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Photograph by Janae Shepherd
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Photograph by Janae Shepherd
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Photograph by Janae Shepherd
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Sleepy Kitty. Photograph by Janae Shepherd
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Sleepy Kitty. Photograph by Janae Shepherd
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The Reverbs. Photograph by Janae Shepherd
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Photograph by Janae Shepherd
This past Saturday at 7 p.m., an unveiling took place of an artistic public space set to change the St. Louis art scene: the Public Media Commons. Located in Grand Center between Nine Network and St. Louis Public Radio on Olive Street, the Commons is collaboration between Nine Network, The University of Missouri-St. Louis, and St. Louis Public Radio. As Nine Network President and CEO Jack Galmiche stated, the Commons is designed to be “an incubator for arts, ideas, and creative thinking,” as well as a community space fostering collaboration and partnership.
The free opening revealed the unlimited artistic possibilities for the Public Media Commons, and brought the community together for an evening of fun, music, art, and ideas. The opening kicked off with an open cash bar, two men on stilts, and four of St. Louis’ most popular food trucks—Holy Crepe, Hot Aztec, Deli on a Roll, and Shell’s Coastal Cuisine. The 9,000-square-foot public space features a pair of two-story video walls, two performances stages and four interactive screens. Glass panels interspersed between the concrete tiles of the ground light up, creating a colorful, vibrant atmosphere.
Around 8 p.m., Galmiche and St. Louis Public Radio Director and General Manager Tim Eby officially introduced the Public Media Commons. “This is a public space to celebrate community,” Galmiche told the crowd. “It is your space.”
I spoke to some attendees of the opening about what they hope to see here. “I hope people see it and go, ‘Wow!’" said Elizabeth Threlkeld, volunteer at Nine Network and member of Webster Nonprofit Leadership Program. "I hope it keeps growing, and people get involved.” Dave Coil, a salesman, was brought to the event by his love of public media. He hopes that public speakers can utilize the space, and the community can use it to speak on public issues. “I hope it draws people from everywhere,” added Jennifer Porter, who works in Marketing for Nine Network. “I hope people will come to eat lunch or hang out and relax. There is no limit for this space. Two public media organizations came together to benefit the community, now all we need to do is get the community.”
The community is already thinking about how they can utilize the space. Morgan Bradley, Brook Seals, and Nick Coulter, members of a group called Project Take Back, say they could see their group using the space for music performances and other events. “In the midst of everything going on in Missouri, this is a nice place to bring people together,” Bradley said.
The event’s introduction was followed by two musical performances and the world premiere of Van McElwee’s newest video. The first band to perform was Sleepy Kitty. The indie rock duo put on a performance that got the crowd to move their feet and sway their hips. Two go-go dancers wearing light up corsets, one blue and one green, also inspired people show off their funky moves. The second band to perform was The Reverbs (whose smooth sound is described by the band itself as “music for ladies that dance in denim"). McElwee’s film, Electric Pilgrims: Everyone Is Everywhere, made its debut between the band performances. McElwee, who has been creating videos for 35 years, is an internationally acclaimed video artist and professor at Webster University in the School of Communications. His video was a site-specific, multi-screen experience, which depicted super-imposed, color-changing images of people on multiple backgrounds. The backgrounds were images of well-known cities and landscapes. I can best describe it as extremely weird, in a good way. I caught up with McElwee after the screening of his video. I asked about the meaning of Electric Pilgrims. “It doesn’t mean anything,” he replied, reminding me that art is subjective; we create its meaning.
Looking ahead, StoryCorps, the Contemporary Art Museum, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Sheldon Concert Hall, and TedX Gateway Arch all have plans for projects on the Commons. The possibilities of what this beautiful space can offer the St. Louis community are endless. Now, Saint Louisans just need to use it, and turn it into the dynamic community space it was designed to be.
For more information and a schedule of events, visit PublicMediaCommonsSTL.org.
