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Emma Amos, American, 1938–2020; To Sit (with Pochoir), 1981; etching, aquatint, and styrene stencil; 25 x 36 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, The Sidney S. and Sadie Cohen Print Purchase Fund 100:2022; © Estate of Emma Amos; Courtesy of RYAN LEE Gallery, New York

New to the Museum: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs

The exhibition audio guide focuses on a selection of recently acquired works on paper in a wide variety of media and cultures. Hear from a number of voices on local connections, donors, artists, and subjects.

  • Free Public Wi-Fi

    The Saint Louis Art Museum offers free Wi-Fi to visitors. From your device, access the SLAM_GUEST network.

    Large Print Labels

    Large-print labels are available on your own device and upon request at the Taylor Hall Welcome Desk.

    AUDIO GUIDE TRANSCRIPT

    The audio guide transcript is available to view on your own device.

Introduction

  • Speaker 
     
    Eric Lutz 
    Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs 
    Saint Louis Art Museum

    Welcome to New to the Museum: Prints, Drawings and Photographs. My name is Eric Lutz, and I’m a cocurator of the project, along with Elizabeth Wyckoff and Clare Kobasa.

    This exhibition features recent acquisitions of works on paper to the Museum.  In these two adjoining galleries, you will encounter over 60 never-before-displayed prints, photographs, and drawings. They cover a wonderfully broad range of art media and cultures and span from the 16th century all the way up to the present day. These works are arranged in groupings and juxtapositions that are meant to highlight their variety and allow for a process of discovery as you move from one work to the next.

    The accompanying wall labels provide context and illuminate fascinating backstories about how the works came to the Museum. In addition, these works feature audio commentaries, each with different speakers, that provide additional perspectives on the artworks. We hope you enjoy New to the Museum.

  • Gallery Text

    New to the Museum: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs 

    Mirroring the global nature the Museum, this exhibition features recent acquisitions spanning 500 years and reflecting a range of media and cultures. Since 2016, more than 2,400 works of art on paper have entered the Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection. The artworks on view in these two galleries represent only a fraction of these never-before-seen prints, drawings, and photographs acquired through both purchase and gift.

    From an early 16th century woodcut of a Franciscan monk to a 2017 digital inkjet print of the Iroquois spiritual realm created within a virtual platform, the variety and diversity among these works showcases the extraordinary range of creative expression in the graphic arts. Some of the artworks on view build on areas of existing strength within the Museum while others intentionally increase the representation of Black, Indigenous, and women artists in the collection.

    New to the Museum: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs celebrates these new additions to the collection as well as the varied ways these artworks were acquired. How did the works make their way to the Museum? How do they complement or expand the collection? In many cases the backstories illuminate fascinating local connections, and feature ties to people, places, and history unique to the St. Louis region.

    Works on paper that are not currently on display may be viewed in the study room for prints, drawings, and photographs. Schedule an appointment at slam.org.

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