Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons is known for having a great eye at the plate. But its his eye for art—as well as that of his wife, fine-art printer and publisher Maryanne Ellison Simmons—that will soon be on display at the Saint Louis Art Museum.
On the heels of Ted’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the couple will share a portion of their collection of more than 800 pieces of contemporary art, dating from the 1960s to the present, including relics of political, social, and art-historical moments. Beginning June 26, more than 200 of them will be available to view at SLAM as part of the Catching the Moment exhibition, which marks the first showing of the collection. SLAM acquired the pieces in 2020 through a joint gift purchase arrangement.
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The exibition features the work of dozens of artists, among them Kiki Smith, Enrique Chagoya (whose “Detention at the Border of Language” is pictured above), and St. Louis artist Tom Huck, whose work makes up around 400 of the couple’s pieces. Although the exhibit will highlight prints, it also includes works across many other media.
“The visitor is getting to see through the eyes of the collectors,” says curator Andrea L. Ferber. “We’ve really organized the exhibition in response to what’s in the collection.”
Ferber and fellow curators Elizabeth Wyckoff and Clare Kobasa selected the pieces through countless conversations. They wanted to evoke Simmons’ baseball career, Kobasa says, while recognizing the attention that the couple has paid to the art and artists of their collection.
Most special exhibits are planned for two to three years before they open, but Catching the Moment was organized in just 18 months. Ferber says the process was sped up to bring the collection to the forefront and ride the wave of attention after Simmons was formally enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame and had his number retired by the Cardinals last year.
“My favorite part has been the whole world of artists—some of whom I knew, some of whom I am meeting for the first time through this collection,” says Kobasa. She say the exhibition is not a culmination, but a first step in what is hopefully a “long and exciting” life for the Simmons collection.
Keep the Ball Rolling
SLAM will host its Art Hill Film Series, featuring music, food, and films, beginning in early July. The theme for the four-film series, “Game On!” was inspired by Catching the Moment.
When men were fighting World War II, women stepped in to fill many jobs—including those in sports. Sisters Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty) find themselves at odds during their time in the the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
In 1981 Los Angeles, 11-year-old Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) moves next door to Quincy McCall (Omar Epps). Watch their love-hate relationship, and their passion for the game, grow as they tackle life’s obstacles.
Jess (Parminder Nagra) and Jules (Keira Knightley) dream of playing professional soccer like their hero, David Beckham. Through relationship drama and pressure from Jess’ traditional Indian parents, the girls do their best to pursue the sport they love.
This film, selected by a public vote, follows new kid in town Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) as he learns about friendship, life, and baseball from a team of neighborhood boys.
