ST. LOUIS, April 17, 2024—The Saint Louis Art Museum is opening two separate, free exhibitions May 3 celebrating artists represented in the museum’s modern and contemporary collection.
“Romare Bearden: Resonances” runs through Sept. 15 in the Roxanne H. Frank Gallery 257, and “Jaune Quick-to-See Smith” is on view until August 3, 2025 in Gallery 258.
Romare Bearden, American, 1911–1988; "Summertime", 1967; collage on board; 56 x 44 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Minority Artists Purchase Fund 22:1999; © 2024 Romare Bearden Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
“Romare Bearden: Resonances” highlights modernist artist Romare Bearden and his relationship with other artists represented in the collection. The exhibition will feature “Summertime,” a collage work that contains themes for which Bearden became known, including African American life, jazz and the city. Drawing entirely from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition also features works by other artists such as Norman Lewis and Sam Middleton.
The exhibition also celebrates the museum’s Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. It is curated by Charlie Farrell, the 2022-2024 Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow, and Simon Kelly, curator of modern and contemporary art.
“Romare Bearden: Resonances” opens with a free listening party of jazz music in Grigg Gallery from 6-7 pm on May 3.
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Enrolled Salish, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, MT, born 1940; "State Names Map: Cahokia", and "Trade Canoe: Cahokia", 2023; Saint Louis Art Museum, The Siteman Contemporary Art Fund, and funds given by Barbara and Andy Taylor,The Werner Family, John and Susan Horseman, Christine Taylor-Broughton and Lee Broughton, Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg, Pam and Greg Trapp, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Wolff, Dottie and Kent Kreh, Dwyer Brown and Nancy Reynolds, Suzy Besnia and Vic Richey, Clare M. Davis and David S. Obedin, Yvette Drury and John Paul Dubinsky, Judith Weiss Levy, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Lowenhaupt, and Mary Ann and Andy Srenco; © Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York; Image courtesy of Counterpublic, Photograph by Jon Gitchoff
“Jaune Quick-to-See Smith” showcases the celebrated artist of Indigenous heritage with works from the museum’s collection that span her career and draw attention to her work in St. Louis.
The exhibition marks the SLAM debut for “State Names Map: Cahokia” and “Trade Canoe: Cahokia,” a recent painting and sculpture Smith created in 2023 for the Counterpublic triennial in St. Louis.
Across four decades and multiple media, Smith has developed a singular vision in contemporary art. Deploying a fragmentary aesthetic that layers text, found imagery and the artist’s gestural brushstrokes, Smith advances Indigenous perspectives on land, history and art. It is curated by Alexander Brier Marr, associate curator for Native American art.
Smith will deliver a lecture at 11 am May 4 at the museum with her son, Neal Ambrose-Smith, to discuss her wide-ranging artistic practice. The lecture is free, but tickets are required.
CONTACT: Molly Morris, molly.morris@slam.org, 314.655.5250
