Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition

Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition • November 7 - December 23, 2015
FREE reception, Juror's Gallery Talk & Awards: Saturday, November 14, 6-8:30 p.m. 

Please join Art Saint Louis for Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition featuring artworks by 40 St. Louis regional artists from Missouri and Illinois.

Art Saint Louis presents Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition, our 31st annual all media, all themes, all styles, all techniques juried exhibit, appearing in the Art Saint Louis Gallery at 1223 Pine Street in downtown St. Louis, MO. The exhibition is presented November 7 through December 23, 2015, with a FREE reception, Juror's Gallery Talk & Awards on Saturday, November 14, 2015, 6-8:30 p.m., with Juror Porter Arneill.   Gallery hours are Mondays 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays 7 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturdays 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sundays & holidays (closed for Thanksgiving holiday weekend November 26-28). Free & open to the public.   Our 31st annual Exhibition was open artists 21 & older living in St. Louis and the surrounding 200-mile radius. For this year's exhibit, 603 artworks were submitted by 144 St. Louis regional artists for consideration by exhibition Juror Porter Arneill, from which he selected 51 artworks in a variety of media by 40 artists from Missouri and Illinois for the final show. Artworks featured in this year's exhibit address a myriad of themes and are created in a variety of styles, techniques and media. Works featured include ceramics, digital media, drawing, encaustic, painting, pastel, analog and digital photography, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, video, wood, and more. Congratulations to the following artists whose artworks were selected by exhibition Juror Porter Arneill for Awards of Excellence: Connie Farhang for her painting, Grip; Khara Koffel for her sculpture, for what was or never was at all; Linda C. Mueller, for her photograph, 38.620855, -90.334988; William Neukomm for his painting, Portrait of Katrina; and Laura Schumpert for her photograph, Guilt. Two artworks were also selected for Honorable Mentions: Stapled Quilt by Kenn Ball, and Look at Me by Tricia Coyle. Congratulations to Laura Filiatreau on the sale of her photograph, Carnival, from the exhibit. PARKING: Not sure where to park when visiting Art Saint Louis? The Gallery is located on Pine Street just West of Tucker, and with parking meters all along nearby streets that run Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. (cash or credit). There's also a garage in the Park Pacific building (on Olive, 1/2 block West of Tucker) with hourly parking rates (cash or credit). For additional info on nearby parking, visit Downtown StL's website here.

Photo by Emily AmbergerFREE EVENT
COFFEE WITH THE ARTISTS: SATURDAY GALLERY TALK
Join us in the Gallery on Saturday morning, December 5 when we host a free one-hour Gallery talk at 11 a.m. with several of the featured artists from Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition. Guests may enjoy complimentary coffee tastings courtesy of Mississippi Mud Coffee Roasters Cafe while learning about the artists and their artworks. Artists may bring in samples of their other work or also present a demo of their media & techniques. Guests will walk with the artists through the Gallery as they talk about their works on view in the exhibition. Seating is limited.


Porter Arneill, exhibit JurorServing as Juror for Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition is Porter Arneill. Porter Arneill is Director of Arts and Culture for the city of Lawrence, Kansas. He most recently served as the Director/Public Art Administrator for the Kansas City Municipal Art Commission (2002 to 2015) where his responsibilities included project development, management, grant writing, web development, marketing, education and office management. Outreach included service on local and national boards /panels and educational programming. From 2004-2010, Mr. Arneill served as the Co-Vice Chair of the Americans for the Arts /Public Art Network Council. Prior to joining Kansas City, Mr. Arneill served as the Director of Public Art and Education for the Regional Arts Commission in St. Louis. In this role he developed and coordinated public art projects and programs, art education programs and partnerships for this St. Louis City/County arts agency and grantor. Additional relative experience includes Curator of Education/Adjunct Curator of Exhibitions for the Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum in St. Louis. Throughout his career, Mr. Arneill has served as a Lecturer and Adjunct Faculty at various institutions including the Kansas City Art Institute and St. Louis Community College. He holds a BFA and MFA in studio art.

The 40 featured artists in Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition are:

Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition
Juror's Statement

One of the most rewarding and challenging tasks asked of arts professionals is to jury an exhibition. While the process is often uplifting, it can be exhausting too. Within the span of a few hours, the juror makes quite literally hundreds of decisions. Is this work interesting? Is it well crafted?  What level of skill does the artist demonstrate in their chosen media? And, ultimately, is it in―or out?

It’s hoped that the juror brings the experience and wisdom to maintain a high level of objectivity. I know that, over many years of art-making and reviewing portfolios and artworks under a range of circumstances, I’ve developed an internal set of both primary and secondary criteria: Is the work interesting? Is it original? Is it compelling? Is it innovative? Is it well conceived? Does it demonstrate timelessness? Does the work convey a sense of authenticity―do I sense the artist’s uniqueness in the work? Then, when a work gives me pause, I employ another layer of more specific criteria related to composition, presentation, color, creativity, body of work, craftsmanship, etc. And, there are times when criteria seem almost irrelevant; when a work brings something new and unique that challenges convention. Sometimes, it’s good to literally “trust one’s gut.”

For Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition, I viewed and re-viewed 603 artworks by 144 artists multiple times. With such an eclectic range of works, it was quite an adventure. Knowing there’s limited gallery space, I also considered the number and diversity of artworks and how the exhibition might be displayed as a whole. In the end, I chose 51 pieces by 40 artists that I hope provide an aesthetically strong and eclectically cohesive exhibition. (I trust that Robin Hirsch-Steinhoff’s superb curatorial skills will make that a reality!)

Eliminating works was hard; I know firsthand the risk inherent in art-making and the pain of rejection. I congratulate the artists whose works were selected and I encourage the artists whose works were not selected to continue to believe in themselves and their work.

I’m honored and appreciative to serve as the juror for this exhibition. I have many fond memories of Art Saint Louis from when I lived in St. Louis and practiced as both an artist and arts administrator in the 1990s. I’m very pleased to see that Art Saint Louis and the dedicated staff continue the proverbial “good fight,” serving artists and the St. Louis regional community. Bravo!

— Porter Arneill
Director of Arts and Culture
City of Lawrence, Kansas

Some of the 50 artworks featured in Art St. Louis XXXI, The Exhibition: 

William Neukomm, Webster Groves, MO. "Chapterʼs End (A Self Portrait)." 2015. Oil on Belgian Linen, 28”x32”. $3,000.	Laura Schumpert, Cape Girardeau, MO. "Guilt." 2015. Photograph, 24”x24”. $650. This artwork was selected by Juror Porter Arneill for an Award of Excellence.	Khara Koffel, Jacksonville, IL. "for what was or never was at all." 2015. Glass Cloches, Sand from Artist’s Childhood Home, 16”x12”x12”. $1,000. This artwork was selected by Juror Porter Arneill for an Award of Excellence.
Bill Perry, Maplewood, MO. "Working on My Thank You Note to God." 2014. Pen & Ink on Paper, 27”x35”. $500.	Christine Giancola, Florissant, MO. "Chicago Hotel." 2014. Photograph, Digital Print, 20”x24”. $500.	Maurice Hirsch, Chesterfield, MO. "Hanging by a Thread." 2015. Digital Photograph, 8”x12”. $150.
Connie Farhang, Carbondale, IL. "Grip." 2012. Acrylic on Paper, Mounted on Wood, 25.5”x19.5”. Not for Sale. This artwork was selected by Juror Porter Arneill for an Award of Excellence.	Daniel Fishback, Florissant, MO. "401 Trail." 2012. Oil on Canvas, 36”x24”. $1,500.	Michael Albers, Wildwood, MO. "Judith and Holofernes—Homage to Giorgio Vasari." 2015. Photograph, 47”x37”. $1,499.
Janet Fons, St. Peters, MO. "River Rocks." 2014. Oil on Canvas, 12”x16”. $565.	Katherine Ehlmann, Weldon Spring, MO. "I May Be Old But I’m Not Dull." 2014. Silk, Fiber Reactive Dyes, Quilting, Fiber Backed Foil. 25”x12”. $700.	Kenn Ball, Elsberry, MO . "Fragment." 2015. Cotton, Batting, Canvas, 34”x34”. Not for Sale.