Exhibitions & Programs

Two vital criteria drive and define Art Saint Louis (ASL) and our programming:

Our community needs working visual artists.

A thriving arts scene is one where art is not only celebrated via organizations that spotlight national and international talent, but also one where art is locally made. ASL works to balance our region's import/export balance. We champion the artists who live and work in our community, and who, through their ongoing creative activity, are quietly and steadily earning a reputation for the community itself as a generative arts hub, on par with any major metropolitan capital. Simply, artistic activity, access to it, along with endorsement and championship of it is a powerful magnet, attracting and fostering diversity and vitality. In order for this celebration and accessibility to people from all walks of life to work, it has to be part of the everyday life of the region.

Working artists need a supportive community.

The work of ASL is a major component of creating this magnetic effect, as it remains constant and relevant to artists and their lives. Without such year-round, equitable, accessible and sustainable programming focused on local art, opportunities for advancement would be much more sporadic and we cannot reasonably expect talented, career-minded artists to contribute to the cultural fabric of our community in a sustainable way or stay.

The Exhibitions at ASL feature artworks created by visual artists ages 18+ who work and live within a 200-mile radius of downtown Saint Louis, as selected by a series of guest jurors and curators and are presented to the public free of charge.

Our Year-Round Exhibition programming features seven exhibits per year, including our Annual Exhibits: Varsity Art, Honor Awards, and our signature namesake exhibition, Art Saint Louis: The Exhibition (which began in 1984).

Our exhibition seasons also feature four Theme-based Exhibitions.

Theme Based Exhibitions

Our Artistic Director selects themes with the intention that our calls for entry appeal to a vast pool of diverse artists throughout our city and greater region, allowing our calls to provide a platform for diversity of interpretation and intention, as well as the opportunity for artists to have their work seen from new perspectives that looking through the lens of the broadly interpretable theme (e.g., Parenthood, Personal History, Creatures, Sin City) provides.

Themes are also selected to appeal and be accessible to diverse audiences, both those who are regular attendees of art exhibits and events, as well as those who are drawn to our gallery by our Catalyst Coffee Bar and find a welcoming space without judgment in ASL to experience and enjoy visual art.

Jurors

The use of a blind jury process in the majority of our exhibition programming provides local artists with a variety of opportunities throughout the year to have their work seen and potentially selected for professional exhibition by jurors who are leaders in their respective fields (gallerists, art faculty, artists, critics, consultants, curators).

Jurors provide the opportunity for connectivity & potential career advancement while both elevating program quality & ensuring diversity of perspective in selection while providing cohesion.

At The Exhibit

At the exhibit, the juror(s) select eight works as honor awards and honorable mention awards, with the artist of the top honor award winning work named "Best In Show" and receiving a $250 stipend. These awards provide validation and a stipend further creates a supportive community for working visual artists.

Our jurors each receive a monetary stipend to provide a supportive community grateful for the work and professional impact that the art workers who serve in these roles provide.

Art Sales

Artists need exhibition space and community to thrive, but by-and-large, artists need patrons and collectors to purchase their work in order to maintain and thrive in their artistic practice. ASL’s exhibition programming is also an opportunity for artists to have their original work purchased by visitors of our gallery and for visitors and collectors to be introduced to or continue to collect original works of art in a generative community space. While is not required that an exhibiting artist lists their work for sale, ASL is proud to provide this outlet and opportunity for cultural and economic connection while ensuring that artists keep 70% of their work’s sale price.

Exhibitions & Programs

Two vital criteria drive and define Art Saint Louis (ASL) and our programming:

Our community needs working visual artists.

Working artists need a supportive community.

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