2024 Solo Exhibitions
The Rosati-Kain Academy Art Collection
January 12 - February 17, 2024
Opening Reception: January 13, 5-8pm
In the Ramp Gallery
Rosati-Kain Academy presents a collection of art students work.
Washington Elementary
March 1 - 30, 2024
Ramp Gallery
Washington Elementary showcases their students work based on the theme of 50 years of hip hop continued.
Source by Maddie Aunger
April 12 - May 18, 2024
Opening Reception is April 12, 6-8pm
Artist Talk: April 12, 5-6pm
Ramp Gallery
There is power to be found in moments of quiet, and stillness. “Source” showcases times that have held my attention.
Each piece begins with an excitement about a specific formal quality, a shape of light, a hint of color, repetition of form, or a composition of layered spaces. They are quiet, crisp, orderly, and controlled representations of places around my home executed at an intimate scale in acrylic on panel.
Light and color are constantly shifting around us and act as a reminder of the present moment, if we pause to observe it. Light that briefly touches a spot, shadows that stretch and disappear within minutes, and surprises of color reflecting from unknown sources catch my attention and my vision narrows.
I idealize the scene through a distillation of form, removal of imperfections, and heightening of contrast. These compositional and design changes extend the brevity of the moment and hold the viewer in the space before you snap back into seeing every detail.
“Source” encourages the viewer to slow down and recognize that these moments can be found within their own worlds.
In the Foothills of the Endless Mountain by Lisa Lofgren
April 12 - May 18, 2024
Opening Reception is April 12, 6-8pm
Artist Talk: April 12, 5-6pm
Curated Gallery
I often say I am from the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. The repetition of saying this phrase has me questioning the importance of the foothills beyond being the rolling grasslands blanketing the rocky uplift. If mountains are described as a precipice of achievement, a pinnacle closest to the heavens above, or an omniscient view of vast land below, the foothills in turn become the starting point of the ascension. The action of the climb is my focus–climbing towards all-knowing, climbing towards that which cannot be achieved, climbing to no end.
Just a few years ago I unhesitatingly referred to myself as a printmaker. Now, the lines between studio time, play time, research, and experimentation have faded. A deeper sensibility of materials and geologic inquiries have become the forefront of my research. An exploration of materials including sculptural paper forms started to take form in 2019.
Lisa Lofgren (she/her) is an artist and educator fostering creativity and diversity in the arts as founder of Together Press, a community printmaking and papermaking facility in coordination with cometogetherspace in Bloomington, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BFA and an MFA from Illinois State University, where she has served as Registrar and Office Coordinator since 2018. Her work has been collected locally and internationally including private collections with family, friends, acquaintances, and institutions in Wyoming, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Aspired Inspiration - Den Smith
May 31 - July 6, 2024
Ramp Gallery
Den Smith finds inspiration in nature and wonder, and sees a cyclical relationship between inspiration and creation. In late 2022, he turned to mono printing to rejuvenate his creative process after a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially focusing on painting on canvas with surreal landscapes and nature themes, they were surprised by the spontaneity of mono printing and the challenges it presented. Despite initially feeling limited by the medium, he embraced its looser expression and spent months experimenting with it. Eventually, he integrated the techniques and aesthetics he had learned from mono printing into his paintings. In 2023, he revisited his earlier mono prints and found new inspiration, leading to further experimentation and creation.
Geologic - Elizabeth Claire Rose
May 31 - July 6, 2024
Curated Gallery
Elizabeth Claire Rose’s practice as an artist begins with the study and research of parallel places and ecosystems. She observes and identifies how they mirror each other’s function and form, and how through their similarities they are able to exhibit uniqueness. Studying these sites is especially important in the face of climate change, as highly sensitive places like islands and alpine areas become more vulnerable to fluctuating temperatures, e.g. rising lake and sea levels, which in turn impacts the survival of flora and fauna in these vulnerable landscapes. Awareness of the presence of indicator species demonstrates the geographic range of ecological connectivity, as well as indicate the zonal shifts within a warming climate.
Referencing her own experiences traveling through altitudinal zones to alpine areas, and across latitudinal lines, she creates work which connects geographically disconnected landscapes focusing on their shared ecologies: how each site is connected through climatic shifts, soil qualities, and habitat range. She repetitively reworks traditional copperplate matrices, often in combination and collage with photo-lithography, and photography to extract observations, uncovering cultural and natural histories.
The Ethics Project
May 31 - July 6, 2024
Art Shop
The multimedia artwork and writings shown in this exhibit are the reflections of gun violence, peace and hope as experienced by over 40 students from three St. Louis Public Schools. The undertaking is an ongoing effort of The Ethics Project to raise awareness of the impact of injustice and mass incarceration on children, families, and society as a whole, particularly in communities of color.
Dr. Christi Griffin, founder and president of The Ethics Project worked with students and teachers in four classrooms at Roosevelt Central Visual and Performing Arts, and Gateway Stem high schools. Over the course of two weeks, students discussed the trauma they experienced from gun violence and their hope for a more peaceful city. Their Thoughts and feelings are shared in the images and writings you see here.
Prior to these conversations, none of the students had ever talked about the impact that the loss of friends, classmates and even family members have had on their lives. Our youth are hurting in silence.
The Beauty of A Black Man Loving Black Men - Tiélere Cheatem
July 19 - August 24, 2024
Ramp Gallery
The Beauty of A Black Man Loving Black Men is a series that explores the tender and often overlooked aspect of Black male affection and romance. In many communities, discussions surrounding Black men loving each other romantically remain scarce due to societal taboos and stereotypes. As a Black queer individual, I have personally felt the absence of representation in this regard. This love, and the many forms it comes in is a representation I crave more of. Through my artwork, I aim to challenge these norms and celebrate the beauty of Black queer love.
My series will comprise ten large-scale oil paintings, each portraying intimate, and sensuous moments between Black queer men. Drawing inspiration from classical romance and my vision of what a love as unique as this could look like, each piece will be accompanied by a short poem reflecting the essence of the artwork.
While I know I am not the only one who is creating with this subject in mind, my ultimate goal is to inspire pride and openness within the Black community, encouraging individuals to embrace love in all its forms. By depicting Black queer love in art, I hope to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment among my peers. This is only the beginning and I look forward to sharing more with this subject in mind.
Apperception - Sarah Lorentz
July 19 - August 24, 2024
Curated Gallery
APPERCEPTION: the mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to the body of ideas he or she already possesses.
This exhibit by St. Louis artist Sarah Lorentz invites viewers to engage in an interactive experience at the intersection of art and science. Personal biases shape our daily interactions - influencing wellbeing, achievement, and relationships. Referencing the format and procedure of pioneering personality tests, the exhibition mimics Thematic Apperception Test flashcards. A sequence of seemingly neutral interactions of figures prompts active participation by eliciting interpretive narratives for the imagery. The work invites conscious change towards more constructive engagement.
Layers - Alex Paradowski
September 6 - October 12, 2024
Ramp Gallery
Layers is a collection of tissue collages that utilizes the translucent nature of tissue to form abstract images. Depth, movement and degrees of opacity are achieved by combining several layers of tissue.
Garden Party - Maryn Blanco
September 6 - October 12, 2024
ArtShop Gallery
For all my life, I've wanted a garden of my own. When the Arizona sun beat down to scorch all living things, and when I journeyed through treacherous ice to my morning painting classes in Utah, I found my mind wandering to my perfect garden. Cracked cement became cobbled paths, dead shrubs became kitchen herbs ready for harvest, and barrel cacti became peonies the size of dinner plates.
As you view these paintings, I invite you to wonder at the miracle of spring and the magic of flowers in bloom. Each of these paintings represent bouquets I've received and gardens I've visited, and serve as reminders of passing time and the temporary nature of life. These flowers now live on in the form of art and memory.
This series, many years in the making, is dedicated to every garden I've had the pleasure of visiting, and in thanks to the many hands that tend them.
A History of Racism - Michael Faris
September 6 - October 12, 2024
Curated Gallery
A History of Racism is a series of various types of artworks that illustrate the history of racism in the United States. Some of the artworks in this series are from our collective American history, and some of the works are related to my personal history. There are over twenty artworks in the series.
Racism is learned behavior. Like most White people in the United States, I was taught to be a racist. I was trained to believe that people who have a different color of skin than me are inferior to White people. I was enculturated to desire separatism from those who are slightly different from me. This separatism was demonstrated at home, in my neighborhood, in my school, in my church, in sports, and at my workplace. I was taught to use my White privilege by my parents, my extended family, my teachers, my preachers, my coaches, my administrators, my friends, my classmates, and even by the people who worked in the service industry, selling me food, toys, cars, and lodging.
This racist enculturation was often overt, with brutal language and television images of the club to the head. But it was also subtle sometimes, manifesting itself through discreet parental steering, humorous stories, tales of primitivism, romantic stories of exoticism, and media images that sold people from minority populations as inferior persons of color. Some forms of racism were taught through songs, jokes and complete omission of minority populations. Other forms of racism were taught through exaggerated images and sounds that emphasized the stereotypes associated with various people who were not considered White.
The artwork in this exhibit is all related to these concepts. It illustrates the various ways that racism was and is used to reinforce an agenda of White supremacy. Just about every part of our modern society has a racist component, from our home life to our schools, from sports to the arts, and from employment to consumerism. All people in the United States are touched by this racism. All people from minority populations are confronted by it on a daily basis.
In the Midst of Things - Chris Wubbena
November 15 - December 28, 2024
Opening Reception: November 15 | 6:30-8:30 pm
Curated Gallery
The term, in the midst of things, refers to the literary device of beginning a narrative work in the middle of the plot. Each small-scale sculpture in this series exists within the moment of its aggregate materials, diving into wandering storylines and intertextual interpretations. The individual sculptures are created mainly with an admix of materials found around the house or discovered in the act of everyday existence with the inclusion of recognizable models and toys. The viewer is invited to lose oneself within the eclectic and intimate objects, multimedia spaces, found materials, and shifting forms to find crossroads of experiences and worlds within worlds.
Residing in each sculpture are small QR codes within various areas of the compositions allowing anyone with a digital device to access inner and outer worlds of short stories, scripts, auditions, audio compositions, and videos, encouraging the viewer to read, watch, or listen while in the presence of the sculpture, or to explore later. Such access into the compositions provides an expansive space to enter new dimensions of experience with a widening range of perspectives, styles, and voices.
Reminiscent of Atlas holding the sky for eternity or Caryatids supporting architectural or cultural structures for posterity, the sculptures in this exhibition pull together everything at their disposal by any means necessary, drawing attention to the things in our everyday lives and their contemporary environmental, social, or political meanings. Each sculpture’s shifting tectonics of experiences and memories remind us of the beautiful simplicity of the moment and the complexity of the multivalent world, where we are always in the present continuous tense of being aware and we are always in the midst of things.
Harmony, A Pleasing Arrangement of Parts Norma Vangent
November 15 - December 28, 2024
Opening Reception: November 15 | 6:30-8:30 pm