ArtLink: Young Friends of St. Louis Arts

Aphrodisiacs are coming - save the date!

Save the date!  The Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis and ArtLink bring a special pre-holiday treat for Young Friends with Francine Segan and Aphrodisiacs in Shakespeare's time. This bawdy evening features food, champagne and passion with a presentation by noted food historian Segan and “hot” delicacies, inspired by her Renaissance recipes. 

Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 15 from 7-9 pm at 609 Restaurant and Cafe in the Loop! Tickets are only $15 with an ArtLink membership.

More information will be coming soon - like will there be chocolate? (I'm betting on yes!)

Wine, Cheese, and Landscapes

Here's a special behind-the-scenes treat for ArtLink members: please accept an invitation to be our guest for a tour of Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes and enjoy some tasty wine and cheese with Laura Fried, Assistant Curator at the Contemporary. This is your moment to see new work by Maya Lin, and experience art and landscape in a new way. Reservations required in advance and can be made online here! This event is exclusive for ArtLink members--and you can join or renew online. For questions about membership, please contact Erinn Gavaghan at 314-535-0770 x213 or by email.
 

Remember to Reserve your Seat for Tonight’s Show at COCA

Here is a reminder about tonight’s Orange Girls show at COCA.  It’s COCA’s first event as a new ArtLink affiliate, and they are hosting an ArtLink Members Only preview of Playhouse Creatures.  The show opens on Friday to the General Public, but ArtLink members can attend a private show tonight, Thursday Oct 11, followed by a wine & cheese Meet and Greet with the cast.

If you haven’t already reserved your seat for tonight’s show, I recommend sending an email to Alison Melnik at COCA: amelnik@cocastl.org.

If you have friends that would like to come, they can join ArtLink at the door.  Membership is $20 and gets you admission to tonight’s show as well as 364 other days of great events!

See you tonight!

-James

Save the Date: ArtLink Events on Oct 20 and Oct 24

We’ve got two great events coming up later this month, so be sure to put them on your calendar.

On Oct 20, the Foundry Art Centre will host Broadway Nights.  Kevin Spirtas, star of stage, screen and television will perform his one man show: Night and DAYS.

Discounted tickets are available for ArtLink Members ($35 ArtLink, $45 General Public). Cash Bar.

On Oct 24, come to an ArtLink Member exclusive event at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Get an up-close look at the current exhibition, Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes, with other ArtLink members.

Enjoy wine and cheese while chatting up Director Paul Ha as he leads you through Maya Lin’s beautiful landscapes at the Contemporary. This special evening is a limited and rare experience to travel through sculpture created by the artist perhaps best known for her design of the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.

This event is FREE and exclusive to ArtLink members.

Be sure to save the dates!

-James

Artlink Exclusive Event at COCA: The Orange Girls, Thursday Oct. 11

COCA is very excited to now be a part of ArtLink.  As our first event, we invite all the ArtLink members to come to COCA this Thursday, Oct. 11, for a preview performance and reception for The Orange Girls production of Playhouse Creatures. Please be our guest as The Orange Girls take the stage and present their third production in their 2007 Season in Residence at COCA. This complimentary members-only performance will begin at 8pm and include light refreshments and an opportunity to meet the cast in an intimate setting. Grab your friends for a fun night with The Orange Girls! We look forward to meeting everyone on Thursday night at COCA! 

RSVP Recommended* to amelnik@cocastl.org.

*Not an ArtLink member? Join for just $20, which gets you a one-year membership full of free and discounted events at all the ArtLink affiliated arts organizations. Contact Alison Melnik at (314) 725-6555 amelnik@cocastl.org or join on the Artlink website at www.artlinkstl.org.

About the Performance

Set in 1669 England, Playhouse Creatures is a delightful, bawdy re-creation of the world in which five Restoration actresses dare to dream that lowly “orange girls” could stand on the stage as professional actresses as they struggle to assume the parts, and pay, once wholly reserved for men. 

About the Orange Girls

A professional, non-profit theatre company, The Orange Girls was founded to give talented actors, designers and directors work that challenges them as artists and encourages audiences to broaden their definition of women’s roles on stage and in the world. In 2006, the company was nominated for seven Kevin Kline Awards and received three, including Outstanding Ensemble.

Exciting News! Two New ArtLink Affiliates: COCA and the Foundry Art Centre

Hello, ArtLink Members -

We have some very exciting news to announce:

Starting today, we have officially brought two new arts organizations into ArtLink!  COCA (Center of Creative Arts) and the Foundry Art Centre have signed on as ArtLink Affiliates, joining the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Laumeier Sculpture Park, and the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis.

ArtLink has been helping promote the arts in St. Louis for a little over a year now, and we felt is was time to try expanding our organization, so we can broaden the arts and culture events we help develop and promote. 

This is the first time we have added any new affiliates since the group was founded, so we are very excited to be entering this new phase of ArtLink's growth.

COCA, located in University City, is immediately getting this new partnership off to a big start.  As you can see in the related post, they will be holding an ArtLink Members Only event this week, with a preview of the latest production by the Orange Girls.

The Foundry Art Center, located in St. Charles, is planning an ArtLink member's night for a future date, when we can tour the artist studios that are in the Foundry, and talk to the artists about their work.

We are looking forward to many new events with these two new partners.

Please join us at the Orange Girls show on Thursday, and please join me in extending a welcome to our new affiliates.

Thank you for your support,
James Grove

ArtLink at "Connect With..." on Tuesday, Oct 2nd

Come meet members of the new ArtLink board tonight, Tuesday, October 2, at the Lush Cafe and Lounge.

We will be participating in the 2nd annual "Connect With..." event, where some 46 groups for young adults and professionals will be showing you can get involved in building our city.

"Connect With..." aims to showcase all the interesting and unique facets of St. Louis, whether it is arts and culture, community service, diversity initiatives, professional development or networking. It's a groundbreaking effort that St. Louisans should be proud of.

Be sure to check out the complete schedule of Connect With... events going on in October, when each participating group hosts their own unique event.

New Season, New Board

Hello, ArtLink Members!

Fall is here, and with it the unofficial new Art year begins.  At ArtLink we’ve spent the end of summer getting ready for the new season, and planning how to bring the arts to even more young adults here in St. Louis.

To get the year started, we have put together a new schedule of events.  The first events have been  posted on the online calendar, and include a tour of the Maya Lin exhibit at the Contemporary led by Director Paul Ha, and a tasting event on Aphrodisiacs in Elizabethan England hosted by the Shakespeare Festival.

To guide ArtLink into the new year, we have recently elected a new Board of Directors.  We have some familiar faces serving on the board, as well as some new members:

President – James Grove
Vice President – Natalie Johnson
Secretary – Dan Sepion
Treasurer – Jennifer Sullivan
Jennifer Gaby
Erinn Gavaghan
Jessica LaBozzetta
Ryan Ray
Jennie Swanson
Mike Venso

I would also like to announce the creation of our new ArtLink Advisory Council, chaired by our outgoing Board President, Cabanne Schlafly.  The Advisory Council will help on an ongoing basis with ArtLink strategy and outreach.  Council members include:

Cabanne Schlafly
Jilanne Barnes
Zellie Dunn
Peter Mackeith
Caryn Nadenbush

We are all looking forward to a great new year in the Arts.  We hope you will join us for the excitement! 

And thank you for being a member of ArtLink.

Regards,
James Grove
President