Enjoy Autumn Art in St. Louis
By Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky,
Healthy Planet Arts Editor
Photo: Glass Pumpkin at Third Degree Glass
October heralds the arrival of autumn with the Best of Missouri Market at Missouri Botanical Garden, October 3-5. Artists, food producers, vintners, brewers and more, handpicked from across the region, create the festive energy for a fun, best-day-ever. (Stop by Booth 73 to see my scrimshaw). Friday until 7 p.m.; other days until 5 p.m. www.mobot.org
Just outside the Garden’s gates is the Historic Shaw Art Fair. Some 120 artists present their works for sale, October 4-5. The fair runs until 5 p.m. daily. www.shawartfair.org
Manchester Avenue is the site for Grove Fest 2025, October 4, 3-11 p.m. Live music, interactive art, street performers, drag shows and a bubble bus set the tone for fun. www.stlgrovefest.com
October 17 is both Delish on Delmar (5-10 p.m.) and Third Degree Glass’ 23rd Anniversary Celebration (6-10 p.m.). Check out the glassblowing demos, live music, gorgeous glassworks, and the annual glass “pumpkin smash” (crazy fun!). www.stlglass.com
The Luminary, 2701 Cherokee, presents works by Palestinian artist Kiki Salem in At the Last Sky, October 3-December 13. The artist presents a weaving demonstration on October 18, noon-4 p.m. www.theluminaryarts.com
On view through October 24, Soulard Artists Go Green is presented at The Green Center, 8025 Blackberry Avenue. In University City since 1997, The Green Center “connects people to nature and art.” www.thegreencenter.org
Norton’s Fine Art & Framing, 2025 S. Big Bend, hosts St. Louis Watercolor Society’s Big Splash 2025, through October 25. www.nortonsfineart.com
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, on Washington University’s campus, showcases women artists in Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection. More than 80 works by 70 artists, spanning 8 decades, fill the Kemper in all mediums, some with grand scale. Experience it through January 5. www.kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu
Performances for the month kick off October 2-5 with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, presented by St. Louis Shakespeare, at the Touhill. This delightful romantic comedy explores love, identity and chaos, that begin with a shipwreck that separates twins, and continues on until….oh, you’ve just got to see it! www.stlshakespeare.org
Also at the Touhill, October 11-12, Saint Louis Ballet presents Broadway legend Susan Stroman in Take Five…More or Less. It’s a “dynamic journey through rhythm, emotion and ballet.” www.stlouisballet.org
Cathedral Concerts bring Chanticleer (oh, so good!) to the Cathedral Basilica, 4431 Lindell, October 3, and the Vienna Boys Choir performs on October 20, both at 7:30 p.m. www.cathedralconcerts.org
Union Avenue, 733 N. Union, showcases its One-Act Festival, featuring dwb [driving while black] and As One, performed in English, October 10-12. www.unionavenueopera.org
If it’s that smooth jazz vibe you crave, you’ll find it at Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington, starting October 1 with legendary Mary Stallings, continuing through to Luciana Souza, October 31—and so much in between! Full schedule at www.jazzstl.org
The Bach Society of St. Louis is back (couldn’t resist that reference!) October 12, 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood. The performance of Mozart’s Requiem is “a profound reflection on loss, grief and the search for peace.” www.bachsociety.org
Welcome home, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra! With the completion of Powell Hall’s renovation (that’s an understatement!) last month, SLSO performs under conductor Leonard Slatkin and pianist Emmanuel Ax: Hope and Humanity, October 11-12. Then it’s time for Chuck Berry’s Birthday Bash, October 17-18, marking 100 years since his birth. www.slso.org
St. Louis Classical Guitar welcomes back classical guitarist David Leisner for a solo concert on October 17, 7:30 p.m. at Salem United Methodist Church. Leisner is an extraordinary versatile performer, a distinguished composer and master teacher. www.stlclassicalguitar.org
Ready for a Missouri premiere? The Rep presents a powerful study in southern masculinity via The Brothers Size, at the Emerson Studio Theatre, October 22-November 16.
On the mainstage, the Rep offers The Woman in Black, October 8-26. It’s the haunting stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost novel of the same title. www.repstl.org
Webster Arts doubles-up this month with Patterning on view in the gallery, 3 Summit Avenue, while the Small Works XXII exhibition is presented at Webster Groves Public Library, 301 E. Lockwood. Be sure to see them both! www.webster-arts.org