Kalee Davidson, St. Charles, MO. “Therapy.” 2022. Acrylic on Canvas, 24”x24”.
Kalee Davidson has never participated in an exhibition before, which makes the self-taught painter’s piece in Personal History, Art Saint Louis’ first exhibition of 2023, extra important to her.
Davidson has been working on her piece, “Therapy,” on and off for about four years. The piece depicts a brain in which everything is calm. The area outside of it represents a life lived.
“There’s some parts that are beautiful, some very colorful,” Davidson says, “and then there are some parts of the past that can never really be fixed, but it’s all part of your story, and it comes together to make something beautiful.”
Davidson says her acrylic painting represents her life, but it can be applied to anyone else’s, which is why she decided to submit it to Art Saint Louis for Personal History. She heard about the gallery when she was trying to learn more about the art scene in the city and ventured into its coffee shop, Catalyst Coffee Bar. A volunteer there told Davidson about the work Art Saint Louis does, and she decided to become a member.
“Then I saw the Personal History exhibit, and I knew I had a painting that was kind of perfect for it,” she says.
Personal History is Art Saint Louis’ first exhibition of 2023 and runs from January 7 to February 15. Seventy-two artists who live within a 200-mile radius submitted work for the show. The jurors, Nancy Palmeri and Naomi Sugino Lear, selected art from 51 artists in Missouri and Illinois for the show.
Maurice Hirsch, Chesterfield, MO. “Thinking About Gelato.” 2022. Digital Photograph on Metal, 16”x24”.
Robin Hirsch-Steinhoff, the gallery’s artistic director, says that there are a variety of pieces in the show, across mediums such as ceramics, collage, digital art, drawing, mixed media, paper, photography, printmaking, textiles, and video.
“Our shows are always open to artists working in any media,” Hirsh-Steinhoff says. “So, it could be pieces made with toothpicks and glue, or it could be paint, printmaking techniques, or photographic works.”
Hirsch-Steinhoff believes this show is important coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while she plans exhibits multiple years in advance, she originally planned something else for the first show of 2023.
“I really thought that there needed to be something where we were looking and reflecting back on the experience we had,” she says. “I’ve done a bunch of shows during this timeframe that take the pandemic life into consideration.”
Mary Wertsch, St. Louis, MO. “Self-Portrait, Soviet Dorm Room 1984.” 2022 Acrylic on Canvas, 37”x19.25”.
Hirsch-Steinhoff says that the pieces in Personal History are “highly competitive,” and there is a wide variety of art depicting everything from intimate portraits to a surgical view of someone’s chest cavity.
Davidson says she’s excited for the exhibition to open up and for the community to see each of the pieces involved in the show.
“I’m excited to hear feedback about my piece and see the interpretations that other people may see in it,” she adds. “I think art is really important, and I think it can be therapy to a lot of people, and I’m excited to see the other pieces, because it’s all representing everyone’s personal history.”
Hirsch-Steinhoff is also looking forward to the community’s responses to such a varied exhibition of work.
“[Personal History] represents a breadth of emotions and viewpoints,” she says. “It’s always interesting to see how people respond to it … One person is going to love something, and the next person is going to hate that same thing, and that shows that they’re looking and caring and responding.”
