A new exhibition opening Thursday, February 27 at the Meramec Contemporary Art Gallery at St. Louis Community College Meramec highlights the work of five interior designers, as well as a number of graphic designers. All are alumni of the school’s NASAD-accredited Graphic Communications and Interior Design program.
Co-curated by professors Erin LeClerc (Interior Design) and Michael Swoboda (Graphic Communications), A Legacy of Design: Celebrating the Applied Arts at Meramec showcases the innovative thinking and mastery that the featured designers bring to shaping both built and visual environments, and is meant to inspire current students who want to work in those fields.
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One of the St. Louis interior designers included in the exhibition is Lauren Sweet-Schuler, who has been working for 16 years and started her own firm, Studio Sweet-Schuler, in 2022. Since graduating from the SLCC program, she has been involved at the school, paying forward the knowledge and skills she learned there. After graduating, Sweet-Schuler worked as an education assistant for LeClerc and, eventually, as an adjunct professor of interior design for one semester. She currently serves on the program’s Advisory Committee, reviewing graduating students’ portfolios and providing professional feedback.
“Erin does an amazing job of getting students ready for commercial and residential work within St. Louis. It’s a highly respected program within our community of designers,” Sweet-Schuler says.
LaClerc approached Sweet-Schuler about participating in the exhibition and she was happy to accept. While Sweet-Schuler has had her work previously displayed at the school, this is the largest exhibition of its kind that she’s been a part of. Sweet-Schuler curated an array of projects, both in and outside of St. Louis, illustrating the scope of her work and the primary elements of her design studio, which include streamlined cabinetry and iconic modern furniture and art.
“It’s so great for the students who are interested in design; it gets them to see how important the skills that they’re learning now really do get into some of these great projects. It translates,” she says.
In addition to Sweet-Schuler, the exhibition includes St. Louis-based designers Meghan Heeter, Liz Basler, and Emily Castle–all of Castle Design, as well as Houston-based designer Elliott Beach of Gensler, one of the world’s largest architecture firms. Each exhibit will feature a bio poster with a photo and educational and professional background, accompanied by five to 10 photographs of their work.
Large screens will display the portfolios of select graphic designers, many of whom work in the digital space.
“This is the first time that we’ve done an exhibit like this. We’ve done alumni showcases before in gallery exhibits, but this one is unique in that we’re featuring applied arts,” LeClerc says. “Everyone has a different background and we have so many students in our program that already have work experience and it shows them that you can have that degree–you can come to the two-year college and see how successful you can become.”
A Legacy of Design: Celebrating the Applied Arts at Meramec runs from February 27 through March 27 with a special reception on Thursday, March 6 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. and by appointment.
