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!

For the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there is on view for only a short time longer. It closes on Sunday, January 3, 2010. You can read a review of this major group show that was published in the December issue of Art in America here!

The Contemporary is taking part in Bank of America’s Museums on Us® program. This program allows Bank of America customers free admission during the first full weekend of every month to over 120 cultural, arts, and education institutions nation-wide. All customers have to do is present their ATM, credit or check card and a valid ID. Admission to the Contemporary is already free every Wednesday and Saturday, so Bank of America customers now get an extra day one weekend a month. The next free Museums on Us® free day is this Sunday, November 8.

Click here to see the full list of participating institutions.

Last week we formally announced the artists, titles, and dates of our upcoming exhibitions in the Main Galleries. From January 22 to April 4, 2010 Sean Landers: 1991-1994 Improbable History and Stephen Prina: Modern Movie Pop, will consume the Main Galleries at the Contemporary. Artdaily.org has published information on both exhibitions. Click here to read about Sean Landers and here to read about Stephen Prina. You can also take a look at the Contemporary’s website for information.

The Contemporary hosted two events this past weekend to kick of the 2009 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. Queens of Jazz, featuring Denise Thimes and Ann Hamilton Callaway, took place at the museum on the evening of Friday, October 2. On Saturday, October 3, Anna Zatonskih played five chess games blindfolded and won…all of them at the event Playing in the Dark: A Collision of Art and Chess. There was also hulachess and a bounty blitz tournament. Click below to read articles and see images and click here to link to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis’ website.

KSDK.com
The United States Chess Federation website
Pelopidas.com

On Saturday, October 10 at Chesterfield Arts, the Contemporary, along with other St. Louis institutions, will host booths at a free community unveiling of “The Awakening.” The event will last from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and will include hands-on art activities, food, music, and of course, the unveiling of what is being called “the giant” in Chesterfield. The sculpture, of a man appearing to be waking up and emerging from the ground after being asleep, is 70 feet long and 17 feet tall, and was first cast by Seward Johnson in 1980 in Washington DC. There are some amazing images of the piece, as well as many articles and video clips. Visit chesterfieldarts.org. Click here to read the press release.

And one last thing: Two exhibitions held at the Contemporary were featured in the Riverfront Times annual Best of St. Louis poll. Gedi Sibony: My Arms Are Tied Behind My Other Arms was named ”Best Museum Exhibition” and a Front Room exhibition guest curated by William Gass titled Between Beach Ball and Rubber Raft, was named “Best Installment in an Exhibition Series.” Click here to read more Best of St. Louis.

 
(Top: Gedi Sibony: My Arms Are Tied Behind My Other Arms; Bottom: Between Beach Ball and Rubber Raft)

The show opens tomorrow night (Friday, September 11). The staff, installation crew, and even some artists are all anxiously running around preparing for tomorrow’s Opening Reception. To join in on the chaos, here are some of my quick, sporadic thoughts of today:

1) How intriguing is it that the first piece of work in the show is a cat that isn’t there (the work is a speaker of a cat being “interviewed”)? Next, you walk into a dark room.

2) Everyone seems really excited that we have recently added an After Party to tomorrow night’s festivities. The Opening is from 7:00 to 9:00, and then from 9:00 to 1:00 am, lights go down and music comes on. One of the exhibiting artists in the show, Jimmy Raskin, and 88.1 KDHX will DJ the night.

3) Grand Center will be incredibly vibrant tomorrow (Friday) night. Not only are we opening and hosting the After Party lasting until 1:00 am; Craft Alliance, Bruno David Gallery, PSTL Gallery, and Schmidt Contemporary Art will all be open.

4) You can still vote for this blog (www.2buildings1blog.org) through Riverfront Times: Best of St. Louis poll. Vote for a minimum of six categories in order for your vote to count (fill in the 6 boxes, then hit next until you reach the last page and hit submit), or take a little break in your day and vote for all your favorite St. Louis items…it’s kind of fun to think about …hmm, what is the best sushi place is in the STL? Click here to vote.

The Riverfront Times is in the process of conducting their “Best of St. Louis” poll. The first category on the list? Best blog! Help make it known that the Contemporary’s and Pulitzer’s shared blog is the best in St. Louis by voting for us in the “Best of St. Louis poll.” Vote for only this category, or fill in your other St. Louis favorites. Voting ends on September 14.

Click here to vote for www.2buildings1blog.org!

Are the arts essential? If your answer is yes, what is your reasoning? If you think the world would be just fine with less art, why so? Last month the LA Times published an article titled “What makes the arts ‘essential’? Let me draw you a picture.” The byline of the article reads: “Experiencing art is a crucial to producing young people who can understand the world’s complexity. That’s something philanthropic leaders should remember.”

Click here to read the article.

What do you think? Like the story of the 17-year old girl who learned to express herself in the article, do you have a story, either a personal experience, or something that you witnessed, that makes you a believer in the arts?

I came to a firm realization that arts are essential through high school theatre. It was a place for everyone: dancers, singers, loud kids, quiet kids, misfits, the cool kids-everyone. Students took on rolls of actors, directors, make-up artists, dancers, set builders and more. They were incredibly dedicated (most didn’t receive any kind of class credit, and they all spent two nights a week in the theatre, and even more during “hell week”). They used a massive amount of creativity to produce shows. They worked together, found friends, developed confidence and esteem and expressed themselves in ways they couldn’t in any other place. That is just one of the reasons why arts are essential…why we should care. Add to the list.

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.

Every summer the Contemporary hosts City-Wide Open Studios, a free, week-long event dedicated to the discovery of the hidden spaces where artists work. Open Studios is just a little over one week away and the excitement is on the rise. On our Facebook event page, people are confirming they would like to come, and writing about their excitement. The event is all over community calendars and there is an outstanding article in the St. Louis Magazine by Stefene Russell. On the Open Studios website you can view comments from artists and others, download an official Open Studios map, view a preview of participating artists’ work, learn about the Preview Party, tours, and the Starving Artist BBQ and more! Have you seen Open Studios out there anywhere else?