This past weekend was the opening of the major group exhibition For the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there. Friday night at 6:00 pm members and donors had the chance to preview the show early. At about 6:30, the Contemporary’s Chief Curator, Anthony Huberman, gave them a tour and talked a little about the show. At 7:00, the public opening began. Throughout the evening there was a good-sized crowd and people were in the galleries the entire time. (There is just so much to take in with this exhibition). The After Party began at 9:00, and lasted well into the early morning hours! The next day New Art in the Neighborhood began, and students in the program got a chance to talk with and work with Dave Hullfish Bailey, one of the artists exhibiting work in the show. They then listened to the discussions during Contemporary Conversations, a public lecture with our curator and three of the exhibiting artists, Jimmy Raskin, Dave Hullfish Bailey, and Frances Stark. To close out the weekend, guests who attended Contemporary Conversations were invited to an ice cream party!

There is an incredible amount of interesting ideas, programming, and discussion going along with this show including: twenty artists worth of ideas, media, and artwork; the introduction of cell phone tours; a new education center, the Exhibition Lab; and a giant piñata (and the chance to break it open at the show’s closing party). Take a look below to see images from the weekend.

The weather has quickly changed in St. Louis and it already feels like fall here…which is odd for STL. This is also a sign that the fall season at the Contemporary is approaching. Opening Night of the major group exhibition, For the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there, is in just a little over one week. Going along with the fall season is a lineup of interesting, creative, and educational programming. Take a peek at our fall newsletter which will fill you in on Opening Night and give you a few details about some of the Contemporary’s upcoming events.
Click here.

The Contemporary would like to introduce two new staff members. We’re excited to welcome Tuan Nguyen as our new Museum Educator.  He will be in charge of expanding the museum’s education initiatives at the museum and in the St. Louis community.  He will plan and teach studio art classes (including the New Art in the Neighborhood teen program); work with universities and area schools; lead the museum’s school and public tour program; plan our Free Family Days; and program the Education Resource Center on the second floor of the Contemporary.

We are also excited to welcome Alex Elmestad to the team as our new Public Programs Coordinator.  He will work closely with our curatorial department to plan dynamic public programs that enhance our exhibitions.  This season, to go along with our For the Blind Man… exhibition, he will plan events like a “blind chess” tournament, a DJ/Fortune night, and a closing night piñata party.  Alex will also work with the museum’s digital media initiatives, and will continue to build and improve our podcasting program, as well as help launch new interactive programs.

We are happy to welcome these new staff members to take on such important initiatives. If you have any program ideas to pass along to them, let us know.  Look for future blog postings about their ideas and accomplishments!

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.

A couple of months ago we filled you in on a wonderful collaborative project between the Contemporary and Metro Academic and Classical High School. Students of the school worked each other, teachers, artists, and community members to create “Untitled” Gathering Place, a sculpture on their school grounds. Click here to read a past post and see images, and here or below to see a new video about the process!

 Last week I let you know about a collaboration the museum did with local high school, Metro Academic and Classical High School. On Tuesday, May 19 this collaborative project was dedicated at the school. Students were able to hear a little bit of background on how the project came to be and the work that went behind it. The sculpture “Untitled” Gathering Place is a wonderful addition to the schools grounds, and from the excitement that I witnessed from the students during the dedication, it will serve its purpose well. Click here to read more on the project and see the images from the dedication below.
    

During an exhibition season the Contemporary typically holds at least two public lectures or discussions on contemporary art topics and the exhibiting artists. Just recently, we hosted Terrie Sultan, who is the Director of the Parrish Art Museum and the organizing curator of the Chantal Akerman exhibition, and artist Carrie Young, to talk about the work that just opened. On Wednesday, May 20, Maria Lind, Director of the Bard Center for Curatorial Studies, will talk about the work of the show. Here is a link to an essay Lind wrote about Carey Young.

It is interesting to be able to get so many views of the work. You can attend these lectures, you can read about the shows in the gallery guides and on our website, and you can also hear a curator talk about the shows on tours or a video podcast. It isn’t hard to get many opinions and to hear many ideas on the work we show here…the harder part is pulling that information together to form your own ideas and understandings.

For two years the Contemporary and Metro Academic Classical High School collaborated on a project through the Contemporary’s education program ArtReach. Now, this student-created sculpture is complete and ready to present to the public! The sculpture is called “Untitled” Gathering Place and will reside at the high school as a place for students to meet and mingle. It was partially inspired by Maya Lin’s sculpture, Peace Chapel at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, as students became inspired by her work after studying it during her exhibition Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes at the Contemporary in 2007. These students worked incredibly hard to complete the planning, designing, and building and they also learned lesson about process and communication as they worked with each other, as well as with adults in their community. The public dedication of is on Tuesday, May 19 on the ground of their school. Everyone involved in this project should feel very proud!

Philippe Vergne, named the director of the Dia Art Foundation in 2008, co-curator of the 2006 Whitney Biennial and for ten years a curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, comes to the museum to speak about Gedi Sibony’s work on Wednesday night. This same evening, Chief Curator Anthony Huberman will give a wine and cheese tour of Gedi Sibony’s work for ArtLink members only.

On Saturday at 12:00 noon, Director of Education Kathryn Adamchick will give the “Last Chance Tour” for the work on view in the Main Galleries. That is right; Gedi Sibony: My Arms Are Tied Behind My Other Arms and Bruce Nauman: Dead Shot Dan will close on Sunday, April 19. View our last blog entry which includes a sample of what has come from this show.

THEN Saturday evening is our 5^th Anniversary Gala, a night to celebrate the culmination of the first five years of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and to honor artists, Tom Friedman and the late Ernest Trova (read an online profile about the last interview with Ernest Trova in St. Louis magazine here). Also at the gala there will be a live auction with the work of six major contemporary artists. There have been many members of the public interested in the work in the auction, especially Trova’s piece. All of the work in the auction is on view at the museum and there is a link to the work on the museum’s website along with links to Ernest Trova’s obituaries and more information about the gala.

On Wednesday at 6:00 pm, Josephine Withers, Professor Emerita of Art History at the University of Maryland, will be here to discuss the genesis and the unexpected reception of the controversial anti-rape performance art piece “Any of These Men May Have the Potential to Be Rapists.” The piece was organized by the student-run Women’s Coalition for Change on the campus of the University of Maryland in 1993. Here is a link to an article written by Withers in 1994. See what you think.