Many of you have seen this news bit already, but maybe some of you haven't: local NPR affiliate KWMU is moving to a three-story building in Grand Center. So there will be a broadcasting antenna in Midtown - that's about it, right? Well, the ramifications of this move are more powerful than KWMU's very strong radio waves.
UM-St. Louis has been working hard for the past several years to build up its visual and performing arts programs; this new 27,000 s.f. building at 3651 Olive will further that with new gallery and performance spaces. Grand Center has donated the property, and the university has raised about a quarter of the $12 million needed to remodel the building. I'll note here that UMSL's Gallery 210 and Gallery Visio have curated (and continue to curate) some really excellent - and under-attended - art shows, so I'm excited to see what sort of programming they have planned for those auxilary spaces. —Stefene Russell