As Counterpublic—the triennial contemporary art exhibition that takes place at spaces across St. Louis—prepares for its third event, the organization isn’t asking too much of its guests. Just that they take a leap of faith.
Dubbed Coyote Time after a cartoon concept familiar to anyone who has ever seen Wile E. Coyote hang in midair over an expanse, Counterpublic 2026 invites attendees to take a chance on new artistic experiences in strange times.
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“It is that moment where you jump, you take the risk, and you could fall—or a platform could appear,” says Counterpublic’s deputy director Kristin Fleischmann Brewer. “We really embrace that idea…to take this leap together at this moment, when there’s so much uncertainty in the world and so much upheaval. What does it mean for us to take the risk and jump and ask people to do that with us?”
Video games have long used the concept of “coyote time” to give players a moment to act even after they’ve wandered off a ledge or platform. The exhibition borrowed the title from the work of one of its featured artists, Alice Bucknell, whose commissioned artwork for the exhibition is a playable St. Louis–inspired video game on display at City Museum.
Bucknell is one of more than 50 artists whose work will be spread across major institutions and neighborhoods from September 10 to December 12, including the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the National Building Arts Center, The Ville, Tower Grove, the Mississippi riverfront, and more.
“Coming off the last edition, we were more convinced than ever that St. Louis is ready for this, and eager and hungry for this type of project that is not only bringing art into public spaces, but also connecting the dots of different neighborhoods, different experiences, and the different cultural institutions we have here in St. Louis,” says James McAnally, executive and artistic director of Counterpublic. “We have such good institutions, and we feel like Counterpublic should be one moment in which everyone is collaborating.”
To that end, the 2026 event is more embedded than ever in spaces that draw people into the city. Bucknell’s game will engage families at City Museum. A posthumous exhibition celebrating the work of Ferguson-born artist Juanita McNeely, who never had a hometown solo show in her lifetime, will stretch across both CAM and SLAM. Outside the walls of the city’s major institutions, Counterpublic will also establish cultural hubs in its host neighborhoods that will place several projects within walking distance of one another, allowing attendees to drop into a location and spend the afternoon exploring.
“We want the art to feel accessible so that you can show up, and hopefully art will feel less intimidating,” Fleischmann Brewer says. Resources for visitors include physical and digital editions of educational materials, integration with the Bloomberg Connects app, and bike rentals from Big Muddy Adventures.
With dozens of newly commissioned pieces from so many locally and globally recognized artists, Counterpublic’s three months of programming are an essential—yet ephemeral—piece of the cultural landscape.
“Artists are making this work intentionally for St. Louis, building on the sites and ideas and people that they have encountered here,” McAnally says. “It’s truly an experience you can only get coming to Counterpublic in that moment.”
MORE TO KNOW
GETTING HER DUE
VENUE-SPANNING EXHIBITION PAYS TRIBUTE TO FERGUSON-BORN ARTIST JUANITA MCNEELY.
Curated by Counterpublic co-curator Raphael Fonseca in partnership with the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis’ Dean Daderko and the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Simon Kelly, the exhibition is the first solo show of McNeely’s work in her hometown. CAM will host a monumental, 13-panel painting titled “Triskaidekaptych,” one of McNeely’s largest works. At the Saint Louis Art Museum, a selection of paintings, drawings, and ceramics will capture the artist’s evolution—appropriate, as McNeely frequently visited SLAM, where she’d sketch works by Max Beckmann, Paul Gauguin, and others.
The CAM presentation will be on view from September 10 through February 7, 2027, while the collection at the Saint Louis Art Museum will run from September 12 through February 28, 2027.
