What's going on with Art Saint Louis
- Published on Friday, 06 July 2018 14:36
Friends,
Art Saint Louis is serving our region in meaningful ways, thanks to the support and participation of so many in our community. More is happening in this organization's work than I will attempt to cram into this message. However, as I try to do at this time each year, I'm reaching out to update you on the good that you've helped accomplish, and relay my thanks. First, a few stats:
Two recent exhibits were a perfect example of this, beginning with Varsity Art, our 22nd annual graduate/undergraduate student art show, which brought together students and faculty from 21 area colleges and universities, along with broad network of family and friends, to celebrate some of the region's rising artistic talents. As you can imagine, the gallery was packed to the gills on opening night! As in years past, we took the opportunity to produce "Meet the Artist" video interviews for the students. ASL has published over 100 artist video interviews on our YouTube channel in the last several seasons.
It means a lot to have a platform and opportunity as a young emerging artist to share my work. I was really impressed with the turnout as well. It was great to see so many people who came out to see the show.
Other recent highlights included collaboration with Chalk Riot, CA-based Heavy Projects and PNC Arts Alive, producing three large-scale, augmented reality pavement murals, and sharing these with over 50,000 viewers at the Saint Louis Science Center and at Venture Café in the Cortex District. Viewers interacted with the artworks in person and on smartphones and tablets where the artworks came to life with 3D graphic animations through the Chalk Riot mobile app. For a snapshot of the art and technology in action, check out Fox 2's TV feature on the project. Lastly, ASL is partnering with the new Angad Arts Hotel – located in the Grand Center Arts District - to cultivate extensive, year-round contemporary art programming beginning this fall. Under the direction of ASL, the vibrant 146-guest room Angad Arts Hotel will feature a rotating series of exhibitions and events spotlighting the work of numerous St. Louis regional visual artists in the hotel’s public spaces, as well as extensive collections of original artworks and reproductions in the hotel’s room and suites.. I hope you share my sense that this kind of cultural activity is important to our community, to our region, whether or not it ever makes headline news. What will never make the news are the ripple effects, the stories of individuals quietly impacted by our work to support local art and make it a part of everyday life for people across the socio-economic spectrum--especially through our activity downtown. I was touched by one such story brought to my attention recently by a friend with 13 years' experience working with individuals living with severe mental illness, substance abuse disorders and homelessness, who wrote: One of my good friends, I'll call him Jay, was a frequent visitor to Art Saint Louis and shared with me that he always felt welcome there. Jay told me he was initially drawn to the space for his love of art but stayed in the space because he was not "chased out," which frequently happens to him when other places of business realize he is homeless. Jay struggles with Paranoid Schizophrenia and because of the nature of his illness, vacillates between wellness and delusional. The gateway to reality, for Jay, is finding a path back to good mental health through art. He was drawn to Art Saint Louis because of the beautiful art displayed in the space; he stayed because he was treated with respect and dignity.
Make no mistake about it; ASL is making a difference in our community!
Thank you for helping us move our city and our region forward in creative ways. Thank you especially to our artists, donors and volunteers. It's a joy to partner with you all.Cordially, Chandler Branch Executive Director |
What's going on with Art Saint Louis
- Published on Friday, 06 July 2018 14:36
Friends,
Art Saint Louis is serving our region in meaningful ways, thanks to the support and participation of so many in our community. More is happening in this organization's work than I will attempt to cram into this message. However, as I try to do at this time each year, I'm reaching out to update you on the good that you've helped accomplish, and relay my thanks. First, a few stats:
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New Project Combines Augmented Reality and Pavement Art
- Published on Monday, 21 May 2018 14:31
In partnership with Chalk Riot, Heavy Projects and PNC Arts Alive, Art Saint Louis announces the launch of Pavement Portals, a new public art project combining anamorphic pavement art and mobile-driven augmented reality software. Three large-scale, fortune teller-themed anamorphic (3D) pavement murals will be exhibited at select venues in St. Louis beginning May 24, 2018, and continuing through June 15, 2018.
Colorful and whimsical, Chalk Riot’s Pavement Portals artwork depicts otherworldly fortune telling machines as they emerge from imagined universes to share their knowledge of the future. St. Louis audiences will be invited to interact with the artwork in person and through smartphones and tablets via the Chalk Riot mobile app. Users of the mobile app will see the art come to life with 3D graphic animations created by California-based Heavy Projects.
Pavement Portals will debut on Thursday, May 24, 2018, from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Venture Café St. Louis' Nxt@4240 with PNC & Maryville University event at 4240 Duncan Avenue in the Cortex District. On Friday, June 1, 2018, the project will continue with exhibition at the Saint Louis Science Center, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., as part of the Science Center’s First Friday: Jurassic World event.
Chalk Riot artists Chelsea Ritter-Soronen and Liza Fishbone will give presentations at both events, on May 24 from 4:00 pm. to 5:00 p.m., and on June 1, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., discussing pavement art as one of the country’s fastest growing public art forms, exploring the potential of public art and technology, and sharing production insights from the Pavement Portals project. The artwork will remain on view at the Saint Louis Science Center through June 15, 2018.
Pavement Portals is made possible by PNC Arts Alive, a multi-year grant initiative of the PNC Foundation that challenges visual and performing arts organizations to put forth their best, most original thinking in expanding audience participation and engagement. To date, this award-winning program has provided $2.5 million in grants to cultural organizations across the Greater St. Louis area.
About Chalk Riot
Chalk Riot (http://chalkriot.com) creates chalkboard murals and captivating pavement art for special events, marketing campaigns and interiors. Their team of artists believes that concrete and asphalt are the world's most underutilized canvases, and are rooted in the belief that accessible public art fuels communities. Chalk Riot was established in St. Louis in 2013 and has since expanded to the Bay Area and Austin. In addition to pushing the boundaries of temporary public art with their recent augmented reality pursuits, Chalk Riot's recent clients include Bleacher Report, Greenpeace International, Uber, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Vevo.
About Heavy Projects
Heavy Projects (http://heavy.io) exists to infuse meaningful experiences, thought-provoking content and cutting-edge technology into artistic and commercial digital projects. Originally founded in 2011 at the crossroads of emerging technologies and academia, the Heavy Projects team has gained an international reputation by pioneering artistic mixed reality projects. Since then, Heavy has been pushing the boundaries of what augmented reality can deliver, developing unique insights into crafting experiences that are creative, thoughtful and scalable.
About the PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. To learn more about PNC Grow Up Great, please go to www.pncgrowupgreat.com.
About Art Saint Louis
Nonprofit organization Art Saint Louis (http://artstlouis.org) has promoted the work of contemporary visual artists at work in the St. Louis region for over 30 years. Core services include a year-round series of competition-based exhibitions in the organization’s gallery and café in downtown St. Louis as well a variety of public spaces elsewhere in the region. Other ventures include the ArtLoupe mobile app and Catalyst Coffee Bar.
PAVEMENT PORTALS
Augmented Reality Pavement Art by Chalk Riot and Heavy Projects
Presented by PNC Arts Alive and Art Saint Louis
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Creativity Informed by Time
- Published on Monday, 07 May 2018 23:00
HEC-TV spotlights the latest exhibition at Art Saint Louis, Maturity and Its Muse: Celebrating Artistic Experience. The new exhibition showcases the talents of artists informed by time, artists aged 70+ who, by making art, share their thoughts and ideas about the world and themselves with us. For this exhibit, 135 artworks were submitted by 49 St. Louis regional artists for consideration by exhibition Jurors Lynn Friedman Hamilton and Hannah Klemm, from which 51 artworks in a variety of media by 31 artists from Missouri and Illinois were selected for the final show. Click here for more information on Maturity and Its Muse: Celebrating Artistic Experience.
A Special Day of Giving
- Published on Monday, 16 April 2018 16:54
Art Saint Louis is delighted to participate in the 5th annual Give STL Day, hosted by the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation! On Tuesday, May 2, 2018, we'll join with a host of local nonprofits for a special day of online giving to strengthen and enrich our community.
GiveSTLDay is an important event for Art Saint Louis as one of a select few fundraising campaigns we undertake annually to sustain our work. Your participation and support is invited and greatly appreciated! Funds raised will help our nonprofit organization continue exhibition and outreach programs that celebrate and support visual artists at work in the St. Louis region.
Beginning at midnight on Tuesday, May 2 and continuing for 24 hours only, online donations to Art Saint Louis through GiveSTLday.org will unlock possibilities for matching funds and additional donations from event sponsors. We invite you to join in seizing this opportunity to maximize the impact of your support for our nonprofit work. Visit GiveSTLday.org to see what it's all about and help spread the word.
Thank you for helping us connect and inspire our community through the work of local artists!
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Art Saint Louis │ 1223 Pine Street │ St. Louis, MO │ 63103 │ p: 314-410-7576 │ 
