Some buildings need to be more than rooms and a roof. Take, for example, the critically acclaimed structure that holds Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. “It plays a vital role in our mission, which is to show the art of our time in the best possible way,” says CAM director Lisa Melandri. The 27,000-square-foot building, designed by renowned architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, features open, adjustable spaces that allow for variation in size and media.
“The work we show can be as huge as an airplane or as intimately scaled as a drawing, and often features video or sound,” Melandri says. “This building can take whatever we throw at it, in terms of programming. Its surface, scale, transparency and flexible boundaries give it a unique ability to shape the presentation and experience of contemporary art, while always keeping the focus on the work itself.”
So it’s only fitting that the guest of honor at a gala celebrating the building’s 10th anniversary is … the building itself. “The launch of this space in 2003 heralded a new identity for an institution that began in 1980 as First Street Forum,” Melandri says. The Space for Possibility Gala, held at CAM, is co-chaired by Alexis Cosse and Dorte Probstein. Honorary co-chairs are Terry Good, Donna Moog, Emily Rauh Pulitzer and Susan Sherman. Phyllis Langsdorf serves as events chair.
The event caps CAM’s current exhibition season, which ends April 13 and features painters Nicole Eisenman and Joyce Pensato. Up and running the night of the gala will be Melter 2, a 60-by-18-foot work by video artist Takeshi Murata that will be projected onto the building’s Washington Boulevard facade. “It’s beautiful and mesmerizing—it undulates, drips and melts from one form to another, like being inside a lava lamp,” Melandri says. “It’s part of our Street Views series of large-scale video works.” Continuing through the summer is Audible Interruptions, a series of sound art that takes advantage of nontraditional exhibition spaces, including the museum’s elevator. “It allows visitors to have unexpected encounters with art,” she says.
CAM, dedicated to bringing innovative contemporary art to St. Louis, hosted more than 24,000 visitors last year. “It’s a site for discovery, a gathering place where people of all ages and perspectives can enjoy adventurous visual culture in a relaxed environment,” Melandri says. “We believe strongly in the power of art to transform lives and help people discover their creative potential.” In addition to exhibitions, public programs and events, the museum offers free arts education programs, including New Art in the Neighborhood, LEAP, ArtReach and Teen Museum Studies, that give more than 2,000 students annually access to acclaimed artists, educators, and art tools and technology.
“We hope everyone joins us April 26 to celebrate CAM and the building—and to launch another decade of bringing today’s most exciting, relevant art to St. Louis,” Melandri says. “Contemporary art at its best is challenging and unexpected. It inspires us to see the world, and ourselves, anew—and that’s a delicious opportunity.”
Photo by Jennifer Steinkamp
Pictured: Jennifer Steinkemp’s orbit was projected onto the museum’s facade last year.
[The Space for Possibility Gala, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Contemporary Art Museum’s building, takes place April 26 at the museum, 3750 Washington Blvd. For more information, call 314.535.0770, ext. 213, or visit camstl.org/gala.]
