Lisa Hilton, Creve Coeur, MO. “Together But Alone.” 2022. Porcelain, Oxide, Glaze 11”x16”x9”.
For 38 years, artists have been submitting their work to Art Saint Louis for consideration in its annual juried show. This year, 127 artists submitted 519 pieces of work to be exhibited, but only 44 artists and 50 pieces were chosen.
“It’s this big group show with all of these different themes and media,” says Robin Hirsh-Steinhoff, artistic director for Art Saint Louis. “It is just a big group exhibit that highlights the range of what’s going on in the St. Louis art community at this time.”
Art Saint Louis presents exhibits in its gallery space year-round, with about seven throughout the year. Art St. Louis XXXVIII, The Exhibition is the nonprofit organization’s final event of the year, and artists were free to submit works on any subject, within any theme. The exhibition will be on display through December 15 at the gallery’s downtown St. Louis location (1223 Pine).
This year’s work was judged by Jennifer Perlow, owner of PS Art Consulting in Conifer, Colorado. Perlow used to own a gallery in Columbia, Missouri, prior to opening her national organization, and Hirsh-Steinhoff says she is still well-respected in the regional art community.
“This show is just one juror, whereas the rest of the year, we have two jurors working in collaboration with one another, coming to an agreement about the works they like,” Hirsh-Steinhoff says. “The works [Perlow] selected reflect where her interests lie, and what she thought was the strongest, and that’s what I really respect about this particular exhibit.”
She also believes the show represents a “wide range of artistic experience” because it is open to artists living within 200 miles of St. Louis. For instance, Michael Anderson is an artist from Belleville, Illinois, whose piece Antique Fair was selected for this year’s show.
Anderson is a member with Art Saint Louis, he explains, so he regularly receives notifications about what opportunities the organization has.
“I’ve been planning on entering the show for awhile,” he says. “I was really happy with the piece that was selected, because I spent several weeks working on it to be recognized by the jury.”
Anderson submitted three works for the show, and his selected piece, Antique Fair, is a 20-by-40-inch oil painting featuring colors and shapes that he’s been experimenting with.
Anderson and other featured artists will be on hand at the gallery’s free public reception for Art St. Louis XXXVIII, The Exhibition on November 12 from 5-7 p.m.
“I see [this show] as very important, because it recognizes the work I’ve been doing,” says Anderson. “Especially to have a new piece like this selected, this just reaffirms the direction I’m headed in … It’s a real honor to be associated with this gallery.”
