St. Louis Area Fine Arts, Crafts & Performing ArtsBy Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky, Arts Editor
The William Shearburn Gallery, located at 665 S. Skinker, hosts Andrew Millner’s latest body of work, entitled “Rose Parade.” Millner explores the natural world, with particular attention to the relationship between art and nature, between the natural and the artificial.
Millner photographs his natural subjects first, and then draws each flower or pattern of flowers by hand, creating the drawing with a stylus on a digital tablet.
“I tend to work and think in dialectic, pitching opposites to heighten effect…. the natural and the made, the traditional and the novel, the digital and the analogue,” said Millner. Stated gallery owner William Shearburn, “Andy continues to push the envelope conceptually and visually,” “I am thrilled to introduce this body of work to his St. Louis audience.” The exhibition runs through November 6. For info, visit www.shearburngallery.com.
At the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington, “Kota: Digital Excavations in African Art” opens on October 16. African guardian figures and a new digital database combine to reveal the hidden histories of these objects. Co-curated by an African art specialist and a computer engineer, with a residency by local software designers, Kota takes these reliquaries into a new dimension, through March 19.
Through November, the Kota PromoLab offers visitors a space to experiment during the Kota exhibition. Rampant Interactive, a St. Louis-based game design studio, remains in residence through March 2016, leading visitors through guided activities, digging deeper into the hidden histories of Kota reliquary figures. The intent is to spark conversations about the role of technology in everyday life. From October 16 through November, the first of four phases in this series of activities, visitors will have the opportunity to explore cultural aesthetics and craftsmanship by visualizing their own Kota from a combination of physical characteristics. For details, visit www.pulitzerarts.org.
Congrats to our friends at Third Degree Glass Factory at 5200 Delmar as they celebrate their (spooky, spooky!) 13th anniversary on October 16th. It’s autumn fun for the entire family—with live music, glass pumpkin blowing competitions and so much more! Free; check it out at www.thirddegreeglassfactory.com.
October 23- 24 is the 33rd Annual Weavers’ Guild Sale, at First Congregational Church at 10 W. Lockwood in Webster. The event presents weavings and other fiber art from the talented hands of local artists, members of the second-oldest weaving guild in the nation.
Recent years have seen a resurgence in weaving as a therapeutic textile craft. According to clinical psychologist Ann Futterman-Collier of the Well Being Lab at Northern Arizona University, “People basically have a vacation from their problems (when weaving, crocheting or quilting). They can forget about what’s bothering them; they get into…the moment that energizes them, that leads to repair in mood.” Futterman-Collier refers to this effect as “Textile Therapy.” Her observations are quite accurate: who can view rich textiles without touching them?
It’s the perfect place to start your holiday shopping or maybe treat yourself to some very special work. Details at www.weaversguildstl.org/33rd–annual-wgsl-guild-sale.html.
The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington, is the perfect setting for a very special concert on October 27 as Mark Holland and Autumn’s Child celebrate 20 years of music. The otherworldly-magic of Mark’s Native American flute sends a calm to every ear and heart. His music has been aptly described by didgeridoo master Ash Dargan, “A soul’s journey filled with grace and an abundance of groove.”
The inspiration for the band’s title came to Holland from a song of the same name, as well as Holland’s personal connection to autumn as his most creative season; the colors and texture of late October reminiscent of the colors and texture in his music. Along with this incredible musical experience will be the release of Holland’s newest CD “Anything Possible.”
Musicians joining Holland include Cory Edwards (piano), Billy Engle (guitar), R. Scott Bryan (percussion), Ranya Iqbal (cello), Zeb Briskovich (bass) and Pati Pellerito (Tibetan singing bowls; Planetary gongs). Special guest artist, painter, Vesna Delevska will create a new work on stage. More info at www.autumnschild.com.
For folkart fun, wander the streets of Eureka, MO this month when the second annual “Invasion of the Scarescrows” takes over the town. Local residents designed and plumped all manner of scarecrows and mannekins—some scary, some funny, some…well, you’ll just have to see them! Although the Scarecrow Festival is just October 3, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., the scarecrows remain scattered throughout Eureka for the entire month. Find info at www.scarecrowfestivaleureka.com.
You can see “ArtFul Happenings” at TheHealthyPlanet.com