Kay WalkingStick, Cherokee, born 1935; “Chief Joseph Series”, 1974-76; acrylic, ink and wax on canvas; each: 20 x 15 inches; National Museum of the American Indian 26/5366; © Kay WalkingStick
Kay WalkingStick's "Chief Joseph Series"
SLAM's Action/Abstraction Redefined: Modern Native Art, 1940s–1970s
Whether you prefer historic artifacts or exploring the abstract, there's plenty to take in this month at the city's many museums and galleries. Here are a few must-see shows to catch in June.
Crafting-A-Future Exhibition – June 3-17
This two-week exhibition highlights the work of students in Craft Alliance's Crafting-A-Future program, which provides intensive education in craft media to area students. Help celebrate the results of the portfolio-developing mentorship program at the exhibition's opening reception on Saturday, June 3.
Action/Abstraction Redefined: Modern Native Art, 1940s-1970s – June 24 through September 3
Opening June 24 in the Saint Louis Art Museum's Mae M. Whittaker Gallery, Action/Abstraction is the museum's first-ever exhibition to focus on modern Native American art. The exhibition is organized by the Institute of American Indian Arts' Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, but SLAM curators have expanded the number of works included for the St. Louis iteration of the exhibition.
2023 Off the Block Print Exhibition – Through June 24
Head to Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles to experience this annual summer juried exhibition of print media and methods, featuring the work of a dozen artists. Monotype, screen printing, etching, and woodcut are just some of the featured processes in this collection of pieces. The exhibition will be capped off by the arts center's Block Party, featuring prints produced via steamroller, on June 24.
Image from Emily Elliot's "After The Disco." Courtesy of Kranzberg Arts Foundation.
After The Disco – Through July 8
Multidisciplinary artist and KAF Artist-in-Residence Emily Elliot's colorful, immersive installation at High Low Gallery is centered on an essential question: What if? Framed as a precursor to both anxiety and the capacity for joy, the question appears over and over throughout the exhibition, recreating "the experience of an anxious brain stuck in a thought loop."
Torkwase Dyson: Bird and Lava – Through July 10
Abstracted forms and a whole lexicon of meaningful shapes help artist Torkwase Dyson meditate on infrastructure, history, and inequality in this far-reaching exhibition. Head to the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum's James M. Kemper Gallery and Video Gallery to experience Dyson's work across various media.
Counterpublic 2023 – Through July 15
Public art will blossom all over St. Louis this spring and summer as Counterpublic 2023, one of the nation's largest public art forums, takes shape. The civic exhibition runs for three months every three years, and this year will include more than 30 artists, including Damon Davis, Juan William Chávez, Yvonne Osei, and David Adjaye.
Yoshihara Jiro (Japanese, 1905–1972), White Line on Black, 1968. Oil on canvas, 71 1/2 x 89 5/8". Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr., 1974. Courtesy of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
"Killing the Buddha:" Reconstructing Zen – Through July 24
Curated by the recipients of the 2022 Arthur Greenberg Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship, "Killing the Buddha:" Reconstructing Zen at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum examines Zen through the lens of three themes: meditation, movement, and reinterpretation. The installation features works from across history, with particular focus on the Kemper's 20th-century collection.
Faye HeavyShield: Confluences – Through August 6
In her more than 30 years of producing art, Faye HeavyShield has used her work to tell the stories of her family, her traditions, and her experiences in the residential school system as a member of the Kainai (Blood) Nation, part of the Blackfoot Confederacy, in Alberta, Canada. This exhibition of HeavyShield's drawings and sculptures from the 1980s to now also includes two commissions directly inspired by the St. Louis area's history and landscape.
Spirits Roaming the Earth – Through August 13
Conceptual artist Jacolby Satterwhite’s diverse interests and media will be explored in Spirits Roaming on the Earth, the first major survey of his work, at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Featuring sculptures, 3D animation, immersive experiences, and new-media works, Spirits Roaming on the Earth invites viewers to enter Satterwhite’s fantastical imagination.
Coloring STL – Through February 18, 2024
The newest exhibition from the Missouri History Museum gives visitors a chance to embrace their creativity while learning about the impressive architectural history of our city. More than 50 St. Louis landmarks have been rendered on the walls of the museum's galleries in black and white, waiting to be colored in by attendees each day.
