With Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky
Healthy Planet Arts Editor
This Summer, Try Something
ARTfully different…
Laumeier Sculpture Park understands that even summer can get long and boring for teens. The solution? Teen Pizza & Art Night! On July 15, from 7-9:30 p.m., the 13-17 year-old crowd can enjoy an evening of creative expression and fun activities at the Kranzberg Education Lab. Food, beverages and all materials are provided ($20/person) to let teens collaborate with other teens on projects geared just for them. Call 314-615-5278 or visit www.laumeier.org for more information.
The Sculpture Park has been a landmark in the region for quite some time — 40 years, to be exact. It’s a great place to stroll and experience large art works in a grand setting, as well as to enjoy special exhibitions of smaller works in the Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center. Always free, always welcoming to families, Laumeier is located at 12580 Rott Road, near Watson and Lindbergh.
To kickoff the celebration of Laumeier’s very special 40th anniversary year, a free outdoor concert is set for 11 a.m. on July 16, in the Public Plaza outside the Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center in the park. Featured is the presentation of an original composition, Laumeier Sculpture Park Anthem, composed by Dr. Barbara Harbach.
Art Saint Louis presents Honors Awards 2016 at their 1223 Pine Street gallery through July 21. This exhibit showcases new works by ten of the award-winning artists from Art Saint Louis’ 2015 exhibitions. Ceramics, drawing, mixed media, painting and photography are included, curated by Terry Suhre, Research Professor and Gallery Director of Gallery 201 at UMSL. Check out artstlouis.org or, better yet, stop by the historic Park Pacific Building where the gallery is located. Enjoy a cup o’joe at their café partner, Mississippi Mud Coffee Roasters, housed in the front of the Gallery.
Opening on July 8, Max and Louie Productions presents Grey Gardens: The Musical, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical based on the documentary by Albert ad David Maysles. It’s the story of “Big” Edith and “Little” Edie Beale, described as “the most hilarious, heartbreaking and utterly unforgettable mother/daughter act since Mama Rose and Gypsy.” Who were these two, you may ask? “Big” Edith (October 5, 1895 – February 5, 1977) was an American socialite and amateur singer, known for her eccentric lifestyle; “Little” Edie was her model/cabaret singer daughter. They lived in a 28-room house in East Hampton, which crumbled from spectacular to a shambles. But more tantalizing is the fact that they were Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s aunt and cousin. The show offers a scandalous peek into the “other” side of Camelot. The show plays at The Wool Studio Theatre in the JCC’s Staenberg Family Complex at 2 Millstone Campus. Ticket info at www.maxandlouie.com.
Cinema St. Louis presents the 16th Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, July 17-21. Beat the heat on a July evening (or two or three!) at the Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar. The screen works of the Showcase were written, directed, edited or produced by St. Louis residents or films with strong local ties. Many of the films include post-screening Q&As with filmmakers. Priced at just $13 each ($10 students), there are twelve film programs that serve as the centerpiece of this year’s Showcase, ranging from full-length features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. A total of 88 films in all include: 35 Days by veteran filmmaker Chris Grega; Bob’s Tour by Washington University graduate Jun Bae about an unusual bus tour of the “divided city” of St. Louis; The Importance of Doubting Tom debuting local actress and filmmaker Vanessa Roman; horror films and thrillers featuring The Tempter and Dead Nightmare. Find the complete film listing at www.cinemastlouis.org.
Things wrap up with a free (donations accepted) Closing-Night Awards Party, 8 p.m.-midnight, at Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room, sponsored by Kraftig. Party attendees must be 21 or older, please.
The Muny in Forest Park is as “St.Louis” as toasted ravioli and Ted Drewes’ frozen custard. Music Man strikes up the band, July 5-11, Young Frankenstein brings chilling laughs, July 13-19, Mama Mia! returns to those hits of the ‘70’s, July 21-28, and Fiddler on the Roof returns with that great violin, July 30-August 5. Details at www.muny.org.
And that’s just a sample of what July-in-St.-Louis offers in ART.