Photograph by Jennifer Hengst
Terry Suhre contemplates a small pile of glass fragments lying neatly beneath a wall installation, a long piece of glass with "TRUSTWORTHY" painted in blocky letters. "This has caused some confusion with our maintenance staff," Suhre chuckles dryly. This may be a surprisingly laissez-faire sentiment coming from a gallery director forced to display a damaged artwork, but Suhre clearly appreciates the historical precedent at work — Marcel Duchamp famously embraced the fracturing of his famous The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, finally declaring it complete, after eight years of work, when he was told of the damage. "The broken part really adds further depth and meaning to the piece," Suhre comments, adding that the artist, Archie Scott Gobber (as Duchamp before him), was not at all perturbed by the accident.
Indeed, there is much that is unexpected about Suhre and his charge, Gallery 210, located on the University of Missouri–St. Louis' sprawling, North County campus. Suhre completely defies the stereotype of gallery director as smug, urbane hipster. Wearing khaki slacks and holding a small Styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand with the other stuffed in a pocket, he might be the last person you'd expect to hear holding forth about a "wild and crazy" artist from Texas (Bale Creek Allen) whose work includes, among other subjects, taxidermy snake sculptures and "large, vernacular photographs of Texas highways." In spite of his mild-mannered exterior, Suhre clearly relishes art that stirs the pot. This embrace of that which is fresh, unpredictable and maybe a little challenging is central to Suhre's curatorial vision. "I think that the goal is to bring to town, within the means of the gallery, artists who are taking chances, who have a variety of materials, aesthetic and philosophical viewpoints that maybe aren't seen here all that often. I get lots of proposals, and I'll say, ‘I haven't seen that, that's new to me,' and I'll see if it's been around here."
"Within the means of the gallery" is a phrase that pops up over and over again during my conversation with Suhre. Working for a university-affiliated gallery has its upside, in that overhead costs are not an issue, something any gallery owner would envy. But despite this, Suhre says, "budgets are very small. We have to pay the bills by grant-writing and federal work-study. That does limit some of the things that we can do. We would like to do more ambitious publications, more ambitious outreach, but we simply don't have the resources, manpower or budgets to do it."
But Suhre is anything but self-pitying or down on his situation. He is full of enthusiasm about Gallery 210's upcoming shows, particularly a show of architect Rocio Romero's prefabricated, green housing. He describes her houses as "green to make, green to take care of. They have a certain kind of Mies van der Rohe elegance." The Romero show will feature models of the architect's structures built by gallery intern Chris Carl, videos of the structures being constructed, on-site photographs and, as Suhre notes, "I'm begging for any original drawings or plans she may have, something that really shows her hand at work." There will also be a show from Bale Creek Allen, an exhibition of Tony Fitzpatrick's etchings and Gallery 210's annual "Exposure" show, which presents young, emerging local artists. This year's "Exposure" will feature video work by Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, Andrew Millner's digitized flora and the sculptures of Snail Scott.
Suhre may not have glossy catalogs, flat screens or hardwood floors, but at UMSL he has something more valuable than all that: the opportunity to work with students who give "110 percent"; plus the intellectual freedom that comes with university affiliation. "That's what all university art galleries are really good at, is giving those emerging artists or even established artists a chance to break out and do something different," he says. And what more can St. Louis ask for, but a curator willing to put up with institutional carpeting for the sake of presenting something different?
See "Portfolio: Work From the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School," an exhibition featuring work by upperclassmen at St. Louis' arts magnet school, through June 9. Gallery 210 is located on the UM–St. Louis campus, 44 East Drive, between the UMSL North MetroLink station and the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Hours are 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Tue–Sat; call 314-516-4997 or go to gallery210.umsl.edu for more details.
