ArtLink: Young Friends of St. Louis Arts

Andrea Green and John Watson at Laumeier's Open Gallery and the Contemporary's Open Studios

Laumeier and the Contemporary are pleased to announce a special event for ArtLink members, as part of the City-Wide Open Studios event.

On Saturday, July 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 36 St. Louis artists will open their studios to the public for tours and discussions about their work and the processes they use to create it.

Andrea Green and John Watson, the two featured artists in the Kranzberg Exhibition Series at Laumeier Sculpture Park, will be meeting ArtLink members in conjunction with the Open Studios.

John will give an artist talk at Laumeier on Saturday, July 8 at 12:30 p.m. followed by a short Q&A.

After John's talk, attendees can carpool to Andrea's Maplewood studio, which will be open as part of the Open Studios event.  Andrea's studio is located at 7401 Manchester in a space she shares with four other artists.

Then ArtLink members can continue to explore the open studios, culminating in a "Starving Artist BBQ" at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (3750 Washington Boulevard) from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. Tickets for the BBQ are $10 per person and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling 314.535.0770 x213.

All ArtLink members (21 and over) will receive wristbands for free drinks from the Budweiser family of products.

A map and list of participating artists can be found at: http://www.contemporarystl.org/openstudios.php

Laumeier Sculpture Park's indoor galleries are open Saturday, July 8 from noon to 5:00 p.m.

I hope you can join us for this special event on July 8^th.

-Mike Venso

New Authors on ArtLinkSTL

Hello, ArtLink Members -

As of today you will see a new feature on the ArtLinkSTL blog -- we will now have multiple authors working on the site.

Up to now we've used a single "ArtLink" account for posting, so we had to utilitze the royal "We" an awful lot to describe things one person was working on.  But henceforth the posts will be written (and signed) by the individuals who help run ArtLink, so you should get a better feel for the people who manage the programs. 

So don't be shy - use the comment form and let us know what you think of the new feature!  And if you see one of us at an ArtLink event, come over and say hello!

Thanks for your support,
James Grove

New June & July Events for ArtLink Members

Now that the Shakespeare Festival has wrapped up their 2006 season, ArtLink has been working hard to come up with new events to fill the summer months.  And we're pleased to say we've come up with a lot of them!

First off, the Contemporary is opening their new exhibit, "Centering on the Grand," on Friday June 30.  ArtLink members are invited to the complimentary Members Only wine reception at 6:00, for a chance to see the artwork before the crowds arrive.  Then the doors will be opened to the general public at 7:00.

The next day, Saturday July 1, there will be an exhibition walkthrough with Paul Ha, Director of the Contemporary.  Get up close and personal with Paul as he gives his professional insight on the artworks.

On Thursday, July 6, Select Night returns to the Contemporary from 6:00 – 9:00.  The monthly event is always crowded, so don’t forget to bring your membership card because ArtLink members get VIP admission whenever there is a line outside the door.  (And you never know -- there may be drink specials for ArtLink members again this month…)

Then comes what may be the most exciting Arts event in St. Louis this summer – the City Wide Open Studios on Saturday, July 8.  Enjoy a day of visiting dozens of artists' studios throughout the city. Take a self-guided tour where you can talk to and buy directly from artists and experience the thriving artist community in our city.  After you visit the studios, return to the Contemporary for the Starving Artist Barbeque at 4:00.

That’s quite an event calendar, if we do say so ourselves!  We’ll have more details posted soon, including a special ArtLink Exclusive event we are planning for the City Wide Open Studios.

You can see all the events at the ArtLink online calendar at http://www.trumba.com/calendars/artlink

Thanks for your support, and we hope you enjoy the events!

Last Call for Shakespeare!

Thank you to all the ArtLink members who came to Under the Stars at the Festival last Saturday!  Everyone had a great time, up until 8:00 when the skies opened up and the torrential rain started.  At least it held off until the scheduled end of our reception...  Check out the photos here on the website, including the cast members who came to meet our crew.

If you still haven't seen Julius Shakespeare then this is your last week, so don't put it off any longer!

The show's final performances are Wednesday June 14 through Sunday June 18 at 8:00 each night.