What to do with all the junk that we accumulate as we go through life? Why not transform these materials into art? In the St. Louis Artists’ Guild’s upcoming art exhibition Collective Reasoning, artists have re-purposed and re-imagined everyday objects as works of art.
The artwork shown in Collective Reasoning was selected by juror John Watson, a sculptor who lives and works in St. Louis, MO. John Watson uses the cast-offs of trade and industry (primarily reclaimed wood) to craft sculptures and installation pieces. Watson holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture with honors from Webster University. He is represented by the Philip Slein Gallery in St. Louis and teaches at Webster University.
Collective Reasoning features artwork from both local and national artists. Exhibiting artists include Jenny Murphy (St. Louis, MO), Clark Stockley (Brooklyn, NY), Bart Vargas (Minneapolis, MN), and Matt Csernasky (St. Louis, MO). The exhibition encompasses sculpture, installation and video-based pieces.
Collective Reasoning is part of the exhibition series Nuts and Bolts, opening at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild’s galleries on November 12th. The five-exhibit series is tied together by the theme of collections. Nuts and Bolts explores questions such as: What items do we collect, and why? How can we repurpose or reimagine the objects and materials we’ve accumulated? How do we gather and collect our dreams, memories, and experiences? How do all of these collections, both physical and immaterial, come together to form a personal visual language?
The St. Louis Artists’ Guild, a 125-year-old non-profit organization, is a resource and an advocate for creative expression. Since the organization’s founding in 1886, the St. Louis Artists’ Guild has been serving the Midwest as a center that exhibits, supports and promotes the visual arts. The St. Louis Artists’ Guild’s galleries are located in Oak Knoll Park in Clayton, Missouri. Oak Knoll Park is near the intersection of Big Bend Boulevard and Clayton Road; the park’s entrance is on Big Bend. The regular gallery hours for the St. Louis Artists’ Guild are 12 pm to 4 pm.
For more information, call the St. Louis Artists’ Guild at 314.727.6266 or visit the St. Louis Artists’ Guild webpage at www.stlouisartistsguild.org.