the local arts scene. David Bonetti of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote this “…the Great Rivers Biennial, funded by the Gateway Foundation and hosted by the Contemporary Art Museum is at the top of the heap…” Find out more on the process and information on the call to artists for the GRB 2010 on the Contemporary’s website.

While tonight is the opening of Gedi Sibony: My Arms Are Tied Behind My Other Arms and Bruce Nauman: Dead Shot Dan, it is also the unofficial premiere of the newly-revamped Contemporary Flat Files. This is the Contemporary’s rotating collection of flat works, inspired partly by the similar program at Pierogi Gallery in Brooklyn. If you’ve looked through the Flat Files previously, you may have noticed that the focus of the Flat Files was limited to artists within the metropolitan St. Louis area. Now, the program has been extended to all artists within the Midwestern region. So after (or even before) you’ve had a chance to explore the amazing pieces by Gedi Sibony and Bruce Nauman, please take a trip upstairs to the Media Gallery, where you can say hi to some old friends with new work and welcome our new additions to the family.

 

Curatorial Intern Nicole Stevens preparing new portfolios for the opening

The Open Studios Preview Party on Tuesday night went really well. There was a great turn out (check out the crowd shots below) and people seemed to really be enjoying themselves. This weekend is the rest of the Open Studios event. Beginning at 10:00 am on Saturday guests can start venturing out around St. Louis to participating artist’s studios. They can get a map (either at the Contemporary or on the Open Studios website) and drive themselves to the studios they wish to go to or they can meet at the Contemporary and take a group bike tour or a trolley tour!    

Tomorrow night’s Open Studios Preview Party marks the start of our Third Annual City-Wide Open Studios. Open Studios is a week-long event dedicated to local artists and the spaces they work in. Artists open up their studio spaces and allow the public to come, see the space and view their work. The event also allows art lovers to experience one of the best parts about contemporary art…the ability to talk with the artist about his or her work. The preview party on Tuesday evening will allow the public to view a sample of every participating artist’s work. Community members can also get a preview of artists work by viewing the Open Studios website and/or by picking up a map from the Contemporary. All of these opportunities will give them a good idea of which spaces they would like to visit over the weekend, and considering there are more than 100 artists involved, the preview will definitely be helpful.

   

The Open Studios event has ended, and although the majority of the work and coordination is over, the Contemporary still has a bit of work to do, including drafting a survey to go to the participating artists and one to go to the public to gather feedback on this year’s event and ideas for next year. It was an incredible weekend. After kicking off the bike tours on Saturday and Sunday, I jumped in my car and explored a good number of studios. I never knew what to expect when walking through the door, and each time I was greeted by an extremely friendly artist. We talked about their work, the experience, the interesting people that had stopped by. I heard from a few artists that they sold an incredible amount of work throughout the day – one artist even mentioned that he had sold so many paintings and drawings that he received enough to pay his rent for an entire year – allowing him to paint – and concentrate on making art. That’s quite exciting. We had a fun BBQ at the museum last night and wrapped it up with an excellent performance by local band Gentleman Auction House. If you missed the weekend, you can still see some of the artists’ works at the website and otherwise, just plan to stay in town next July for the next one.Â

Now, we’re onto Maya Lin’s exhibition, which opens on September 7. This week, I’ll share what we’re planning to exhibit in our gallery spaces as well as in our teaching gallery and media lab. Graphic Design is working on the next Mesh, the exhibition invitations, and advertising spots. Development is finalizing funding. We’re planning several events and coordinating a lecture we are doing in collaboration with Washington University the night before the exhibition opening – with Maya Lin. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be de-installing the current exhibitions, moving walls, staircases, and preparing to welcome some Wash U students to our install crew.Â