Who We Are

Art in the Midst of Crises

Gallery view: "Storytellers" exhibit. Photo by Robin Hirsch-Steinhoff. The Art Saint Louis gallery recently reopened after four months of closure due to the pandemic. In all my years in the arts I would never have imagined delivering such news, but I’m so pleased to report that our service to the community never stopped. Throughout it all, Art Saint Louis continued supporting the work of St. Louis regional artists in a variety of ways, including robust email and social media promotions, and a blog interview series that has since spotlighted over 90 area artists.

Additionally we launched a series of virtual exhibitions that has been especially meaningful in addressing the isolation affecting us all. We began with Life Interrupted, an exhibition of artworks created during COVID-19 Stay at Home orders in St. Louis. Online visitors perused this wide-ranging body of work on the virtual walls of a simulated gallery environment.

Graphic by Emily CrullWe followed Life Interrupted with a second virtual exhibition, This Moment, through which our region’s artists provided perspective on the unprecedented convergence of crises that have made this year so significant. And continuing in that vein, our newest virtual exhibit, Human Touch, focuses on visceral expressions of solidarity and empathy, including their absence during a time when they are most needed.

Meanwhile our real-world gallery reopened on August 1 with Storytellers, featuring works by 46 St. Louis regional artists that told stories or were otherwise inspired by the written word. Storytellers concluded on September 10, but it remains visible in our Facebook album and will soon be followed in the gallery by Creatures II, with works about animals, critters, beasts, insects and more.

With measures in place for the safety of our guests, it’s our hope that the Art Saint Louis gallery will continue to be an enrichment to many and a service to our region’s artists, but with dramatic cuts to our grant funding as a result of the pandemic, it’s clear that philanthropic support must play an important role. If this message finds you in a position to make a one-time contribution, I hope you'll consider doing so.

Thanks as always for your interest, participation and support. I hope to see you in the gallery soon!