Courtesy of Museum Blue
In February 2015, Museum Blue presented You are the last of the Cadillac, an exhibition by artist Hélène Baril.
To visit Museum Blue, find City Museum’s side entrance. Take the elevator to the fourth floor. Walk past a series of artists’ studios until you come to the second-to-last door at the end of the hall. Open it, and you’ll see bright white walls—and the most shockingly blue floor you’ve ever seen.
“It comes from painters’ blue tape,” says Carlie Trosclair, one of the four artists who founded Museum Blue in 2014. Trosclair, Lauren Cardenas, Gina Grafos, and Mike Behle (who also runs Paul Artspace in North County) all keep studios in this space; the front area was too small and oddly shaped to use as workspace, so they decided turn it into Museum Blue—the name picked to differentiate themselves from the larger museum they’re ensconced inside. “I remember being pretty unanimous about the shade of blue, too,” Cardenas says, “which was kind of weird. We were just, like, ‘That’s the blue! That has to be the blue.’” “It was also Mike’s blue pants,” Grafos reminds her. Behle nods: “Which, I’m sad to say, no longer exist.”
Courtesy of Museum Blue
The exhibition Water, Water featured work by artists Allison Lacher and Jeff Robinson.
That blue floor is now driving many of the shows. Initially, artists hung existing work, but now many of them are submitting project proposals. That was the case with Allison Lacher and Jeff Robinson’s show Water. Water., which was still up the day we visited. Right over the threshold, the artists constructed a giant raft from simple hardware store materials, including wood, carpet padding, and vinyl. The floor was the metaphorical body of water that it sailed on, with waves and eddies created in the corners from silver duct tape and giant blue sequins.
“The white walls, the blue floor, the irregular footprint—it makes it a dynamic space,” Behle says. The gallery’s out-of-the-way-ness makes the experience magical and dynamic, too.
In February, Museum Blue exhibits work by St. Louis painter and master printer Tom Reed, whose work will also respond to the museum’s physical space.
Other Museums Off the Beaten Path
- Inside the Economy Museum: Housed in the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s grand building, the museum’s 100 exhibits include video, sculpture, and games. The best part: It’s free. stlouisfed.org.
- Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum: The new museum houses such nifty items as Mark Twain’s failed attempt at rewriting Tom Sawyer for the stage.
- Historic Museum of Torture Devices: Want to see actual thumbscrews? This museum, housed in what’s promoted as the most haunted building in Alton, is the place to go.
