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.
Please join us for an opening reception on Friday, February 15 from 5-7 p.m.
![]() Wallace Herndon Smith, Michigan Scene, n.d., oil on canvas, collection of the Bellwether Foundation. |
Wallace Herndon Smith: Paintings and DrawingsFebruary 15, 2019 - April 13, 2019 Born in 1901, Wallace Herndon Smith was a traditional painter who absorbed the visual language of artists like Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse and Edward Hopper. In the late 1930s, his work gained attention from important American artists like Hopper, Walt Kuhn and Peggy Bacon. He traveled extensively to Europe, Mexico and America's East Coast, and had a summer residence and studio in Harbor Springs, Michigan, subjects of which are found in several works in the exhibit. His works have been exhibited widely including in New York at the Museum of Modern Art and in Philadelphia, St. Louis and many other cities. |
![]() Tamburitza Berda (Republic of Croatia), c. 1800s, 78 x 35 x 9 inches, wood, mother-of-pearl, metal, collection of Dr. Aurelia and Jeffrey Hartenberger. |
St. Louis, A Musical Gateway: The Balkans, India and MexicoFebruary 15, 2019 - 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 and from the collection of Dr. Aurelia and Jeffrey Hartenberger from India, Mexico and the Balkan region. Highlights include a 3,000-year-old Olmec whistle and an ornate "Bajo Quinto" from Mexico, a Croatian Tamburitza Berda, an ancient Greek terra cotta whistle and a 12th-century Hindu Vamavarta conch horn from India. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger. |
![]() Annie Lopez, Memorial, 2015, cyanotype on tamale wrapper paper, thread, zipper, 46 inches h x 35 inches w x 15 inches d, courtesy of the artist. |
Old School, New RulesFebruary 15, 2019 - April 13, 2019 Showcasing photographers who use 19th and early 20th century processes to comment on contemporary issues and subjects, the exhibit highlights how these antique methods of artistic expression can still have powerful validity in today's world. Despite, or perhaps because of, the readiness, ease and ubiquity of photography in the 21st century, there has been a movement of photographic artists who have turned to early processes like the tintype, ambrotype and daguerreotype to delineate their subjects, imbuing their work with a beauty and material quality not found in the photos made with social media and instant filters. The exhibition will include work by David Emitt Adams, Binh Danh, Jill Enfield, Mark Katzman, Annie Lopez, Barbara McDonnell, Eric Omori, Keliy Anderson Staley and Will Wilson. |
![]() Evan and Stacey Smith, Liminal Space #1. 2017. wood, PVC, acrylic, colored gels, LED Lighting, 26 inches h x 45 inches l x 29 inches w, courtesy of the artists. |
Evan and Stacey Smith: Liminal SpacesFebruary 15, 2019 - April 13, 2019 Liminal Spaces is a collection of architectural sculptures by husband-and-wife team Evan and Stacey Smith. Offering immersive and meditative experiences, the sculptures either directly or indirectly mimic artistic and religious spaces. Carefully constructed and lit with programmable LED lighting, the works draw the viewer into the imaginary environments they create. |
![]() Alyssa Coleman, To Test, 2018, inkjet print, courtesy of the artist. |
Identity: Art by Students of Wentzville School District High SchoolsFebruary 15, 2019 - April 13, 2019 This exhibit showcases the talents of students from Wentzville School District High Schools who, in their curriculum, study the expression of identity. Humanity shares a common characteristic–the desire to be recognized by others. One common way we gain recognition is through the individual pursuit of originality. The works in the exhibition aim to convey a sense of how we identify, justly or not, one another's individuality based on the experiences of living in a diverse society. |
![]() The Steward Family Plaza at the Sheldon designed by Benjamin Gilmartin, in collaboration with Andrew Colopy of Cobalt Office, M. Ludvik Engineering, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, DLANDstudio, and Powers Bowersox Associates. |
Growing Up: International Vertical GardensFebruary 15, 2019 - August 10, 2019 Extended to coincide with the opening of The Sheldon's Steward Family Plaza and vertical garden this summer, this exhibit of international vertical gardens features designs by Biotecture; Patrick Blanc; Stefano Boeri Architetti; Emilo Llobat (Magla); Kengo Kuma Associates (Japan); Growing Green, Inc.; Jean Nouvel; Sage Green Life; and others and highlights The Sheldon's own designed by Benjamin Gilmartin, in collaboration with Andrew Colopy of Cobalt Office, M. Ludvik Engineering, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, DLANDstudio, and Powers Bowersox Associates. The exhibit also features the early vertical garden designs of Stanley Hart White. |