By Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky,
Healthy Planet Arts Editor
Caption for image: Senior Solo dancers in COCA’s TRIumphant
May is packed with ARTful experiences.
Through May 18, Art Saint Louis, 1223 Pine, hosts Maturity & Its Muse: Celebrating Artistic Experience 2023. The juried exhibition showcases 63 works by 51 Missouri and Illinois artists aged 70+. www.artstlouis.org
Crossroads Arts Council, 310 W. Pierce Blvd. in Wentzville opens Anything Goes on May 7 with a reception 2-4 p.m. The exhibition features visual works in all mediums and runs through May 29. www.crossroadsartscouncil.org
The 23rd Annual Juried Exhibition of the Saint Louis Watercolor Society runs through May 27 at Norton’s Fine Art and Framing, 2025 S. Big Bend. The exhibit of 50+ original watercolor paintings is step toward achieving Signature Status for the St. Louis area artists whose works were chosen. www.stlws.org
Webster Arts’ favorite event, Paint Webster, takes place on May 13. Artists select their preferred location to paint in this celebration of plein air art. And non-artists are invited to watch them work! www.webster-arts.org/paintwebster
For springtime-fresh art, see Botanicals & Blooms III, a garden of visual arts, at Green Door Gallery, 21 N. Gore. Opening with a 5-8 p.m. reception on May 19, the show runs through June 24. www.greendoorartgallery.com
Shop for that perfect Mother’s Day gift at Laumeier’s annual Art Fair, May 12-14 with 150 exhibiting artists. Complete with live music, too! www.laumeier.org
Chihuly in the Garden brings colorful brilliance to Missouri Botanical Garden, May 2-October 15 by day and awesome illumination for Chihuly Nights (tickets required). Large scale glass works by Dale Chihuly are found throughout the garden. Simply amazing! www.mobot.org
On view through July 10 at Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (on Washington U’s campus), Torkwase Dyson: Bird and Lava engages architecture, infrastructure, and climate crisis in social and political dialogue through paintings, drawings, video, sculpture and architectural models. www.kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu
Contemporary Art Museum hosts its fabulous Dada Ball & Bash: Future Fantasy on May 13. The biennial gala raises funds to support CAM’s free exhibitions, programs and education initiatives. Reserve a ticket for the Ball, starting at 6 p.m. or just for the Bash at 9 p.m. www.camstl.org
The immense talent and versatility of COCA’s dance companies—Ballet Eclectica, COCAdance, and COCA Hip-Hop Crew—take the COCA stage for an appropriately-named annual spring repertoire, TRIumphant, May 5-7. This is the final COCA performance for 2023 Pre-Professional Division Dance Seniors Samantha Beasley, Noa Dean, Jada Folarin-Hines, Keenon Hamburg, Kylie Martin, and Yaya Shourd. www.cocastl.org
Ballet 314 presents Ragtime: The American Experience with two performances at the Touhill on May 14. Set in turn-of-the-century New York, Ragtime chronicles the intertwined lives of three families. www.ballet314.aplos.org
It’s not Memorial Day weekend without Spring to Dance, that wonderful smorgasbord of all things dance, presented by Dance St. Louis! May 26-27, 17 dance companies converge on the Touhill to wow audiences. Don’t miss it!! www.dancestlouis.org
In collaboration with the St. Louis Art Museum and St. Louis County Library, Chamber Project St. Louis brings its 15th season to a close with its first American Women in the Arts Festival, May 10-June 2. The festival offers a unique array of performances and curated tours, celebrating the creativity of American women at both Thornhill library branch and the Art Museum. www.chamberprojectstl.org
Tony-winner Ali Stroker is described by Broadway World as “the kind of singer whose unabashed playfulness can spin an audience into a standing ovation.” Her television credits include Fox’s Glee!, CBS’ Blue Bloods, Netflix’s Ozark, etc. Her performances on May 17-18 at Jazz St. Louis on Washington are not to be missed! www.thechamberproject.org
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, led by Assistant Director Stephanie Childress, amps up the phenomenon of Marvel Studio’s 2018 Black Panther film with a live score, during each of three screenings at Powell Hall on May 12-13. The excitement of T’Challa becoming king just got ‘way better! www.slso.org
The 16th Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, runs May 4-10 at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, recently purchased by Cinema St. Louis. The LGBTQ film festival presents an eclectic array of 26 films from 9 countries (16 shorts, 8 narrative features, and 2 documentary features) by filmmakers spotlighting the voices in contemporary LGBTQ cinema. www.cinemastlouis.org/qfest
May 20-June 25 is Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ 2023 Festival Season. First in the lineup are The Road to Freedom, Treemonisha, and Tosca. www.opera-stl.org
On April 15, International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum closed its doors on Olive in Grand Center. Its offices are currently operating at a location in Fenton, and the organization plans to continue offering exhibitions and programs, virtually and throughout the community. www.iphf.org
St. Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective celebrates the opening of The Center on May 20. Located in the Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s 3701 Grandel Square facility, StoryStitchers provides high quality art and innovative youth violence-prevention programs. www.storystitchers.org