My first photographs of St. Louis were taken in 1979 during my photography courses at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. I had just returned from a two-year tour of Europe with the Navy Jazz Band, where I began photographing the monumental architecture of Europe. While struggling to declare a major between music and photography, I viewed two exhibits at the St. Louis Art Museum: “Ansel Adams and the West”, and “Joel Meyerowitz: St. Louis and the Arch.” They both had a profound effect on me and my life’s work was instantly decided. Adam’s photographs instilled in me a love for the black and white medium and the importance of craftsmanship in all steps of the photographic process. Meyerowitz’s photographs revealed to me the legitimacy of architecture as a subject matter for fine art photography.

The early years after graduation found me working as a commercial photographer by day and pursuing personal work after hours and on weekends. My preferred methodology, then and now, has been the large format camera, and 4×5 and 8×10 inch film.  As the years passed, I photographed a wide variety of subjects: landscapes, abstractions, old cars and buildings, and street and travel photography. However, I never stopped photographing St. Louis. It was the photographic equivalent of a life-long friend who you didn’t always see but never lost touch with. Gradually, a large body of work accumulated on just St. Louis

By 2016, I realized that the days of analog photography were quickly coming to an end. Manufacturers were ceasing the production of many films and papers, and the remainder were becoming more expensive and hard to find. It was time to bring this forty-year project to fruition. My color photographs have been exhibited in galleries and published in The Story of the Gateway Arch and St. Louis: For the Record. This is the first exhibition of my black and white St. Louis photographs. I choose to entitle the work “Classic St. Louis”, because the choice of black and white film and large format cameras hearken back to an earlier era that fast is coming to a close.

Opening reception & talk
Friday, Jan 17, 2020, 5:00 p.m.

How policy and decision-making are entrenched in racial, cultural, physical and socio-economic segregation and engender the spatial transformation of America’s divided cities

Segregation by Design is a transdisciplinary course — bridging humanities and architecture — that has been offered at Washington University in St. Louis since the fall of 2016 examining St. Louis neighborhoods. The aim of the course is to examine the causes and consequences of segregation in metropolitan St. Louis, as well as to propose a report that suggests potential mitigation strategies to a given community. This exhibition will bring together the student research and proposals from Fall 2019 and earlier semesters.

Catalina Freixas, RA, LEED AP (BD+C),
Associate Professor, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis

Fall 2019 Contributing Mentors:
Prof. Mark Abbott, PhD, retired, Harris-Stowe State University
Jasmin Aber PhD Candidate, (RA) Dipl. Ing. Architect, Director of CEL Center for Architecture + Design St. Louis, Senior Researcher SCiRN (Shrinking Cities International Researchers Network)
Judith Arnold, Urban Planner, SLACO (St. Louis Association of Community Organizations)

Fall 2019 Teaching Assistant:
Cierra Higgins

Fall 2019 Students:
Jane Gormley, Celine Grisham, Yuanghang Guo, Catherine Hunley, Mathew Lum, Nakesha Newsome, Casey Niblett, Kia Saint Louis, Sophie Scott, Lingyue Wang

Philippone’s portraits etched with responses to the questions, “What does America mean to you?” and “What do you hope for your future?,” gives voice to documented and undocumented teenage immigrants reflecting their aspirations in the face of the uncertainty amidst immigration policy.

Opening Reception, 1/17/20 6-9 pm
Artists’ Talk 7-7:30 pm

“American Dreams” is on view at High Low Gallery through February 28, 2020.

Artist Statement

“American Dreams” began in 2016, just after the presidential election, and immigration reform was at the top of many debates in the United States. As an artist I wanted to find a way to give a platform to the youth who were being impacted by the decisions being made and those who had a less active voice in the media.

For this body of work, I traveled to an underfunded school in middle America to take portraits of teenagers ranging in age 14-19. Although they came from many different countries, they shared the common thread of being English as a Second Language (ESL) Learners. They were seeking a better life and the elusive “American Dream” that is referenced so frequently by those in the United States.

As part of their studies in ESL, I asked each of the teens their name, birthday, native country, languages spoken, and then asked them to respond to the two questions “What Does America Mean to You?” and “What Do You Hope for Your Future?” These handwritten answers were digitized and etched onto glass sheets utilizing a laser cutter machine that is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications. The etched glass is then placed on top of the photo, and forms the unique obscurity to the image, which allows the teens to have a safe space to share their stories as both documented and undocumented immigrants of the United States.

*Special Notes:

Black and White images were taken in 2016 using traditional film.

All Color Photographs taken in 2019.

Images that have the laser etching reversed, and have more obscurity indicate that the teen photographed is no longer in the ‘system’ and had to stop attending high school prior to graduating.

End Hunger in St. Louis and Support the Local Dance Community!
January 22, 7:30 PM
Preshow vocals at 7 PM

January 26, 3:30 PM
Preshow vocals at 3 PM

At the Grandel Theatre. Admission is one bag of non-perishable food items. See some of the best St. Louis dance companies literally for beans!

Dance for Food is a program designed to unite the dance community, rallying audiences to collect food for the hungry. Artistically directed by Linda Green, the Dance for Food program has hired many of Missouri’s finest dancers to showcase their talents to an audience whose only admission fee is a bag of unexpired, nonperishable goods. Each “food raiser” performance will include a range of choreography from five participating companies. In an effort to raise more food, there will be a competition between dance companies to see who can bring in more donations.

Artists for a Cause is proud to partner with Operation Food Source and Food Outreach, two great organizations that will be the recipients of the food collected. New this year, Artist for a Cause is partnering with MADCO (Modern American Dance Company) as the fiscal sponsor for both Dance for Food events. Thanks to Dance for Food partners and support from the Bayer Foundation, these events will continue to feed the hungry in the St. Louis area.

Companies involved include: MADCO 2, Ashleyliane Dance Company, WUDance Collective, Tour Dance of Turning Point Academy of Dance, Midwest Ballet Theatre, Beyond Measure Dance Theater, Convergence, Pazazz Performers of St. Louis Academy of Dance, and Grand Center Arts Academy.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, or so the ancient Chinese proverb goes. Join us at our January Story Lounge to hear tales of the small steps, and even the missteps, along the way that got us to where we needed to be. Want to be on the lineup? Make sure to drop us a line ahead of time, with a DM or email to [email protected]

This event will be our first at the High Low, the cool new literary arts venue in the heart of the Grand Center Arts District.
$5 suggested donation at the door.

This one-woman powerhouse performance, starring Debby Lennon, weaves the music of legendary divas Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, and Maria Callas throughout a mosaic of stories told by the everyday women who had unexpected life-changing encounters with these musical icons.

Featuring such favorites as “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Crazy,” “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” “Lady Sings the Blues,” and “Vissi d’arte,” Songs for Nobodies illuminates the power of song to share a story, heal a heartbreak, and inspire a dream.

Fresh off sold-out tours in Australia and the UK, “Songs For Nobodies” was nominated for the UK’s prestigious Olivier Award.

“Joanna Murray-Smith demonstrates a Stoppardian gift for pithily combining intelligence, wit, and pathos.”
The Independent (UK)

“It leaves one exultant and should not be missed.” The Sydney Morning Herald (AU)

“…flat out spectacular.” Wall Street Journal

Singer/song-writer, musician, composer, and creator, Katarra is the musical idealist!

Allowing her creations to delve into the ups and downs of loving and living, passion and pain, self-reflection, and self-awareness, Katarra’s magic through sound heal all who hear.

From soul-bearing anthems to jazz clad hip-hop, Katarra creates a world for those who appreciate music’s magical properties.

Katarra takes Jazz, Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop as her own…all within her own universe of black girl magic. Let her music be your guide to another place!

End Hunger in St. Louis and Support the Local Dance Community!
January 22, 7:30 PM
Preshow vocals at 7 PM

January 26, 3:30 PM
Preshow vocals at 3 PM

At the Grandel Theatre. Admission is one bag of non-perishable food items. See some of the best St. Louis dance companies literally for beans!

Dance for Food is a program designed to unite the dance community, rallying audiences to collect food for the hungry. Artistically directed by Linda Green, the Dance for Food program has hired many of Missouri’s finest dancers to showcase their talents to an audience whose only admission fee is a bag of unexpired, nonperishable goods. Each “food raiser” performance will include a range of choreography from five participating companies. In an effort to raise more food, there will be a competition between dance companies to see who can bring in more donations.

Artists for a Cause is proud to partner with Operation Food Source and Food Outreach, two great organizations that will be the recipients of the food collected. New this year, Artist for a Cause is partnering with MADCO (Modern American Dance Company) as the fiscal sponsor for both Dance for Food events. Thanks to Dance for Food partners and support from the Bayer Foundation, these events will continue to feed the hungry in the St. Louis area.

Companies involved include: MADCO 2, Ashleyliane Dance Company, WUDance Collective, Tour Dance of Turning Point Academy of Dance, Midwest Ballet Theatre, Beyond Measure Dance Theater, Convergence, Pazazz Performers of St. Louis Academy of Dance, and Grand Center Arts Academy.

Rock | Funk

Steve Ewing is the lead singer of the St. Louis based band The Urge. Ewing made eight records with the band, and they toured for over a decade with heavyweights such as 311, Korn, and Incubus. Their three major label records on Immortal/Epic and Immortal/Virgin Records sold nearly one million copies worldwide. In 1998, Steve Ewing and The Urge scored a Billboard Top Ten hit, “Jump Right In” from their album Master of Styles. His unique and dynamic vocals are frequently displayed around town doing acoustic duo shows with his guitarist Trent Reed or with The Steve Ewing Band!