The Sheldon > Current Exhibits

The Sheldon Art Galleries, located in the Emerson Galleries building, features rotating exhibits in six galleries, including photography, architecture, St. Louis artists and collections, jazz history and children's art. Artwork is also featured in The Sheldon's sculpture garden, visible from both the atrium lobby and the connecting glass bridge.

Gallery hours:
Tuesdays, noon – 8 p.m.
Wednesdays - Fridays, noon – 5 p.m.
Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Also open one hour prior to Sheldon performances and during intermission.

Closed July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Panel Discussion: “The History of Immigration in St. Louis”
Tuesday, November 27 at 6 p.m.
Admission free, but reservations suggested. Call Paula Lincoln at 314-533-9900 x 37 or email plincoln@TheSheldon.org to reserve your seat.

Anna Crosslin, president and CEO of the International Institute, will lead a discussion about St. Louis’ evolving immigrant landscape and immigrants will share their stories. In 1850, St. Louis was the eighth largest U.S. city, with a population that was 50% foreign-born. German and Irish immigrants were among the largest communities. Today, the St. Louis region is 21st in size and the foreign-born population is less than 5%. The city’s immigrant communities now boast hundreds of ethnicities and countries represented, with Mexican, Chinese and Bosnian groups among the largest. This discussion will explore how our changing immigrant representation has led to a rich tapestry of arts and culture in St. Louis.

Zlatko Ćosić, Re-Birth, 2013, single channel video, 4:10 José Guadalupe Garza and Miriam Ruiz, still from Anhelo [longing], dual channel video with sound, 2018 Priya Kambli, Dada Aajooba, 2017, archival inkjet print, image: 8 x 7 inches, paper: 22 x 17 inches. materials: family photograph and flour

Re/Constructing Identity: Zlatko Ćosić, José Guadalupe Garza and Miriam Ruiz, Priya Kambli, and Rachel Youn October 5, 2018 - January 26, 2019 Zlatko Ćosić (Yugoslavian), José Guadalupe Garza and Miriam Ruiz (Mexican-American), Priya Kambli (Indian) and Rachel Youn (Korean-American) investigate their cultural roots and complex experiences around issues of immigration and identity. Using photography, video and sculpture, they tell stories of exploration, loss, exile, fragmentation and reconstruction. The exhibition is made possible by John and Alison Ferring. Gallery Talk: Tuesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. Zlatko Ćosić, José Guadalupe Garza, Miriam Ruiz, Priya Kambli and Rachel Youn will speak about their work and experiences. Admission free. Reservations suggested. Contact Paula Lincoln at 314-533-9900 x37 or plincoln@TheSheldon.org.

Rattle, Olmec, 1000 – 600 B.C.E., Region of ancient Chalchuapa, El Salvador, The Sheldon Art Galleries, Hartenberger World Music Collection. Gift of Dr. Aurelia & Jeffrey Hartenberger, Karrie Bopp, Jaclyn Hartenberger and Kevin Hartenberger.

St. Louis, A Musical Gateway: The Balkans, India and Mexico October 5, 2018 - April 13, 2019 The first in a series that celebrates St. Louis’ immigrant communities, this exhibit features rare and beautiful instruments drawn from The Sheldon’s Hartenberger World Music Collection from India, Mexico and the Balkan region. Highlights include a 3,000-year-old Olmec whistle and an ornate “Bajo Quinto” from Mexico, a 19th-century Croatian “Berda” tamburitza, an ancient Greek terra cotta “siren” whistle and a 12th-century Hindu “Vamavarta” conch from India. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger. Gallery Talk: Tuesday, December 4 at 6 p.m. Curator Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger speaks on the exhibition. Admission free. Reservations suggested. Contact Paula Lincoln at 314-533-9900 x37 or plincoln@TheSheldon.org.

Lewis Wickes Hine, (American, 1874 – 1940), Jewish Grandmother, Ellis Island, 1926 gelatin silver print, 13 3/8 x 10 3/8 inches; printed c. 1935, courtesy of the Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.

The Immigrants: Works by Master Photographers October 5, 2018 - January 12, 2019 Organized by the Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York, the exhibit focuses on the immigrant experience as told through the photographs of major icons from the history of photography such as Lewis Hine, Alfred Stieglitz, Margaret Bourke White, Dorothea Lange and Tseng Kwong Chi, that depict the hardship and sacrifice, pride and achievement of immigrants around the world. The exhibition is made possible in part by Capes Sokol, Karen and Dr. Lawrence Kotner, and Barbara and Arthur McDonnell. The exhibit and educational programming are made possible in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Gallery Talk: Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 6 p.m. Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, Director of the Sheldon Art Galleries, will speak on selected works in the exhibit. Admission free. Reservations suggested. Contact Paula Lincoln at 314-533-9900 x37 or plincoln@TheSheldon.org.

Quai Branly, Jacques Chirac Museum, photographed in 2007. Green wall by Patrick Blanc. Photo courtesy of Patrick Blanc Studio.

Growing Up: International Vertical Gardens October 5, 2018 - January 19, 2019 International vertical gardens are featured in this exhibit of photographs, models, plans and material samples from projects by international master designers and architecture firms Ateliers Jean Nouvel (France), Biotecture (United Kingdom), Patrick Blanc (France), Stefano Boeri Architetti (Italy), Emilo Llobat (Spain), Growing Green, Inc. (United States), Kengo Kuma Associates (Japan), Sage Green Life (United States) and others. The exhibit also highlights a key feature of The Sheldon’s new Steward Family Plaza that includes a vertical garden designed by Benjamin Gilmartin, architect, in collaboration with Andrew Colopy of Cobalt Office, Michael Ludvik Engineers, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, DLANDstudio, KPFF, Civil Design, Horner & Shifrin and Powers Bowersox Associates, Architects of Record, opening in the Summer of 2019. The exhibition is made possible in part by Growing Green, Inc.

The Hill, December 6, 2017, by Alessandro, 8 x 10 inches, courtesy of the artist and Forsyth School.

St. Louis Through the Lens of a Child: Photographs by Students of Forsyth School October 5, 2018 - February 2, 2019 Through photography, students of Forsyth School in Clayton investigated St. Louis’ neighborhoods to discover the rich and vital contributions of its immigrant communities. In the classroom, students studied and explored the idea of what it means to be a community and what makes a community thrive and be successful.

Paradowski Creative, Josephine Baker: Image and Icon Gala, 2006.

The Sheldon Art Galleries: Celebrating 20 Years November 23, 2018 - January 5, 2019 Mounted in celebration of the Sheldon Art Galleries 20th anniversary this fall, the exhibit represents, via exhibit posters created by Gobberdiel Graphic Design and Paradowski Creative, a small sampling of the over 360 exhibits that have been shown in the Sheldon Art Galleries since its founding in 1998. A few of the many exhibition highlights include Josephine Baker: Image and Icon; City of Gabriels: A History of Jazz in St. Louis, 1879 – 1973; Ralston Crawford and Jazz; Glamour: Costumes and Images from the Collection of Mary Strauss; and Imagining the Founding of St. Louis, all of which also had exhibition catalogues produced. Also on view are more than a dozen concert posters, also designed for The Sheldon by its longtime design firm, Paradowski Creative. Created over the course of the past 20 years, the posters translate the energy and vitality of live music into striking visual art, capturing the spirit of artists such as David Crosby and Graham Nash, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie and more. Also represented are alternative, “unchosen” designs that have never before been seen by the public, and designs for a concert that never happened – a hoped for but never realized concert with Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis from 2005. Specializing in print, broadcast, interactive, experiential, mobile and social media communications, Paradowski Creative believes in design-centered thinking as the key to more effective communication in the constantly changing world of brand expression.

Jim Dine Sculpture dedicated to the memory of Dr. Leigh Gerdine Ongoing Exhibit 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."

Dunia yoyo, 2018

Sanza Soul: Certified by Pelekara October 5, 2018 - January 26, 2019 Severin Pelekara was raised in Cameroon and was born in the Central African Republic. He is a recent immigrant and is hoping to build a life here in the United States. Sanza (pronunced san-ja) is a patterned cloth used in Central African Republic where Pelekara was born. The patterns shown in this exhibition are his soul narrating memories and expressions of events, people and stories from his childhood. They are representative of the traditions, heritage and the African culture that influenced Pelekara’s life and are a way to tell the story visually with many symbols, showing the experiences that have shaped who he has become and who he will grow to be. All of the patterns exhibited will soon be printed digitally onto fabric and used to create African inspired clothing and to decorate household goods. Pelekara’s goal is to create 100 designs to continue to tell the stories of his life, the past and stories that he will have to tell in the future.