Amy Sherald exhibit CAM St. Louis

Pulitzer Arts Foundation

There is plenty to do this summer in St. Louis and a lot of it free.  Check out the Amy Sherald art exhibit at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis on Washington Ave.  Before going, get to know the artist—a heart transplant recipient and Michelle Obama portraitist—by viewing her talk at the museum here.  Next door to CAM is the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, also free.  This museum presents art as an experience.  Even the building architecture is celebrated.  You will not walk out unchanged.

Sunken Cities exhibit

SLAM collection

Currently the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park has a special exhibit of Egyptian treasures.  The Sunken Cities exhibit (free on Fridays) features over 200 artifacts, including three 16-foot sculptures. Some items have deteriorated from centuries under water so I suggest visiting the SLAM third floor gallery first to appreciate the artistry and intricacy in their Egyptian collection. In addition to underwater finds, there are stunning items from museums in Cairo and Alexandria that make the special exhibit worthwhile. The museum is always free and the colossal statues can be seen in the Sculpture Hall without entering the fee area.

Car shows, concerts in the park, public art, historical neighborhoods and cemeteries are all free to the seeker. Explore and find the treasures your city offers.

Car show, park concert, and Lafayette Square home

The Awakening, Chesterfield, Missouri

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Summer is not quite upon us officially, however, the clover is in bloom so it is summer to me. Running barefoot across blooming lawns while dodging bees is a childhood memory I associate with those carefree days.  Neighborhood friends would gather in the grass and fashion jewelry from the clover flowers.  The stems are long, strong and pliable making it easy to knot one to another.  I mentioned that it was jewelry making time to a neighbor/friend and she was unfamiliar with the craft.  Well, no more.  She and her kids are schooled now.  Start knotting before the clover, and summer, fade away.