This exhibition, from the collection of Joyce Cheney, features over 60 exquisite examples of Molas made by Kuna women in Panama in the latter part of the 20th century. Mola is the word for both the traditional decorated panels and the blouses into which they are incorporated. Mola designs evolved from Kuna body painting. By the late 19th century, Kuna women began to wear cotton chemises and painted their undergarments instead of their bodies. As imported cloth became available in the early 20th century, women began sewing the designs onto blouses. Early blouses were loose, with short close-fitting cap sleeves, while today’s styles dictate snug bodices and puffed sleeves. Pre-1920s mola panels were large, with rough designs and stitching and little embroidery. Geometric patterns and one-color designs were common then, and are now referred to as grandmother molas. Post-1920s mola designs are more complex and quite varied.

This exhibition features a range of pieces made between the 1920s and the 1990s, including mola panels, full costumes, jewelry, a quilt, and photographs of Kuna villagers. A wide range of imagery can be found incorporated into the mola designs, from traditional motifs and local plants and animals to images from recent history, such as WWII planes over Panama or the RCA Victor dog, to today's popular culture: cruise ships. Joyce Cheney has been a cultural worker for decades. Originally a storyteller, folk musician and community organizer, she has transitioned backstage to non-fiction writing and museum exhibit development.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 19 from 5-7 p.m.

With archival photographs, illustrations by Kevin Belford, ephemera and biographies on key musicians this exhibition tells the story of the rich history of blues music in St. Louis. Building on its key role in ragtime music, St. Louis became a gathering place for early blues piano players such as Speckled Red, Roosevelt Sykes, Peetie Wheatstraw, "Barrelhouse Buck" McFarland and Wesley Wallace. Blues guitarists also made St. Louis their home – including Daddy Hotcakes, "Blind Blues" Darby, Sylvester Weaver, Lonnie Johnson, Clifford Gibson, Charley Jordan, J.D. "Jelly Jaw" Short, Big Joe Williams and Henry Townsend. There were outstanding women singers Mary Johnson, Edith Johnson, Alice Moore and Bessie Mae Smith, as well as big name recording stars like Walter Davis and the twins Aaron "Pinetop" Sparks and Milton "Lindberg" Sparks. W.C. Handy's famous "St. Louis Blues" and the many versions of "Frankie and Johnny" and the Staggerlee story and many other songs are landmark blues songs from the St. Louis blues tradition.

This exhibition uncovers important St. Louis musicians, songs and blue music styles that have influenced our musical heritage, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and roll, hip hop and a continually evolving blues tradition. The St. Louis blues tradition has shaped the music of artists from Clark Terry, Miles Davis and Ike and Tina Turner to Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Berry and Nelly. The exhibition is curated and researched by Kevin Belford and organized by The Sheldon Art Galleries.

Gallery Talk
Tuesday, March 30, 6:00 p.m. (date and time pending)
Gabriel, now a DJ at KDHX, has for more than 50 years been an influential advocate for blues music in St. Louis. He will speak on his history in blues music in St. Louis.

Gallery Talk
Saturday, May 1, 11:00 a.m.
Robert Koester, founder of Delmark Records and owner of the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago will speak on the history of Delmark Records in St. Louis. Admission Free.

Exhibition Text (PDF)

The exhibition is made possible by Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg, The Engelhardt Family Foundation, and Steve and Andi Schankman.

William Earle Williams has been photographing Underground Railroad sites for more than 25 years. His photography career began while he was an undergraduate at Hamilton College. In 2001, he discovered Hamilton's abolitionist history, and took a special interest in Underground Railroad sites in that part of New York State. In 2003, Williams received an artist's residency at Light Work, in Syracuse, New York, which provided him with the opportunity to make an extended document of sites in Central Upstate New York. In that same year, Williams received a Guggenheim Fellowship, which enabled him to do extensive research on additional sites around the country. Since then, Williams has visited sites in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Mississippi, West Virginia, Eastern Ontario in Canada and many others to continue this document of powerful yet sensitive photographs of these important sites.

An educator, curator and photographer, Williams' photographic work has focused on sites of African-American history and slave culture. The Underground Railroad project is related to work he has done on landscapes fought on and inhabited by Black Civil War soldiers, as well as a project he has been developing on slave sites in the Caribbean. William E. Williams received his BA in History at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York and his MFA in Fine Arts at Yale University School of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. He is Audrey A. and John L. Dusseau Professor of Humanities, Professor of Fine Arts and Curator of Photography at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1978. His works can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among others. In addition to receiving a grant from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 2003, he has also received grants from the Ford Foundation, a Pew Fellowship in the arts and numerous others.

Gallery Talk: Saturday, April 10 at 11:00 a.m., photographer William Earle Williams will give an overview of his photographic work, Gallery of Photography, admission free.

This exhibition is made possible in part by the David S. Millstone Arts Foundation and John and Yvette Dubinsky.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 19 from 5-7 p.m.

This exhibition of over 35 photographs and accompanying texts provides an overview of some of the most glorious Baroque and Baroque-inspired churches found in Italy, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Austria, and the United States. A collaborative project, the photographs were taken by John William Nagel and the descriptive texts were written by St. Louis University art historian Maurice McNamee, S.J. between 1990 and 2006.

Art of the Baroque period, in contrast to Classicism, was characterized by an emotional involvement in the subject that was illustrated through the use of tensions and distortions of form, diagonal and curved lines and a use of intense color. For the Jesuits, the Baroque style was a fitting expression of the imagination and a vehicle with which to disseminate their message to the masses. The photographs presented in this exhibition illustrate churches which were influenced by the Jesuit vision in architecture.

Maurice B. McNamee (1909-2007) had a distinguished academic career as an English professor and art historian. He was Chair of the English department at St. Louis University and supervisor of the Honors Program for many years. Also a recognized scholar of the Renaissance period, he made unique discoveries in Flemish paintings. MacNamee spearheaded the restoration of Cupples House, now a registered landmark and has written books on the mosaics of the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica and on Cupples house, both of which were collaborations with John Nagel. In his 98th year he was working on another book about stained glass in St. Louis. John William Nagel graduated from San Francisco State University. For over 35 years, Nagel supervised the Fine Art Photography program, and then the Arts Technology curriculum at St. Louis Community College. Nagel, who in his work has championed craftsmanship and fine printmaking in photography, has exhibited his work widely. Since the 1980s he has also accepted commercial projects.

The exhibition is mounted in honor of Maurice McNamee's memory and is made possible in part by Peggy Walter Symes and J. Russell Bley, Jr.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 19 from 5-7 p.m.

Organized as a companion to the Legends of St. Louis Blues Music exhibit in the History of Jazz Gallery, this exhibit celebrates the rich legacy of blues music through vibrant works of art in many media. Participating schools and art groups include Ames Visual and Performing Arts Elementary School; Cathedral Basilica; Central Visual and Performing Arts High School; the Freedom School; Gateway Middle School; Iveland Elementary School; Jefferson; Lee Hamilton Elementary School; Metro High School; Oak Hill Elementary School; Peabody; Rebecca Boone Elementary School; Studio W; Soldan International Studies High School, and Vashon High School.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 19 from 5-7 p.m.

The exhibition presents a suite of new abstract paintings by Barry Leibman who has made music the focus of his work. Past series included ones inspired by a Mozart clarinet concerto and music compositions by Erik Satie. He has also created assemblage paintings using the music of jazz artists like King Oliver, Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra, which were shown at the Sheldon Art Galleries in the group exhibition, Improvisus curated by Alison Ferring in 2003. This recent body of work uses Mahler's Ninth Symphony as a springboard.

Mahler's Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna in June 1912 to great acclaim. The symphony is comprised of four movements, each expressing complex emotions, culminating in Mahler's moving Adagio. This exhibition is based on that Adagio. The symphony, written in 1908 and 1909, was Mahler's last to be completed. He passed away in 1911 and he never heard it performed.

Barry Leibman is a former owner of Left Bank Books. After graduating from the University of Kansas, he spent two years in the Peace Corps, and then 2 years in the National Teachers' Corps (now Teach for America). From 1970 to 1975 he taught English and created curriculum for African American college bound students. He had his first solo exhibition of paintings in 1990.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 19 from 5-7 p.m.

Jim Dine Sculpture

The Ann Lee and Wilfred Konneker Gallery at the Sheldon Art Galleries is the site for the Jim Dine sculpture, The Heart Called Orchid, 2003. The sculpture is dedicated to the life and accomplishments of Dr. Leigh Gerdine, a founding trustee of the Sheldon Arts Foundation who devoted himself to the saving and renovation of the historic Sheldon Concert Hall and the creation of the Sheldon Art Galleries.

A beautiful bronze work on long-term loan from the Gateway Foundation St. Louis, the sculpture is a glowing golden heart that balances on its point on a trompe d'oeil "wooden" pallet, which on further examination is seen also to be made of bronze. A recurring theme in Dine's work since 1966, the heart emerges in prints, drawings, paintings and sculptures.

Jim Dine was born in 1935 in Cincinnati, Ohio and rose to prominence in the 1960s with his performance and assemblage works. From the 1960s, Dine also began to incorporate representations of simple everyday objects into his works. His object-based imagery seen in paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures include tools, men's suits, bathrobes, hearts, and household objects among others and are metaphors for childhood memories, personal psychological states and self-portraits. Like Dine's suit and bathrobe images make reference to the artist's body and persona, his hearts contain layered metaphors about the body, sensuality, love, and as the artist describes them, he sees the heart as "the agent and the organ of my emotions."