Better Late Than Never…
O.k., so I’m posting late this week….In all earnestness, this is not going to be much of a post at all. I spent this last weekend in St. Louis, which is to be my new home, come May 1st. From all perspectives, this will be a good move, as it will allow my wife and I to save money, revolve around a smaller nucleus, have more space, do more things, etc.
Nonetheless, this post is centered around the photographs that I took while doing other things, this weekend. It is image heavy, so be forewarned…St. Louis, the aged, urban center:
At the turn of the 20th Century, St. Louis was the fourth largest urban area in the United States, and one of only six U.S. cities to have a population of more than 1 million people. Beginning in the 1960′s, it suffered the same fate as most of the other rust-belt metropolises, and as its industry dwindled, so did its population. Today, only about 350,000 people live within the city limits.
What I love about St. Louis is its somber moments; times for reflection even within city limits. St. Louis was built for more than a million residents, but now holds only about a third of that; the result is decay, disjunct, and duration. But that is all changing. In my mind, as the art world turns its focus more so away from New York, and the U.S., regional art will gain in precedence, and St. Louis has a self-sustaining, albeit isolated, art culture. Check out the City Museum for an example. As a photographer, the city (older than Chicago) itself presents some wonderful dialog…
St. Louis is not devoid of academic offerings either; the St. Louis Art Museum, constructed for the 1904 World’s Fair, features an impressive collection of artwork, and it’s free to enter:
Images removed per museum’s request. -JG
And the building and grounds have few rivals:
Images removed per museum’s request. -JG
I even had the opportunity to meet with a local artist, my disgruntled sister, Emma:
March 30, 2009 at 3:18 am
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March 30, 2009 at 8:00 am
i love that pic of Emma!
here’s hoping this proves to be a positive move for you guys, Jason! my pal Mark lived in St. Louis for a couple of years, and i think he wouldn’t have minded staying there longer if he hadn’t had reasons to move elsewhere. two highlights i remember hearing about were the museum and the botanical gardens. i never had a chance to visit, but i was the recipient of plenty of photos and postcards. your photo of the row houses reminds me (only because it’s a similar setting) of a photo of Mark sweating his butt off in a shirt and tie one morning. i hear the heat and humidity gets pretty intense out there. he also sent me a postcard of that Kiefer sculpture which i kept on my refrigerator for years.
March 30, 2009 at 9:21 am
Thanks, Steph! We are both really excited for the transition. My sister is full of crazy (and cute) poses it seems….
St. Louis is definitely one of those places that makes moving to other cities a difficult adjustment. We were both pretty surprised by all of the creative activity going on there, despite the economy. Chicago has sure been hit hard in that area, but I think it probably has a bit to do with St. Louis having less to lose in the first place.
There are some interesting stories about that Anselm Kiefer piece. It used to be up on the third floor in the main hall of the Modern and Contemporary Art section, but its weight was actually causing it to slowly sink into the flooring. They new they had to move it to ground level, but since the building was originally built as a temporary structure, even the main hall could not support its weight. They ended up having to undergo an expensive renovation to secure the foundation of that part of the building in order to install the work. Secondly, when the piece was first installed (on the third floor), Anselm Kiefer was of course there to position everything, and he made everyone very nervous by walking around all of the broken glass in open-toed sandals. Especially since glass still falls out of the main part of structure at random intervals…..
March 30, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Nice shots, Jason. I like the strong chiaroscuro defining the buildings in the second, particularly. I hope you find St. Louis to be an engaging locale to focus on your new works. From what I understand, appreciating Budweiser is a big plus in that city.
March 30, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Thanks, J.D. Yeah, Budweiser used to be something which registered pride among St. Louisians, but now that InBev owns it, it’s every beer for himself. I read an interesting statistic that the local microbrewery, Schlafly, had its profits go up by over 400% the month after Annheiser-Busch was sold. One thing’s for certain; no one has stopped drinking around there…