Personal Space

Personal Space January 14-February 15, 2017. FREE opening reception Saturday, January 21, 6-8 p.m. (Rescheduled date).

Please join Art Saint Louis for our new exhibit, Personal Space, featuring artworks by 42 St. Louis regional artists from Missouri and Illinois.
Original graphic design by Kathy Duffin.

Personal Space is a juried visual art exhibition featuring artworks and imagery that focus on the human form, the human experience, how people interact, move & use our bodies, especially in terms of personal space. This show features 52 artworks by 42 St. Louis regional artists from Missouri and Illinois. Artworks featured are in a variety of styles, techniques and media including ceramics, collage, drawing, encaustic, mixed media, paintings, handmade paper, pastel, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and textiles.

The exhibit is presented January 14-February 15, 2017 and is free and open to the public. A free opening reception will be held on Saturday evening, January 21, 6-8 p.m. (RESCHEDULED date) Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sundays & holidays.

Our exhibition Jurors are artists Cbabi Bayoc and Ruth Reese. Cbabi Bayoc is a St. Louis-based father, husband, community member, and artist. Cbabi is co-owner of SweetArt Bakeshop & Art Studio. A painter, his subjects include family, children, music, and notably his "365 Days with Dad" series. He is currently working with several area schools on a project called "Emancipaint Your Mind." Ruth Reese is a ceramic artist and owner of Reese Gallery, St. Louis, MO. Ruth received a 2016 Artist Fellowship from The St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. She taught ceramics at St. Louis Community College Meramec & Maryville University. Reese and Bayoc are both past recipients of Regional Arts Commission's Artists Count Individual Grants.

We invite you to visit our Facebook photo album here with images of all of the artworks featured in the Personal Space exhibition. After the show opens, we will also post highlights from the opening reception and gallery installation views.

PARKING RECOMMENDATIONS
There are parking METERS on Pine Street and Olive Street & other nearby streets. Parking meters run 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Fines are steep ($15-20), so don't let your meter expire. If you park at a meter for the reception, remember that meters operate in downtown until 7 p.m. on Saturday. For additional parking suggestions, download a free Downtown Parking Guide here. You can also download the handy Parkmobile app, whereby you can monitor & pay your parking meter via your mobile phone.

Hourly parking is available in the PARK PACIFIC GARAGE on Olive just West of Tucker (entrance is on the South side of Olive). Parking is at your own expense. For garage parking, pay by cash via a machine in elevator bay no more than 15 minutes prior to departure OR the easier way is to pay by credit card upon exiting the garage. Be sure to take your parking receipt/ticket with you when you exit your car to visit the Gallery or you won't be able to get back in to the garage to get to your garage. Your parking ticket is your key to get back in to the garage. Art Saint Louis cannot validate parking.

The Gallery is easily accessible by PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION with MetroLink and MetroBus with MetroBus stops on Olive Street and Tucker right near the building.

SPECIAL EVENT
COFFEE WITH THE ARTISTS: SATURDAY GALLERY TALK
Saturday, January 28, 11 a.m.    FREE

Please join us at Art Saint Louis on Saturday, January 28, at 11 a.m. and meet four of the featured artists in Personal Space.

Guests can enjoy complimentary coffee tastings courtesy of Catalyst Coffee Bar while the artists talk about their works on view in the exhibit, discuss the media that they use and the various techniques that they apply to making their form of artwork. The artists may also bring in samples of their other works or also present a demo of their particular media & techniques. Guests will walk with the artists through the Gallery as they talk about their works on view in the exhibition. This event is FREE & open to the public.

Meet the following artists on January 28 and hear them talk about their featured works:
Jerry Benner, photography
Tracy Farmer-Luster, photography
Alex Johnmeyer, painting
Michelle Streiff, painting

The 42 featured artists in Personal Space are:

Personal Space
Jurors' Statements

“It was absolutely an honor to be asked to be the juror of such an amazing body of work. The artists took the task at hand and approached it from their own space of creativity. The cool part is that they were all justified. Whether or not anyone else sees the connection, myself included, they know what drove their artistic direction and I wanted to be respectful of that. Some were very literal and in your face, while others left a lot of mystery in their intentions. From the whimsical to the realistic, it is always interesting to see how folks with a specific style and voice speak to a particular subject. I wanted to be respectful of the time and intention of the artist and try my best to silence my own artistic voice and taste. I am both proud of the selection we came up with and inspired at the same time. I'm proud to see that art lives in St. Louis.”

— Cbabi Bayoc, father, husband, artist,
co-owner, SweetArt Bakeshop & Art Studio, St. Louis, MO

  “It has been an honor and a pleasure to jury the “Personal Space” exhibition at Art Saint Louis, an organization so deeply integral to the success of artists in the region. Art Saint Louis was the very first gallery that accepted my work and it has been thrilling to return as Juror.
  Please know that I was immediately impressed by this collection of talented and intriguing work in so many mediums and by so many strong artists. Looking through all of the entries was truly inspiring.
Many questions came to mind when I looked at the work. Does the piece have a strong visual impact, with a compelling composition and sense of design?  How does the piece balance its fundamental concept with the skill and craftsmanship of making?  Did the artists have a clear and driving understanding of their intentions and/or inspiration?  How does ambition and confidence play into the piece?  Am I surprised by something altogether new and absent of formula?   I’m always impressed if the artist has a strong sense of their authentic voice as a maker. And last but not least, I want to feel moved by an insightful or intuitive interpretation of the concept of “Personal Space.”  I am pleased to say that many of the images and sculptures in this exhibition are worthy of merit and praise. Truthfully, it was hard to choose from so, so many excellent pieces. Regrettably, many pieces were on my “almost” list. So, please, keep making and keep submitting. You’re time will come.
  To all the exhibiting artists, congratulations are in order.
  As a Juror who has spent hours combing through your images, I’m very eager to see this exhibition in person, to examine work up-close and in the round. Also, I’m looking forward to reflecting upon the concept of Personal Space in your work. Even more, the exhibit will allow viewers to investigate important ideas surrounding boundaries, territory, intimacy, sharing and psychological ownership. We are indebted to you, exhibiting artists, for allowing viewers to engage with these ideas through your artistic compositions and investigations.
  I would also like to take a moment to thank Robin Hirsch-Steinhoff. Without her vision, dedication and generosity of spirit, Art Saint Louis would not be the same. Thank you, Cbabi Bayoc, fellow Juror for your determination to create such a stellar exhibition. To everyone who is a part of Art St. Louis, I can’t tell you how much I—as an extension of the community at large—appreciate your committed support of the arts!”

—Ruth Reese, artist,
Founder & Exhibitions Coordinator, Reese Gallery, St. Louis, MO

Some of the 52 artworks featured in Personal Space:

Madeleine Wagner, St. Louis, MO. "Forlorn." 2016. Plaster, 27"x43"x19". $400.	Jerry Benner, Ferguson, MO. "Girl on Stairway." 2016. Digital Photograph, 16"x20". $250.	Martha Iler, Greenville, IL. "Inner Light." 2015. Acrylic on Canvas, 48"x24". $1,200.
Suzy Farren & Amy Firestone Rosen, St. Louis, MO. "Slipping." 2015. Print on Fabric, Found Scraps, Stitched, 36"x23". Not for Sale. This artwork was selected for an Honorable Mention by the exhibit Jurors.	Christine Giancola, Florissant, MO. "View from my Window." 2015. Photograph, Digital Print from Film Scan, 20"x24". $500.	Dina Fachin, St. Louis, MO. "Life after Birthing." 2016. Acrylic on Canvas , 24”x18”. $150.
Julie Snidle, St. Louis, MO. "Ready for Quiet." 2016. Encaustic on Panel, 24”x18”. $650. This artwork was selected by the exhibit Jurors for an Award of Excellence.	Bill Perry, Maplewood, MO. "Falling." 2013. Print of Original Pen & Ink on Paper, 36”x27”. $500.	Jody Paulson, Carbondale, IL. "Losing Touch." 2016. Inked Collage, 18”x18”. $650.
Dave Carter, Cape Girardeau, MO. "A Face in the Wasteland." 2016. Oil on Canvas, 48”x24”. $800.	Alex Johnmeyer, St. Louis, MO. "Shared Space." 2016. Watercolor, Ink on Paper, 30"x24". $950.	Lisa Hilton, Creve Coeur, MO. "Pieces III." 2016. Porcelain, Stain, Glaze, 17.5”x11”x14”. $800.