TechArtista, 4818 Washington Avenue, recently added "art gallery" to the long list of what's available to its 140 members at the collaborative work environment in the CWE. The name "TechArtista" stems from the Italian soccer term "trequeartista," which describes a playmaker whose creativity and technique helps score goals. This Sunday, October 4, that creativity, evidenced most recently in T/A's 1st art exhibition, Surface In-Tension, will be open to the public during CAM's Open Studios Tour.
The photo above shows Honora Coveyou and her father John, who's a member of T/A, at the August 28th opening of Surface In-Tension. Honora is looking at one of two obelisks painted by Screwed Arts Collective based on Cherokee. (Work on the obelisks was completed and celebrated at an earlier event).
Open Studios STL's kick-off is scheduled for this evening, Friday, from 6 to 9 p.m. at CAM, 3750 Washington Blvd. On Saturday, artists' studios located east of Grand Boulevard will be open to the public from 10 to 5, and on Sunday, artists west of Grand will do the same. There is no charge for the self-guided tours.
Other CWE artists who will be "in residence" Sunday are located next door to TechArtista in the Pierce Arrow Building, 4814 Washington Avenue. Artists include Barbara Holtz, Marlene Lewis (watch PBS Arts Interview on website), who is sharing her studio for the day with painter Jennifer Hayes, Sheldon Johnson, Ben Kiel (typeface designer) and Kim Kissinger Marino, who just moved to St. Louis in July.
The reason TechArtista's co-founders, Eric Hamblett and Christopher Holt, left, decided to stage an art exhibition in an already vibrant co-working environment and start-up scene can be found in a catalog that was created for Surface In-Tension: "We realized that art is a manifestation of our vision for a truly cross-disciplinary workspace, utilizing tensions between different disciplines to inspire innovative ideas. The straddling of these areas is what makes both our workspace and our gallery, which are one in the same, so unique."
Photo above courtesy of St. Louis Small Business Monthly.
Edo Rosenblith's fantastic Supper Club, above and below, covers a chalk wall on the 3rd floor.
Jacob Elior Berkowitz acrylic on wood, above.
Artist Emmeline Solomon uses teabags dipped in wax as one of the components in her humorous Casual Idolatry, above and below.
Mark Pack's Metamorphic, above, is just one more example of many imaginative works at TechArtista. The exhibition will remain on view through November.
Curator Mariana Parisca started putting the exhibition together in June for an end of August opening. The effort was dizzying, and she thanks the TechArtista's community, especially Mia Ranard, Christopher Holt and Eric Hamblett, as well as her friend Kahlil Irving for their invaluable help in making it happen.
CAM's Open Studio Tours, Saturday (east of Grand Blvd.) and Sunday (west of Grand Blvd.), 10 to 5 p.m. For more information about TechArtista, visit the website.