About this project
What is City-Wide Open Studios?
Every year in July the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis hosts City-Wide Open Studios, a week-long event dedicated to the discovery of the hidden art spaces where local artists work. City-Wide Open Studios offers a unique opportunity for the St. Louis public to explore the creative and personal spaces of local artists while providing the ability to enjoy one of the most exciting parts of contemporary art- being able to talk to the artists themselves. CWOS consists of a series of events and tours that connect the general public and participating artists both to each other, and the museum.
What happens at City-Wide Open Studios?
OPEN STUDIOS WEEKEND: Saturday, July 30 & Sunday, July 31 / 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Over 100 artists from some of St. Louis’ most diverse and energetic neighborhoods such as St. Louis City, University City, and Maplewood, invite the public to view the creative spaces in which they work. Guests are invited to tour the various spaces all weekend and find out what kind of creative invention happens behind closed doors. There is no fee and no reservations are needed to visit these private art spaces. CAM provides a printed map of St. Louis with every participating artist studio marked so visitors can navigate the urban landscape and visit any/all of the artists studios of their choosing.
SLOUP: Sunday, July 24 / 2-4pm, $10
Want to be a part of contemporary art being made today? With a donation of only $10 you can be! Join CAM as we host SLOUP, a monthly soup dinner in St. Louis that supports projects, primarily artistic or communicative, that need a little funding and belief. Artists are welcome to submit a proposal following the guidelines found on sloup2122.blogspot.com. During the meal, submitted artist proposals will be distributed and guests are encouraged to read, discuss, and vote on the winning proposal. 100% of the proceeds will directly fund the winning artist’s project. Past winners will also be there to join in the conversation. Your $10 donation includes a meal ticket for delicious soup provided by a local establishment, bread, and drinks.
Any artists looking for seed funding to create a new work of art or project specifically for City-Wide Open Studios will have the chance to be funded through this great community program.
OPEN STUDIOS PREVIEW PARTY: Tuesday, July 26 / 6-9pm
Kicking off the week-long celebration of local art, CAM hosts an Open Studios Preview Party, where one artwork by each participating artist will be hung. Each artwork is labeled with a name and number that corresponds with the printed map - allowing the public to decide which studio they would like to visit over the Open-Studios Weekend. All artists are also given printed postcards for the party which they are allowed to distribute freely - friends, family, and strangers are able to gather in the museum and view their artwork temporarily on display with other local artists. This event also exists to provide buzz about the upcoming weekend.
This year, the Contemporary will organize a variety of tours to make City-Wide Open Studios weekend more accessible and fun.
Tours Include:
OPEN STUDIOS WEEKEND: SELF-GUIDED TOURS: Saturday, July 30 / 10am–4 pm, Free, Sunday, July 31 / 10am–4 pm, Free
CURATOR-LED BUS TOUR: Saturday, July 30 / Noon–4pm, $10, Limited Seating, RSVP required, Sunday, July 31 / Noon-4pm, $10, Limited Seating, RSVP required
BIKE TOURS: Saturday, July 30 / Noon–4pm, FreeSunday, July 31 / Noon-4pm, Free
OPEN STUDIOS BBQ: Sunday, July 31 / 4-8pm
The Open Studios BBQ celebrates the end of an art-filled weekend in CAM’s courtyard with tasty barbecue and ice-cold locally brewed beer. Guests are able to enjoy the summer weather and catch up with friends and artists while watching a special live musical performance.
How much funding does City-Wide Open Studios require?
Since City-Wide Open Studios involves the entire CAM staff and every working artist in the St. Louis community that wishes to participate, there are some operational costs involved. If we raise $5,000 or more it will help pay for the costs to install and de-install the artwork by each participating artist at the Open Studios Preview Party, print the CWOS map and other marketing materials, cover food costs for the Open Studios BBQ, cover costs associated with guided tours, and cover staffing costs associated with each CWOS program.
As a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization all contributions to CAM are tax deductible. Supporters should save a copy of their receipts for personal tax purposes. Thank you!
City-Wide Open Studios is generously supported by SqWires Restaurant & Annex; KDHX 88.1; Grand Center, Inc.; Mad Art Gallery; Pappy’s Smokehouse; Schlafly Beer; BEST Transportation of St. Louis; Urban Chestnut Brewing Company; Artmart; Big Shark Bicycle Company; The Fountain on Locust; Local Harvest Café and Catering; and The Upcycle Exchange. Special thanks to River City Professionals and Yelp.
FAQ
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Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on August 30, 2011.
Pledge $20 or more Pledge $20 or more
Name listed on CAM Website as CWOS supporter (through 2011)
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Name listed in CAM Lobby as CWOS supporter (through 2011)
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
Name listings + Limited edition CWOS print by St. Louis print shop Sleepy Kitty
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All benefits listed above + Contemporary Fund Membership for 2011–12 Season
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
All benefits listed above + CAM T-Shirt & CAM Signature silver and pink tote bag
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
All benefits listed above + Personal thank you note from CAM Chief Curator Dominic Molon
Pledge $2,500 or more Pledge $2,500 or more
All benefits listed above + Private tour of CAM (4 people) with Director Paul Ha
Pledge $5,000 or more Pledge $5,000 or more
All benefits listed above + credit as Presenting Sponsor of 2012 City-wide Open Studios
Project By
Connected as Lou Newart (3 friends)
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is one of the leading voices in the world of contemporary art. CAM is dedicated to exhibiting the visual arts and artists of our time and to producing nationally recognized education programs.
As a non-collecting institution, CAM focuses its efforts on featuring local, national and international, well-known and newly established artists from diverse backgrounds, working in all types of media. We feature an ever-changing series of exhibitions in our Main Galleries and in The Front Room.
CAM was founded on the Mississippi riverfront in 1980 by a group of civic, cultural, and educational leaders to bring visual-arts programming and cultural activities into the downtown core. In 2003 CAM moved into new permanent space in midtown St. Louis, an area known as the Grand Center Creative and Cultural District. In this location, the museum has served as a significant partner with other cultural organizations to revitalize and develop the area.
Our mission is to promote meaningful engagement with the most innovative and relevant art being made today. As St. Louis’s preeminent forum for interpreting culture through contemporary visual art, we connect our visitors to the dynamic art and ideas of our times. As a gathering place for experiencing contemporary art and culture, we push the boundaries of innovation, creativity and expression.
