City-Wide Open Studios coming to Cherokee this weekend

As part of the Contemporary Art Museum's City-Wide Open Studios project, there will be numerous spots open along Cherokee this Saturday, July 30, where folks can go take a look at some of the terrific work being done on this fantastic street.

A list of all the participating artists can be found on the Contemporary's web site here.

A convenient printable map of open studios is available for download as a PDF file from the Contemporary's web site. here.

Don't miss it; it's always a wonderful event!

Bonne Finken, Chad Elliott and Jen Galinski at Foam Thursday

Time	Thursday at 9:00pm - July 29 at 12:00am
Location	Foam 3359 S. Jefferson Ave. (at Cherokee), Saint Louis, MO 63118
More Info	From Des Moines, Iowa we have the Rock Your Roots tour with Bonne Finken and Chad Elliott. Finkens remarkably versatile voice allows her to transcend genres effortlessly. One moment, shes melting your heart with a classic soul-inspired ballad. The next, she's making your heart race with a take-no-prisoners approach to a slice of driving, R&B-tinged pop. Finken even has the capability to carry a down-and-dirty, loud rocker. The fact that her vocal delivery has been compared to both the soulful croon of Annie Lennox and to the legendary wail of Janis Joplin is a testament to her impressive adaptability.

The Pretty Darns at Foam tomorrow night

Time	Tuesday, July 26 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location	Foam
3359 S. Jefferson Ave. (at Cherokee), Saint Louis, MO 63118
More Info	Resulting from backgrounds of bluegrass, classical, jazz and country, The Pretty Darns from Salt Lake City, Utah create a fusion of sound not quite compatible to a specific genre. Utilizing strong vocal harmonies, instrumentation of mandolin, guitar, violin and sometimes banjo, the closest fit would be bluegrass, with the influences seeping through each of their melodies, rhythms and interpretations. Each member brings their own individuality to the emerging all-girl trio. Jazz pianist and vocalist, Liz Woolley, has successfully transferred her songwriting skills to the mandolin. Annemarie Neff, classically trained vocalist and percussionist, brings her uncanny sense of harmonizing to the vocals and rhythmic ideas to the guitar. Classically trained, but bluegrass influenced, violinist Lacey Johnson rounds out the group with a complementing fiddle sound. Together they bring you the sound they hope people will soon recognize as The Pretty Darns.

Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary: continuing the conversation starts TONIGHT

Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary: continuing the conversation

July 23 – August 13, 2011
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 23, 7-10pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, August 13, 2pm
Los Caminos is proud to present the Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary: Continuing the Conversation, artist Juan William Chávez’s public proposal for the overgrown lot where the Pruitt-Igoe housing project once stood in St. Louis, Missouri. Featuring a series of photographs and a Super 8 film, the exhibition encourages public dialogue about the creative uses and possibilities of urban abandonment.

PDF press release here.

Los Caminos | 2649 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis, Missouri 63118, USA

Letterpress Printing Spring/Summer 2011 – No 6 at the Firecracker Press

Letterpress Printing Spring/Summer 2011 – No 6 (2011_NO6_SS). is a comprehensive five week course focusing on the traditional methods of letterpress printing. Students can learn the basics of handsetting metal type, how to make a woodcut or photopolymer plate, mixing ink by hand, and learning the ins and outs of choosing paper. Our Vandercook printing presses and antique platen presses will be available for use. Each student will create an editioned piece of their design to exchange with all students, so everyone leaves the class with a small portfolio of fine prints! No prior experience needed. This is a perfect course to design and handprint just about anything!

Fresh out of ideas? No worries. Our instructor can help you get your creative juices flowing.

DEADLINE -AUG. 1st – space is limited.
Course schedule (5 weeks):
WEDNESDAY evenings from 6:30pm-9pm
Aug. 3rd – Aug. 31st

Visit Firecracker's site for more details and to register.

Letterpress Printing Spring/Summer 2011 – No 5 at Firecracker

from The Firecracker Press:



Letterpress Printing Spring/Summer 2011 – No 5 (2011_NO5_SS). is a comprehensive five week course focusing on the traditional methods of letterpress printing. Students can learn the basics of handsetting metal type, how to make a woodcut or photopolymer plate, mixing ink by hand, and learning the ins and outs of choosing paper. Our Vandercook printing presses and antique platen presses will be available for use. Each student will create an editioned piece of their design to exchange with all students, so everyone leaves the class with a small portfolio of fine prints! No prior experience needed. This is a perfect course to design and handprint just about anything!
Fresh out of ideas? No worries. Our instructor can help you get your creative juices flowing.
DEADLINE -JULY 29th – space is limited.


Go here for more information and online registration.

The Firecracker Press
2838 Cherokee Street
Saint Louis, MO 63118

sleepy kitty / little big bangs / cowboy indian bear tonight at Pig Slop

Time	Saturday, July 9, 9:00pm - Tomorrow at 12:00am
Location	pig slop 2700 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis, MO 63118
More Info	sleepy kitty (local) little big bangs (local) cowboy indian bear (touring)

The Riverfront Times has a nice write-up on Sleepy Kitty's new album here.

Abi Robins @ Foam Coffee & Beer w/ My Molly this Saturday

Time	Saturday, July 9 · 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location	Foam Coffee & Beer 3359 S Jefferson Ave Saint Louis, MO
More Info	Hooray for being back in the STL! The Beekeepers Tour hits St. Louis! We're going to be rocking out at Foam Coffee and Beer from 8ish till whenever we're finished. It's a FREE and ALL AGES show so you have no reason not to come hang out. :) Foam's got all sort of awesome food options (BEST SCONES EVER) as well as wonderful coffee drinks and alcoholic beverages, so whatever your tastes may be, they've got you covered.

FREEZERBURN 17 RELEASE PARTY! at Foam, Friday

Time	Friday, July 7 at 8:00pm - Saturday at 12:00am
Location	Foam 3359 S. Jefferson (Corner of Cherokee)
More Info	F R E E Z E R B U R N S E V E N T E E N . Here it comes! Mister Ben's infamous south city weirdo-artzine is having a new release! What can you expect?! How about: * SEVERE ART DAMAGE. * LIVE MUSIC. * 'Love Muscle' ZINE RELEASE. * LIVE NOISE. * MOVIES. * STRANGE PEOPLE DOING STRANGE THINGS. * PRINTS AND SPECIAL NEW, EXCLUSIVE EPHEMERA. * STICKERS! BUTTONS! * Possible release of the fabled Vampire Baby Kate zine?? * CHEEP-O BEERS & SNAX. * PREVIEW OF: THE SCUZZ REPORT. (A Top Secret Project.) * LEGENDARY BACK-ISSUES pulled out from a box in Mister Ben's closet. * RECRUITMENT. * PHILOSOPHY. * DISCUSSION. * Street brawl? EVENT IS FREE TO PUBLIC. All at the lovely, ambient FOAM Coffee & Beer! "The Art-Damaged Working Class is Coming For You." --- M. Ben, ca. 2007

Summer Reading Series Kick-off w/author Jamieson Ridenhour at Firecracker this Thursday

Time	Thursday, July 7 · 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location	The Firecracker Press 2838 Cherokee Street Saint Louis, MO
More Info	To kick off the summer reading series at The Firecracker Press, we begin with a Halloween in July Extravanganza, celebrating the release of Barking Mad, A Reginald Spiffington Mystery. Firecracker designed and printed the covers for Typecast Publishing (our partners in The Lumberyard). Come find out about our first fiction collaboration with monster masks! Letter-pressed broadsides! Chap-punk werewolves! Mayhem! Antics! GET A LETTERPRESS BROADSIDE made on-site, while Jamieson reads from the book, to take home. Beautiful little bonus for every attendee.

Live Brazilian Music for listening and to dance ... this Friday at The Archive

Time	Friday at 9:00pm - Saturday at 1:00am
Location	The Archive on Cherokee Street STL 3215 Cherokee Street Saint Louis, MO
More Info	This Friday, July 08 - 9:00pm to 11:59pm - Live Brazilian Music The Archive, 3215 Cherokee Street - Saint Louis, MO This is a very hip palace in the South Side, please invite your friends... With pianist Michael Loveman, singer Debora Moraes, Moacyr Marchini, and more...

Middle Class Fashion w/ Grandkids (Champaign, IL) @ Foam (StL)

Time	Tuesday, July 5 · 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location	Foam (StL) 3359 S. Jefferson Avenue (@ Cherokee Street)
More Info	FREE ALL AGES! This will be the last StL show for a few months, until the TBA LP release, so c'mon c'mon! Grandkids www.facebook.com/grandkidsmusic Middle Class Fashion www.middleclassfashion.com