Fall Arts Guide

l l Fa s t r A 2016

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We look forward to sweater weather because, well, we like sweaters—not to mention the dry, earthy smell of dead leaves and that perfect chill that descends sometime around late September. But maybe that’s because we associate those things with the excitement of a new fall arts season. There’s nothing like heading out on that first night and feeling the electricity of the curtain rising in a theater that’s been dark all summer.

Or standing in line in front of a club, waiting for the doors to open as the cool kids’ cigarette smoke hangs in the cold air. Fall is when the big show-stopping dance ensembles roll through town; when museums unveil exhibits their curators have been working on for 10 years; when all the festivals seem to happen all at once. We do our best to preview it all, which grows more difficult, but more exciting, every year. For 2016, there are new venues to check out, including Joe Edwards’ Delmar Hall, and there’s Murmuration, a new festival at Cortex that combines art and tech in a way unlike anything that’s come before it.

Several solid, traditional arts organizations are celebrating significant milestones. And, as always, hundreds of St. Louis arts organizations are busy programming top-notch events, from classical music concerts to edgy improv theater.

BY JOSEPH HESS, MELISSA MEINZER, KATY PRZYBYLSKI, STEFENE RUSSELL, AND MARY TOMLINSON

2016/2017 PRESENTING SPONSOR

September 2016 stlmag.com

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THE BLACK REP 40 YEARS

TOP 10 FALL EVENTS

theblackrep.org

Cheers to the Jubilee

WE’RE GLAD TO REPORT THAT THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME.

When something’s truly good, it tends to stand the test of time. And in St. Louis, we’ve grown used to a wealth of options when it comes to longstanding excellence in the arts.

This year is a big one for theater in particular, with milestone birthdays all around—The New Jewish Theater turns 20 this year, and New Line Theatre is celebrating a quarter-century.

We asked three of the longest-running groups for some insight into how they’ve been around so long and how they plan to keep it up.

Ron Himes founded the nation’s largest professional African-American theater company in 1976 and still helms the dynamic troupe.

HOW HAS THE BLACK REP MANAGED TO THRIVE AND STAY RELEVANT? I believe the support of our audiences and donors contributes greatly to our longevity—also, the dedication and commitment of our board and staff to producing theater from an African-American perspective.

HOW DO YOU KEEP THE WORK FRESH AND KEEP FROM GETTING BORED AFTER SO MUCH TIME? I try to keep young, talented writers, actors, and designers around who challenge me and question how and why we do the work that we do.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE AMONG THE SHOWS YOU’VE PUT ON? All of the August Wilson Century Cycle.

Theater and Dance

Miss Julie, Clarissa and John THE BLACK REP

SEPTEMBER 7–25 theblackrep.org Mark Clayton Southers’ critically acclaimed adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie—which asks whether love can transcend not just class but also race—makes its Midwestern premiere while opening The Black Rep’s 40th-anniversary season.

Sister Act STAGES ST. LOUIS

SEPTEMBER 9–OCTOBER 9 stagesstlouis.org

REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS

THE SAINT LOUIS CHAMBER CHORUS

repstl.org

chamberchorus.org

Since its inception, in 1966, The Rep has been a mainstay of the Midwestern theater scene.

Artistic director Steven Woolf is a Kevin Kline Award winner and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Missouri– St. Louis.

The choir, which is helmed by conductor Philip Barnes, has released more than a dozen CDs.

50 YEARS

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE AMONG THE SHOWS YOU’VE PUT ON? That’s really a hard call. I’d say Arcadia, Humble Boy, Sunday in the Park with George, Red, All the Way...

HOW DO YOU KEEP THE WORK FRESH AND KEEP FROM GETTING BORED AFTER SO MUCH TIME? The theater is ever-changing, and plays and musicals fit audiences and the wide world differently all the time. Every time the house lights dim, it is a new adventure full of new discoveries. Boredom just isn’t part of the equation.

55 YEARS

HOW DO YOU KEEP IT FRESH AND KEEP FROM GETTING BORED AFTER SO MUCH TIME? In the mid-1990s, we initiated a “residency” for composers, and over the past two decades we have worked closely with four diverse artists from around the world, as well as more than 20 composers from four continents.

CAN YOU SHARE A FAILURE THAT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM? Too numerous to mention.

The day we stop failing is the day we stop learning. Audiences and performers don’t always react similarly to the same piece, and so it’s vital to balance inspiring the singers with entertaining and educating the audiences. —M.M.

Based on the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg, this ebullient musical adaptation—making its first run at Stages—features a discoflavored score by Alan Menken, the hitmaker behind Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Shakespeare in the Streets SEPTEMBER 16–18 sfstl.com/in-the-streets For its fifth year, SITS tells the story of Maplewood through the lens of “Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, with a little Romeo and Juliet thrown in.” Always full of surprises, SITS casts Richmond Heights mom Joanna Battles as Macbeth—and scores the production with a live bluegrass band.

Celebration NEW LINE THEATRE

“Craftoberfest! Contrary to popular belief, you can save the world by going shopping. Support makers and entrepreneurship in St. Louis at our many indie craft shows.” —Autumn Wiggins, founder, Strange Folk Festival 84

stlmag.com September 2016

SEPTEMBER 29–OCTOBER 22 newlinetheatre.com The St. Louis premiere of the poetic, experimental 1969 play by the producers of The Fantasticks uses a nearly bare stage

Photography by James Byard/Washington University; Lon Brauer; William A. Bascom, 2016

and masked actors; its message of reconciling opposites is as timely now as it was at the close of the tumultuous ’60s.

This year’s winners include a story of the devil and Texas Hold ’Em and a futurist tale of climate change.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company

Golda’s Balcony THE NEW JEWISH THEATRE

DANCE ST. LOUIS

OCTOBER 6–30

SEPTEMBER 30 & OCTOBER 1

newjewishtheatre.org

dancestlouis.org

As the U.S. stands at the edge of an unprecedented moment in history—possibly electing its first female president— this biographical play about Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir takes on even greater resonance.

Analogy/Dora: Tramontane, based on interviews Jones conducted with 96-yearold Dora Amelan, a Jewish nurse who survived World War II, braids together dance and poetry—with affecting results.

A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival SEPTEMBER 30 & OCTOBER 1 pad.artsci.wustl.edu/ Hotchner2016 Each year, Washington University brings in a professional dramaturg to work with up-and-coming young playwrights, then produces the best works of the bunch.

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Until the Flood THE REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS

OCTOBER 12–NOVEMBER 6 repstl.org Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith’s new play, which is making its world premiere, is based on interviews conducted during Ferguson and captures all of the complexity and heartbreak that

stlmag.com September 2016

we’re still coming to terms with, two years later.

“As someone who is not a swing dancer and doesn’t really listen to swing music, the Nevermore Jazz Ball & St. Louis Swing Dance Festival is one of my favorite events in the city.

It’s incredible. You don’t have to be in the swing scene to appreciate it.”

—Em Piro, founder of St. Lou Fringe

Fun Home THE FOX THEATRE

NOVEMBER 15–27 fabulousfox.com We were shocked and thrilled to see this one open at home just a season after it swept the Tony Awards. If you see nothing else this fall, grab tickets to this pitch-perfect adaptation of graphic novelist Alison Bechdel’s poignant coming-of-age memoir.

The Nutcracker ST. LOUIS BALLET

DECEMBER 16–23 stlouisballet.org Give Gen Horiuchi the most done-to-death ballet and he somehow finds subtle, magical ways to give it new edge and sparkle. He has his work cut out for him here: SLB delivers the freshest, most exciting version of Tchaikovsky’s classic, year after year.

Photography by Joan Marcus

TOP 10 FALL EVENTS

Music Beyoncé: The Formation World Tour THE DOME AT AMERICA’S CENTER

SEPTEMBER 10 explorestlouis.com/event/ beyonce

Making Space

INTRODUCING .ZACK AND DELMAR HALL

T

wo new spaces open this fall, one bringing a new concept to the nuts and bolts of performing arts and the other meeting the need for a midsize concert venue. The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has been building out and vetting hopeful groups for residencies at The .ZACK (zack.events), a Midtown theater incubator, workspace, and venue. And Delmar Hall (delmarhall.com), brainchild of Joe Edwards, is the missing link in capacity between The Duck Room and The Pageant.

The .ZACK is a 40,000-square-foot, fourfloor multiuse space in the Cadillac Building (3224 Locust), former home of Plush Nightclub. It includes a 200-seat theater, a private “Urban Ballroom” with an adjacent spa suite for weddings and fundraisers, office space, a cocktail lounge, and a full-service catering setup and restaurant run by David Kirkland.

The modern twist is that The .ZACK will be taking a page from Silicon Valley’s book.

Nine resident arts organizations, selected by a committee of arts professionals, will share the space as a performing arts incubator, with access to such shared resources as office space, prop and set storage, and buildand-paint rooms—not to mention the inci-

dental intellectual frisson that occurs when creatives share physical space.

“It’s time for the arts to step up in the areas of shared resources,” says Chris Hansen, the foundation’s director of operations. “It’s a culture.”

Edwards says his latest venue will be open by the end of September. “It’s going to fill that sweet spot between The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill’s 300-capacity space and The Pageant’s 2,000 capacity,” he says.

Edwards figures that such a space can help bands and fans get to know each other on an accelerated timeline. Rather than playing The Duck Room and waiting a year or two to generate enough buzz to fill The Pageant, Edwards says, bands can return more frequently. “They can build up a big fanbase in the center of our country.”

The $3 million project, undertaken with Kiku Obata & Company and Edwards’ business partner Pat Hagin, involves lopping off and rebuilding the back three-fifths of the building, which once housed Big Shark Bicycle Company, and rebuilding it in levels, similar to an orchestra setup, providing the height to accommodate lights and special effects.

“I think St. Louis is going to be very happy when they see this,” he says. “It’s built for music, not just adapted.” —M.M.

With Formation and Lemonade, Bey’s made it clear that she’s not just the globe’s current reigning pop empress but actually a serious artist who changes the music industry every time she releases a new project. We’re lucky to be graced with her presence.

Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas THE FIREBIRD

SEPTEMBER 18 firebirdstl.com If you caught Hernandez’s set last year at LouFest, you probably already have your tickets. The Detroit native combines 21stcentury pop with retro girl band moxie, but it’s her huge, versatile voice that really wows.

Stir DELMAR HALL

SEPTEMBER 30 delmarhall.com Joe Edwards inaugurates his newest concert venue (more at left) with a homecoming show by Stir, one of the first St. Louis indie bands to break through to mainstream success in the ’90s.

Angel Olsen OFF BROADWAY

“New Music Circle...books many of the most progressive musical artists working today. Every season, I’ve come away from at least one show hearing music, thinking about it in a new way.”

—Mike Herr, co-founder of Pü Fest

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SEPTEMBER 30 offbroadwaystl.com Olsen, born and raised in St. Louis, is impossible to reduce to a genre; her jumpy, haunted voice sounds like no one else’s, and her songs are visceral Illustration courtesy of The Pageant

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but literary and smart. It’s no wonder that halfway through the year, the first two singles released off her new record, My Woman, both made USA Today’s list of the best songs of 2016.

The Suffers

so maybe that’s why he’s doing a tiny jaunt, versus a full-blown tour. Either way, St. Louis is lucky enough to be on the itinerary.

Mavis Staples THE SHELDON

NOVEMBER 5

BLUEBERRY HILL

thesheldon.org

OCTOBER 8

That voice! That history! We balk at using that limp word “legendary”—but it actually applies here, and how.

Staples has influenced generations of musicians, including Bob Dylan; has been sampled by hip-hop’s hottest artists; and, at age 77, has just released a new record, Livin’ on a High Note.

blueberryhill.com More LouFest veterans, The Suffers have been described (by NPR) as “the perfect mix of power and delicacy.” Seeing this 10piece soul band in the intimate confines of The Duck Room will be, we guarantee, a concert experience those present will be talking about for years to come.

St. Louis Symphony: Tribute to Prince POWELL HALL

“I really think that Q in the Lou, the St. Louis BBQ festival, brings in some of the best (and also showcases some of our best) in the BBQ world.

There’s also going to be an expanded music component this year.”

—Mike Van Hee, co-founder, LouFest

OCTOBER 9 stlsymphony.org Prince wasn’t just one of the best-selling musicians of all time; he was a genius who combined American musical forms—including funk, psychedelia, and pop— into something totally original. (Even his little ditty about lunch, written for a 1997 cameo on The Muppets, sparkled with magic.) The symphony pays tribute to his life and work with orchestral arrangements of his bestknown work, including “Purple Rain,” “U Got the Look,” and “Raspberry Beret.”

DEDICATED TO ART AND FREE TO ALL

Seated Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), 11th century; Chinese, Northern Song dynasty (960–1127); wood, gesso, and pigment with gilding; height: 39 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 110:1947

Open Tuesday—Sunday, Always Free slam.org

Corinne Bailey Rae / Andra Day THE PAGEANT

OCTOBER 4 thepageant.com Ebullient British singer-songwriter Rae is joined by Day, who wowed with her Black Lives Matter anthem “Rise Up” after the Mothers of the Movement speeches at this year’s Democratic National Convention.

The 442s JAZZ AT THE BISTRO

OCTOBER 26 & 27 jazzstl.org This hybrid quartet, which boasts some of the city’s best jazz players, as well as members of the St. Louis Symphony, is homegrown—but starting to catch the ears of listeners nationally.

Beck PEABODY OPERA HOUSE

SEPTEMBER 23 peabodyoperahouse.com He doesn’t have a new record out—just a highspirited new single, “Wow”—

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Illustration/photo

by JohnSantos Smith Photography by Myriam

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Kelley Walker, Black Star Press (rotated 180 degrees); Press Star, Press Black, 2006. Digital print and chocolate on canvas, two panels, each 83 by 104 inches; overall 83 by 208 inches. Collection of Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz, Miami. Kelley Walker, Untitled +180 or -180 hue, 2007. Digital print and gold leaf on laser-cut steel, 58 by ⅛ inches; aluminum stand, 57 by 36 by 36 inches.

[Nancy and Stanley Singer]. Kelley Walker, Bug_113A/S, 2014. Four-color process silkscreen on aluminum, 10½ by 11¼ by 13 inches. Private Collection. Kelley Walker, Untitled (Domus May 2012), 2013. Four-color process silkscreen with acrylic ink and magazine collage on canvas, 100 by 58 inches. Courtesy of Christopher Bass.

Real/Radical/Psychological: The Collection on Display KEMPER ART MUSEUM

SEPTEMBER 9–JANUARY 15 kemperartmuseum.wustl. edu The Kemper celebrates 10 years in its current building by filling all of its galleries with infrequently seen masterworks from its permanent collection, including pieces by Catherine Opie, Philip Guston, and Leonard Baskin.

TOP 10 FALL EVENTS

Visual Arts Kelley Walker: Direct Drive CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM–ST. LOUIS

SEPTEMBER 16–DECEMBER 31 camstl.org For his first solo museum show, CAMSTL is handing over the entire building to Walker—including all of the galleries, the Project Wall, the courtyard, the mezzanine, and the front of the building.

Some of the timeliest work in the show is from Walker’s Black Star Press series, which addresses social unrest and race relations.

Conflicts of Interest: Art and War in Modern Japan SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM

OCTOBER 16–JANUARY 8 slam.org This show runs concurrently with Impressions of War, a series of powerful Goya

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prints depicting atrocities committed by Napoleon’s troops during France’s occupation of Spain. By contrast, the Conflicts of Interest exhibit presents battlefields and military conquests in ways that are almost abstract; objects include painted screens, game boards, and even textiles.

raumlaborberlin: 4562 Enright Avenue PULITZER ARTS FOUNDATION

THROUGH OCTOBER 15 pulitzerarts.org The museum invited German architecture collective raumlaborberlin to construct its first major American project here in St. Louis. Using materials from a house slated for demolition in Lewis Place, its members created an installation inside the Pulitzer that invites viewers to think about St. Louis’ built environment—and how it mirrors the lived day-to-day experience of its citizens.

stlmag.com September 2016

Erika Diettes: Sudarios MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS ART

SEPTEMBER 25–DECEMBER 4

“Pü Fest started as an alternative to LouFest, and I like how it brings different styles of alternative music to one venue. It also brings in like minds and alternative bands from around the U.S. to play with locals.

It’s great crosspollination and audience share.”

—Blaire Hamilton, Founder of City of Night St. Louis

mocra.slu.edu Colombian artist and anthropologist Diettes’ fabric flags, printed with the black-andwhite portraits of Colombian women who were forced to witness acts of atrocity committed by their own government, will hang in MOCRA’s former chapel.

Outside In: Paint for Peace AUGUST 27–NOVEMBER 19 cocastl.org This citywide series of collaborative exhibits includes selected murals painted during the unrest in Ferguson, with a series of rolling exhibits planned for The Millstone Gallery at COCA, Gallery 210, the Missouri History Museum, the Vaughn Cultural Center, the Ferguson Youth Initiative, and The Sheldon Art Galleries.

NOW ENROLLING FOR FALL CLASSES One of the nation’s leading arts organizations, COCA offers classes for all ages in dance, theatre,voice, art & design and even fitness.

FABULOUS FOX THEATRE

COCA | 314.561.4898 | cocastl.org

314-534-1111 • Metrotix.com • Fox Box Office September 2016 stlmag.com

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Map It Out: First Fridays What looks like a scheduling conflict is really an opportunity: Both Grand Center and Old North hold gallery strolls on the first Friday of every month. The two neighborhoods are not far apart, so it’s possible to hit both; combined, they make for a much richer experience.

The first art walk of the fall season is September 2. Here’s a little bit of background on what to expect from each. If you start the night early, you can make stops at White Flag Projects in The Grove or Philip Slein, Duane Reed, Atrium, and projects+gallery in the Central West End.

FIRST FRIDAYS IN GRAND CENTER

OLD NORTH FIRST FRIDAYS

7–9 p.m.

7–11 p.m.

firstfridaysgrandcenter.com

Galleries niche and broad, all within a few blocks of one another, make for a cultural trek from classic to contemporary. The Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Contemporary Art Museum–St. Louis, and Bruno David hold down the far end of Washington. Closer to Grand, you’ll find The Sheldon Art Galleries, Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design, and CEL Center for Architecture +Design Saint Louis; still within the Grand Center footprint are the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, The Dark Room, Saint Louis University’s Art Museum and Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, and Channel 9’s Public Media Commons. —M.T.

facebook.com/ONSLRG /

On First Fridays, Crown Square—formerly the 14th Street Mall—buzzes with activity.

Up-and-coming regional artists specializing in performing arts, spoken word, live painting, and more demonstrate their talents in a series of venues located up and down the street, including La Mancha Coffeehouse, UrbArts, Central Print, Zuka Gallery, the Old North Restoration Group, and the Parks Building. For the first art walk of the fall season (and to celebrate First Fridays’ one-year anniversary), ARTC (Artist.Rights.

To.Create.) is organizing a multigenre show that will include not just visual but also performing and literary arts. —K.P.

Charlie Le Mindu: Charlie Would…

PROJECTS + GALLERY

SEPTEMBER 15–NOVEMBER 19 projects-gallery.com This isn’t Le Mindu’s first appearance in St. Louis—the French artist’s glorious wigs and hair sculptures had a significant role to play in the Chess Hall of Fame’s show A Queen Within—but it is his first U.S. solo show.

Open Studios STL OCTOBER 8 & 9 camstl.org Open Studios gives St. Louisans a chance to invade artists’ studios for a weekend to watch them working and ask them direct questions about their work. New this year: an app with a full list of artists and a searchable map.

Mohau Modisakeng LAUMEIER SCULPTURE PARK

NOVEMBER 5–JANUARY 29

Sip. See. Savor.

400 Feet Above the City.

laumeier.org Laumeier Sculpture Park director Marilu Knode curates work from this multi-awardwinning South African artist, who works primarily in film, photography and performance, for the park’s 40th anniversary year.

Radar Home, 11.8.13: New Work

by Amy Reidel THE SHELDON ART GALLERIES

OCTOBER 7–JANUARY 21 thesheldon.org

“Falling Awake at the City Museum should be a pretty awesome event. It’s their annual Halloween party on the Thursday before, and it’s the second time that they’re doing it.” —Maxi Glamour, founder of Qu’art 94

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Reidel, who is half of the duo behind the excellent quarterly All the Art, creates glittering mandalas on the floor.

After your eye is dazzled, look closely, and you’ll see the pattern as weather radar maps, which often signal ominous things in the stormy Midwest.

Photography courtesy of Craft Alliance

One S. Broadway 314.241.8439 360-stl.com Monday -Thursday 4P -12A Friday & Saturday 4P - 2A Sunday 4P -11P

Comedy & Lectures

TOP 10 FALL EVENTS

Books & Film

Gilbert Gottfried

Final Season of the fort gondo poetry series SEPTEMBER 10

HELIUM COMEDY CLUB

SEPTEMBER 8–10 Roseanne Barr

fortgondo.com Watches are still being synchronized and dates being finalized, but readers confirmed at press time include Jennifer Kronovet, Simone White, Greg Hewett, Dana Levin, and Monica Youn. Keep checking the website, and be sure to catch these last readings before the series ends in early December.

RIVER CITY CASINO

SEPTEMBER 25 Margaret Cho HELIUM COMEDY CLUB

SEPTEMBER 27–29 Wanda Sykes PEABODY OPERA HOUSE

OCTOBER 1 Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen

Colson Whitehead

FOX THEATRE

ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY HEADQUARTERS

OCTOBER 15

SEPTEMBER 14

George Takei

slcl.org

TOUHILL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Storyville

NOVEMBER 10

WHERE TO HEAR SOME MEMORABLE TALES

Henry Rollins THE PAGEANT

NOVEMBER 16

A microphone, a spotlight, and a single performer onstage— these simple ingredients are all it takes to bring the stories of local St. Louisans to life at Threads STL (threadsstl.com).

The project, started by photographer Carol Lara, is intended to illuminate narratives of everyday life and, in addition to the live performances, is moving into creating a podcast series of the stories.

Second Tuesdays (facebook.com/SecondTuesdaysSTL), a monthly storytelling get-together held the second Tuesday of every month, is sort of like swapping stories over an autumn campfire if you were to replace the fire with new faces and cold beer. (We think that’s an improvement.) The event is free, but donations to support a local nonprofit are encouraged. —K.P. & MT

“I feel like the St. Louis International Film Festival is one of the most overlooked local events. Sure, there are a lot of local films that are screened, but they bring in filmmakers from all over the world to come in and screen their work.”

—Bill Streeter, videographer, filmmaker, and founder of Lo-Fi Saint Louis

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His debut, The Intuitionist, was a stunner. Since then, he’s published six more books, including a poker memoir, The Noble Hustle. His newest, The Underground Railroad, ingeniously reimagines the metaphorical railroad as a literal one, with a network of tunnels twisting

beneath the American South.

St. Louis Small Press Expo OCTOBER 13–15 stlouissmallpressexpo.com It all starts on Thursday with the grand opening of Central Library’s new local ’zine collection, spearheaded by local graphic novelist Christina “Steenz” Stewart. Friday, there’s a party at the Pulitzer at which you can meet visiting out-of-town artists, including Mexico’s Taller Leñateros collective and Marnie Galloway, whose work will be projected on the museum walls. On Saturday, browse the booths of the 80 indie artists and publishers set up in the grand hall at Central.

Courtesy of Threads STL; The Touhill

Tuesdays, August 30–October 4

TWILIGHT

TUESDAYS AMEREN

FALL 2016

CONCERT SERIES

MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM

Mary Cassatt

Joan Miró

George Hitchcock

Marc Chagall

Joe Jones

Edward Millman

Art is...

Oscar E. Berninghaus

Roy Lichtenstein

James Gale Tyler

Tiffany

Arthur Osver

Pablo Picasso

A Legacy to Future Generations

Dale Chihuly

Edouard Cortès

Kathryn Cherry

Carl Wimar

Whether you are an experienced collector or just beginning, our Art Advisors can assist you in selecting fine artwork that will diversify your assets while you enjoy it in your home or office.

Don’t risk buying or selling at auction or out of town!

6pm to 8pm • FREE Museum’s Front Lawn Forest Park • mohistory.org Featuring STL’s best food trucks!

With an unparalleled international reach, Kodner Gallery offers the very best venue for those who wish to buy or sell without risking the integrity and value of their fine art assets.

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9650 Clayton Road 314-993-4477 www.kodnergallery.com

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River Styx CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM: DAVID CLEWELL & DAVID TOMAS MARTINEZ

SEPTEMBER 19 riverstyx.org River Styx starts its next season in a new space, with two Davids: St. Louis’ own David Clewell, who has a new book out (Almost Nothing to be Scared Of) and San Diego poet David Tomas Martinez, whose first collection, Hustle, was issued by Sarabande in 2014.

St. Louis Literary Award: Michael Ondaatje OCTOBER 6 lib.slu.edu/about/associates Each year, Saint Louis University Library Associates lauds a brilliant writer and invites the honoree to lecture and read.

Ondaatje, the 2016 recipient, is best known for his novel The English Patient, though his oeuvre also includes poetry, memoir, and film.

sentimental-sounding title, it’s a funny one.)

St. Louis Jewish Book Festival NOVEMBER 6–20 jccstl.com This month-long celebration, which embraces every kind of writer—novelists, poets, memoirists, and even graphic novelists—is now in its 38th year.

This year’s keynote speaker is Chicago attorney and novelist Scott Turow, whose bestselling books include Presumed Innocent and Reversible Errors.

St. Louis International Film Festival NOVEMBER 3–13 cinemastlouis.org SLIFF turns 25 this year, and in addition to the usual lineup of excellent local and international films, the fest is expanding its “Race in America: The Black Experience” programming with two

“The St. Louis Symphony has some fantastic shows coming up in the fall, starting with a couple weeks of music from the Harry Potter films. It’s one of the best orchestras in the U.S. and worldrenowned! It’s not just a stuffy activity for older folks!”

—Jennifer Callen, executive director of CAMP

weekends of documentaries, narratives, and shorts; many of the screenings will be free.

New this year is a three-day series, “Mean Streets,” presented in tandem with Wash.

U.’s Center for the Humanities’ Divided City Initiative, which features films that examine America’s racially divided cities.

Joe Buck: Lucky Bastard

M A I N S TA G E S E A S O N PRESENTED BY

SEPTEMBER 7 – OCTOBER 2

OCTOBER 12 – NOVEMBER 6

NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 24

SKIP VIRAGH CENTER FOR THE ARTS

NOVEMBER 21 left-bank.com/buck Joe Buck’s new memoir, Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, and the Things I’m Not Allowed to Say on TV, will be fresh off the press November 15. Left Bank Books and Maryville Talks bring him to Chaminade to chat about it with fellow St. Louis native (and huge Cards fan) Jon Hamm. Admission includes a copy of the book.

JANUARY 4 – 29

FEBRUARY 8 – MARCH 5

MARCH 15 – APRIL 9

STUDIO

OCTOBER 26 – NOVEMBER 13

JANUARY 18 – FEBRUARY 5

MARCH 8 – 26

REPSTL.ORG | 314-968-4925

Emma Donoghue MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY AUDITORIUM

OCTOBER 11 left-bank.com Her 2010 debut, Room, was spare, innovative, and emotionally devastating. Her sophomore effort, The Wonder, is centered on a fasting 19th-century Irish girl who may be a fraud—or a miracle.

IT’S ALWAYS

Jennifer Weiner

ARTS SEASON

ST. CHARLES CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY—SPENCER ROAD BRANCH

IN GRAND CENTER

OCTOBER 19 She’s best known for her novels—and antagonizing Jonathan Franzen on Twitter—but her newest, Hungry Heart, is a collection of essays on her life, motherhood, and writing. (It was almost called My Nanny the Anarchist; yes, despite the stlmag.com September 2016

Music @ the Intersection Sept 16

Music, dance, theater, festivals, art openings... new artists will arrive on the scene this fall as Grand Center venues launch their 2016-17 seasons! Find out who’s coming to the St. Louis Symphony, Fox Theatre, Jazz at the Bistro, The Sheldon and more at grandcenter.org.

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DON’T MISS:

Illustration/photo

by John Photography

by Maarten deSmith Boer

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THE SHELDON 2016–2017 SEASON

TOP 10 FALL EVENTS

Festivals Big Muddy Blues Festival SEPTEMBER 3 & 4 bigmuddybluesfestival.com

Festival Season

BETWEEN LOUFEST AND MURMURATION, ST. LOUIS MUSIC FANS ARE SERIOUSLY SPOILED.

W

hile Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck argue over whether we’re in duck or rabbit season, Elmer Fudd sits under a tree nearby with his smartphone in hand, sharing the LouFest 2016 lineup—signaling the start of, you guessed it, festival season.

When the inaugural St. Louis Murmuration Festival (murmurationfest.com) was first revealed to the public this past February, cofounder Brian Cohen kept mum about the lineup while touting the event’s convergence of art, music, and technology. After six years of working behind the scenes at LouFest, Cohen has paired with Cortex, the self-proclaimed premier innovation hub of bioscience and technology research in the Midwest, to offer a multifaceted festival experience at the Cortex Innovation Community complex in the Central West End. “When I programmed [LouFest], it was really about developing a lineup that was interesting and would get people through the door, but there weren’t parameters above and beyond that,” Cohen says. “With Murmuration, we don’t look at music in a vacuum; we look at it in relation to these other elements: art, science, and tech.”

Deerhoof, Tycho, and Flying Lotus headline a roster of 10 musical acts—two of which come from St. Louis but aren’t considered local. ICE (formerly known as Black James) and Yowie had to meet the same criteria as the other acts, which Cohen describes as more

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specific than what he might have imposed in years past.

“The event is looking at performers who integrate technology in interesting ways in their sound or artists who integrate art in an interesting way through their live shows,” he says. Passes to Murmuration start at $60, which will get you into the live concerts on both September 24 and 25. A $275 all-access pass is entrée to everything the weekend has to offer.

So what about LouFest? The festival (loufest.com) seemingly started the city’s boom of large-scale music events in 2010, and now it enters its seventh year on the heels of record-setting attendance in 2015. Festival producer Mike Van Hee of Listen Live Entertainment plans to build on that growth spurt with a more diverse lineup, headed by Lauryn Hill, Chris Stapleton, and LCD Soundsystem.

“This year, first and foremost, we tried to diversify from the headliners on down to make sure that we were booking acts that had some sort of unique appeal,” Van Hee explains.

And though LouFest has “Lou” in its name, the event has been critically panned for not featuring enough St. Louis acts. In response, the festival now offers double the local talent from 2015, with Foxing, iLLPHONiCS, and Bruiser Queen leading the pack. As in past years, LouFest is being held on Central Field at Forest Park, surrounded by vendors and other pockets of local culture. Why fix what’s not broken, especially when it inspires an entire city to embrace more music festivals? —J.H.

We always put this one on our list, but this year it’s partnering with the National Blues Museum.

That means three stages, more music, tributes to local bluesmen Johnny Johnson and Henry Townsend, and a focus on local acts. The best part is, you can see bands (including Boo Boo Davis, The Dust Covers, and the Ground Floor Band) both on outdoor stages and inside clubs all over Laclede’s Landing.

LouFest SEPTEMBER 10 & 11

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

loufest.com Now back in the hands of local organizers, this year’s festival (see more at left), has better focus and a much stronger showing of St. Louis bands (including beloved local hip-hop act iLLPHONiCS; read more about them in Rhythm, p. 139).

St. Louis Renaissance Festival SEPTEMBER 17–OCTOBER 16 stlrenfest.com Each September, a 16thcentury French village, Petit Lyon, comes to life in Wentzville. Over five weekends, you can watch knights joust, or you can take advantage of the dizzying array of stuff to do as you wander the grounds, from browsing 100-plus artists’ booths to watching live entertainment on nine stages to distinguishing yourself in a sauerkrauteating contest.

ENJOY an exquisite 3D Light Show towering from the 65 feet tall ceiling above.

INDULGE in one of a kind small plate dining and extensive beverage menu of beers, wine and hand-crafted cocktails.

LYLE LOVETT & ROBERT EARL KEEN CHUCHO VALDÉS-JOE LOVANO QUINTET JUDY COLLINS PAT METHENY MARC COHN JASON MARSALIS VIBES QUARTET KATHY MATTEA ANAT COHEN AND MUCH MORE!

CALL METROTIX AT 314.534.1111 OR VISIT THESHELDON.ORG THE SHELDON – THE PERFECT PLACE FOR MUSIC AND ART!

Newly added: 1820 Market Street St. Louis, MO • 314.621.5262 stlunionstationhotel.com

LIST 2016

Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees, October 11 featuring Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Client: The Sheldon Concert Hall & Art Galleries Buddy Miller and ThePublication: Milk Carton Kids RFT File Name: 16-SHE-00423_RFT_SingleTicketsAd_080816.pdf Ad Size: 4.55" x 7.94”, no bleed Due Date: 8/8/2016 Agency: Paradowski Creative

Photography courtesy of LouFest

Contact: Debbie Kipp 314-584-4742

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Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival SEPTEMBER 17 oldwebsterjazzfest.com It’s all about the music—local music. Most of the bands play jazz and blues, but you’ll also hear forays into R&B, funk, and soul. This year, the lineup includes Marquise Knox, Feyza Eren and her band, and Jazz St. Louis’ own Gene Dobbs Bradford.

Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival SEPTEMBER 23–25 hispanicfestivalstl.com Held in Soulard Market Park, this is one of the biggest and longest-running fests dedicated to Latino culture in the St. Louis area. In addition to more than 50 food, art, and culture booths, there’ll be a dazzling array of live music (including salsa, cumbia, and bachata); folkloric dance troupes from Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia; and a low-rider car cruise.

Murmuration SEPTEMBER 23–25 murmurationfest.com Music writer Joe Hess breaks down the bands playing this

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first-year event on p. 100, but the main focus here is on tech and science—no surprise, seeing that it’s hosted by Cortex.

The “Thought” panels tackle such subjects as robots, big data, and activism within the digital sphere.

St. Louis Folk and Roots Festival SEPTEMBER 23–25 folkandrootsfestival.com This collaboration between KDHX and The Sheldon is like TwangFest’s mellower cousin, focused on Americana acts that are a little more traditional and a lot more acoustic. Elephant Revival headlines; other acts on the bill include Hubby Jenkins, High Plains Jamboree, and The Creek Rocks.

Strange Folk SEPTEMBER 24 & 25 strangefolkfestival.com The split between organizer Autumn Wiggins and the city of O’Fallon, Illinois, resulted in some innovative venue choices for this popular indie craft fair—last year, it took over Union Station. Now it’s moving to Lafayette Square Park. The theme, “Belle

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Epoque,” is a nod not just to history but also to some fun new artistic directions for the festival.

“It’s always great when I can piece together a threeband bill that features familiar faces from past rockers—bands that I saw when the drinking was fierce, bands I saw in places that don’t exist anymore, and faces from bands that don’t exist anymore.

The Tap Room has such a show on September 23 with Brasky, Ex Oh Ex, and Town Cars.”

—Brett Underwood, minister of culture at Schlafly Tap Room

American Arts Experience St. Louis SEPTEMBER 30–OCTOBER 16 stlartsexperience.org Every year, AAE presents a special slate of arts programming with an emphasis on American artists; it’s the perfect way to plunge into the fall arts season across genres.

Check out the online calendar for art exhibits, dance concerts, plays, and more.

Nevermore Jazz Ball NOVEMBER 3–6 nevermorejazzball.com This utterly joyful annual event offers a chance to connect to St. Louis’ history through music and dance. The Cherokee Jazz Crawl features performances by local musicians such as Ethan Leinwand and Miss Jubilee & The Humdingers, as well as free dance that’ll teach you how to cut a rug, old school–style. You can also take formal dance classes, take “Explore St. Louis” tours, and literally dance till dawn at live-music fêtes.

Photography by Lisa Siciliano