Christina Shmigel: In Our Town by Bruno David Gallery

C HR IST IN A SHM I G E L IN OUR TOWN

bruno david gallery

CHRISTINA SHMIGEL IN OUR TOWN

February 29 - June 20, 2020 Bruno David Gallery 7513 Forsyth Boulevard Saint Louis, 63105 Missouri, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition Christina Shmigel: In Our Town Editor: Bruno L. David Catalogue Designer: Lily Hollinden Designer Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery and Christina Shmigel Photographs by Bruno David Gallery Cover image: In Our Town (detail), 2020. Steel, light mill scale, size variable. © 2020 Christina Shmigel First Edition Copyright © 2020 Bruno David Gallery, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION BY BRUNO L. DAVID INDEX AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION BY BRUNO L. DAVID

A landscape of rural water towers fills Bruno David Gallery’s Window on Forsyth. In Our Town is sculptor Christina Shmigel’s first show with the gallery since she repatriated to the United States in 2017. After 14 years of living in Shanghai, China, Shmigel marks her return to St Louis with a new series of sculptures based on an iconic image of the American landscape, the water tower. Composed of interlocking planes of slotted sheet steel, the sculptures in the Window on Forsyth are the latest incarnation of a form that Shmigel has addressed numerous times over the course of her 30-year career. Whether adorning a building in NYC or marking a town along an interstate highway, the water tower has a strong hold on the collective imagination of Americans. As it stands alone in the distance, the tower speaks to a traveler’s sense of loneliness, to a sense of the stranger-passing-through. The water tower also announces the existence of a community and marks a place of settlement. As an image, it immediately triggers memories. Dear, familiar, half-forgotten: there’s always a story about the water tower “in our town…” After completing a BFA (1980) in painting at RISD, Shmigel trained as a sculptor, earning an MFA (1987) in Sculpture from Brooklyn College & an MFA (1993) in Metals from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She was Associate Professor of Sculpture at Webster University (1995-2005) and continues to teach, frequently at the Penland School of Crafts in NC. Shmigel’s exhibitions include installations for the St Louis Art Museum, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Duolun Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, The Ukrainian Museum in NYC, the Ukrainian Institute for Modern Art in Chicago and the Penland School of Crafts. Support for the creation of significant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding in 2005. I am deeply grateful to Lily Hollinden, who gave much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue. Invaluable gallery staff support for the exhibition was provided by Taylor Fulton, Sara Ghazi Asadollahi, Lily Hollinden, Eliza Reinhardt, and Zoe Duncan.

INDEX AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION

In Our Town #2 2020 Steel, light mill scale 41 x 13 x 13 inches (104.1 x 33 x 33 cm)

Checker 2020 Steel, rust patina, silver Prismacolor 16 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (41.3 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #4 2020 Steel, black patina 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #5 2020 Steel 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #7 2020 Steel, rust patina 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #1 2020 Steel, black patina 41 x 13 x 13 inches (104.1 x 33 x 33 cm)

In Our Town #10 2020 Steel, patina 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #6 2020 Steel 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #11 2020 Steel, patina, aluminum paint, graphite 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #8 2020 Steel, rust patina 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #3 2020 Steel, light mill scale 41 x 13 x 13 inches (104.1 x 33 x 33 cm)

In Our Town #9 2020 Steel, rust patina, Prismacolor 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

In Our Town #12 2020 Steel, patina 18 1/4 x 7 x 7 inches (46.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm)

Christina Schmigel: In Our Town (installation view - Window on Forsyth)

CHRISTINA SHMIGEL Lives and works in Saint Louis, Missouri EDUCATION M.F.A. (Metals), Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, Illinois 1993 M.F.A. (Sculpture), Brooklyn College, New York, 1987 B.F.A. (Painting), Rhode Island School of Design, 1980 SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2020 Bruno David Gallery, Christina Shmigel: In Our Town, St Louis, MO. March - April 2017 Penland Gallery, Penland, NC, April-November 2016 Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC, April 2013 American Cultural Center, Shanghai University for Science & Technology 2011 Bruno David Gallery, Christina Shmigel: This City, Daily Rising, St Louis, MO. January 21 - March 5 (catalogue) 2007 Bruno David Gallery, Christina Shmigel, St Louis, MO. November (Project Room) 2006 Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, The View from Afar: An Installation by Christina Shmigel, curated by Biljana Ciric and Huang Yuelin, Shanghai, China, January 2005 Laumeier Sculpture Park, Christina Shmigel: Chinese Garden for the Delights of Roaming Afar, The Kranzberg Exhibition Series, St. Louis, MO, June 24 – August 30 2003 Saint Louis University Museum, (Project Room), Betwixt and Between, St. Louis, MO, January 23 – July 11 2002 Saint Louis Art Museum, Currents 57: Christina Shmigel, St. Louis, MO, December 6, 2002 – February 16, 2003 2001 Hunt Gallery, Christina Shmigel, St. Louis Webster University, St. Louis, MO, September. Gallery W.D.O, Christina Shmigel, Charlotte, NC. October 2000 Bonsack Gallery, Christina Shmigel, St. Louis, MO. January 1999 Thomas K. Lang Gallery, Christina Shmigel, Vienna, Austria 1998 Quartersaw Gallery, Christina Shmigel, Portland, OR. 1995 Gallerie Simonne Stern, Christina Shmigel, New Orleans, LA 1994 Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art, Christina Shmigel, Greensboro, NC 1992 Gallerie Simonne Stern, Christina Shmigel, New Orleans, LA 1991 West Baton Rouge Museum, Christina Shmigel, Port Allen, LA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2020 Overview_20, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO 2019 Overview_19, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO 2018 Overview_18, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO CIM, Ukrainian Institute of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL 2017 Overview_17, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO CIM, Ukrainian Museum, New York, NY 2016 AND / OR, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO (catalogue) 2015 Overview_15, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO 2014 Overview_14, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO Organism, ID TOWN International Art District, Shenzhen, China 2013 Artworks, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO Absurdistan, OV Gallery, Shanghai, China 2012 BLUE - WHITE - RED, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO Learning from the Literati, OV Gallery, Shanghai, China 2011 Overview_11 Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO City Tracery with Yu Ji, Am Artspace, Shanghai, China Foreign Worlds, Pricate Places, Penland Gallery, Penland, NC Wearable, Frontline Gallery, Shanghai, China 2010 Overview_10, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO Dubble Happiness, Studio Double Happiness, Hong Kong, May Recession Rejuvenations, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO, July-August Make Over / Cover Up, OV Gallery, Shanghai, China, January 2009 Overview_09, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO 2008 Overview_08, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO 2007 Overview_07, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO 2006 Overview, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO 2005 Inaugural Exhibition, Bruno David Gallery, St Louis, MO, October Dawn Light, Gosford Regional Gallery, East Gosford, NSW, Australia 2004 1984 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 2004 Twentieth Anniversary Celebration, Elliot Smith Contemporary Art, St. Louis, MO Curated by Bruno L. David Women Only, Elliot Smith Contemporary Art, St. Louis, MO. Curated by Bruno L. David 2003 A Social Affair, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN Regarding Objects, Sheldon Art Galleries, St. Louis, MO 2002 ArtCache, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, MO

2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995

A New Era of Sculpture, National Museum of History, Taipei Ancient Futures, Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, Halifax, Canada International Environmental Art Symposium, Seoul, South Korea Ironing, National Ornamental Metals Museum, Memphis, TN Group Exhibition, John Elder Gallery, New York, NY Kunst in der Landschaft, GutGasteil Gallery, Gasteil, Austria Women of Iron, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC Bottomland, Forum for Contemporary Art, (now Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis) St. Louis, MO Drawing Invitational, Galerie Simonne Stern, New Orleans, LA Dwellings, Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Dunedin, FL Drawings, Marcia Woods Gallery, Atlanta, GA

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Am art Space “City Tracery: Ongoing Evolving: Christina Shmigel & Yu Ji” Am art Space, September 2011 MacKeith, Peter. “This Phenomenal City”, Catalogue Essay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, April 2011 Chen, Xhingyu. “Chistina Shmigel: Interview”, Catalogue Interview, Bruno David Gallery Publications, April 2011 Baran, Jessica. “Chistina Shmigel”, Riverfront Times, March 3, 2011 Cooper, Ivy. “Shmigel brings Shanghai to life,” St. Louis Beacon, February 23, 2011 Bealle, Dickson. “Art Missing at an Exhibition,” Video Interview, stlouisan.com, February 2011 Movius, Lisa. “In Shanghai, A Curious Cabinet,” Wall Street Journal, Dec, 16, 2011 Peckham, Robin. “Make-Over,” ArtForum, February 18, 2010 Cooper, Ivy. “Recession Rejuvenations”, St. Louis Beacon, August 2, 2010 Baran, Jessica. “Recession Rejuvenations,” Riverfront Times, August 25, 2010 Movius, Lisa. “Art Review: Make-Over,” City Weekend (cityweekend.com), Feb. 23, 2010 OV Gallery. “Make Over/Cover Up,” OV Gallery, 2010. Catalog Catching, Rebecca. “Open House,” Urbanatomy (shanghai.urbanatomy.com). May 1, 2008 Cooper, Ivy. “Christina Shmigel: Laumeier Sculpture Park,” Sculpture Magazine, March 2006, Vol. 25, No. 6 Tao, Zhou. “Curious Creations,” Shanghai Daily. Jan, 26, 2006 Kun, Zhang. “Chinese Garden Through American Eyes,” China Daily. Jan 13, 2006 , Metro pg. 4 Xhingyu, Chen. “Pop Goes the Easel: Christina Shmigel Pops in Shanghai,” That’s Shanghai. Jan 2006, pg.35 Bonetti, David. “Christina Shmigel: Chinese Garden for the Delights of Roaming Afar,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 24, 2005 Cooper, Ivy. “Current Shows:Christina Shmigel: Chinese Garden for the Delights of Roaming Afar,” Riverfront Times. St Louis, MO. July 13, 2005

Watkin, Mel. “Christina Shmigel at St. Louis University Museum of Art,” Art in America. Jan 2005, Vol. 1, P.133 Cory “A Social Affair climbs so hard…,” The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN, Nov 23, 2003, F6 Cooper, Ivy. “Review of Regarding Objects,” Riverfront Times. June, 2003 Castro, Jan. “Reviews: St. Louis, Christina Shmigel, St. Louis Art Museum,” Sculpture. June 2003, Vol.22 No 6, pgs. 72-73 Allen, Michael. “Beautiful Pipes: Reflections on Christina Shmigel’s The Logic of Attachment,” Confluence. April-May 2003, Vol. 9,No.2 Daniels, Jeff. “Sculptor Turns Pipe Dreams Into Art,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Sunday, Dec 15, 2002, pg. C11 Cooper, Ivy. “Inside Out: Shmigel evokes our gutted past without dewy-eyed nostalgia,” Riverfront Times. Dec 18-24, 2002, pg. 59 Zapf, Rudy. “SLAM Goes Local,” Playback. January 2003, pg.22 _____________ The First International Sculpture Exhibition 2002. Catalog, National Museum of History, Kaohsiung, Taipei, pgs. 12, 24-25 _____________ Currents 87: Christina Shmigel, St. Louis Art Museum Magazine. Oct.-Dec. 2002, pg. 14 Burris, Claudia. “Sculptor Christina Shmigel, Forging Ahead with Her Art and Teaching at Webster University”, Webster World. Fall, 2001, Vol 7, No 2, pgs. 2 -5 _____________ Ancient Futures: The Art of the Blacksmith at the Third Millennium. Catalog for the exhibition at the Mary E. Black Gallery Nova Scotia Center for Craft and Design, p. 11 ______________ “The Fine Arts: Henry’s Plumbing,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Thurs, August 30, pg.28 ______________ Kunst in der Landschaft V. Gut Gasteil, Prigglitz, Austria, pgs. 18-19, 62 Daniels, Jeff. “Art Review: Landscapes go in all directions as far as the eye can see,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 9, 2000. Meilach, Dona. Decorative & Sculptural Ironwork: Tools, Techniques & Inspiration. Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA. 1999. Color reproduction of sculptural work “Shall We Gather at the River.” Hanson, Bobby. The Fine Art of the Tin Can. Lark Books: Asheville, NC, pg. 125 _____________ ”Women’s Work,” The Anvil’s Ring. Vol. 22, Winter 1995-6, pp.34 Marger, Mary Ann. Where the Art Dwells,” Times. Tampa, FL. March 22, 1996, p.25 McLLelan, Marian. “Shmigel’s Sentinels,” New Orleans Art Review. Jan – Feb 1995, cover photo and review, p. 16 –17 Duffy, Robert. “The Ship of the Unconscious,”St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Sept. 15, 1995, p. 28 Burkhardt, Eric. “The Art of the Tower,” Gambit, New Orleans Weekly. Jan 17, 1995. p, 35 Waddington, Chris. Teetering Towers for a Toppling Nation, The Times Picayune, Lagniappe. New Orleans, LA, p.14 Patterson, Tom. “Four Artists in Solo Shows Make the Case for Beauty,” Winston-Salem Journal.

GRANTS & AWARDS Project Grant, North Carolina Regional Art Council, 2016 ID TOWN International Artists Workshop, Shenzhen, China, Artist-in-Residence, 2014 Dawn Light Symposium, Gosford, NSW, Australia, Invited Artist, 2005 Duolun Museum, Shanghai, China, Artist-in-Residence, 2005 Forum for Contemporary Art (now Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis), St.Louis. Project Room Grant, 2001-02 Penland School, Residency. Funded by the NEA & the Warhol Foundation, 2001 5th International Environmental Art Symposium, Seoul, So. Korea, Invited Artist, 2000 GutGasteil Gallery, Gasteil, Austria, Kunst in der Landscaft, Artist-in-Residence, 1999 Bamako Scrap Metal Yard, Mali, Webster University Study Abroad Apprenticeship, 1999 Forum for Contemporary Art (now Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis), St.Louis. Project Room Grant, 1998 Penland School of Crafts, NC. Artist-in-Residence, 1993-95 Southern Arts Federation Fellowship. Finalist, 1995 SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

The View in Fragments on the Bund, M Restaurant Group, Blaour Bar, Shanghai, China Garden for the Floating Life, Greensboro Public Library, Hemphill Branch, Greensboro, North Carolina 2004 Industrial Roccoco, Grand Hall, Ziegler House, St. Louis, MO 2004 Bus Shelter Pipe Dreams, Arts-in-Transit Public Art in Action, St. Louis, MO 2003 TEACHING Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC. “Sculpture with Fierce Intention,” Spring 2018 Penland School of Crafts, NC. Workshops, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2015 Webster University, St. Louis, MO. Assoc. Professor, Sculpture, 1995 – 2006 University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette. Asst. Professor, 1987-90

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ARTISTS REPRESENTED Sara Ghazi Asadollahi Laura Beard Heather Bennett Lisa K. Blatt Michael Byron Bunny Burson Judy Child Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Terry James Conrad Jill Downen Damon Freed

Yvette Drury Dubinsky Douglass Freed Richard Hull Kelley Johnson Chris Kahler Leslie Laskey Justin Henry Miller James Austin Murray Ralph Nagel Yvonne Osei Patricia Olynyk Gary Passanise

Charles P. Reay Daniel Raedeke Tom Reed Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Buzz Spector Cindy Tower Mark Travers Monika Wulfers