Arty Marty

It's a good night for country-music fans in St. Louis. Marty Stuart is at the Sheldon Art Galleries (3648 Washington Boulevard; 314-533-9900 or www.thetheldon.org) from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, October 3, for the opening reception of Marty Stuart: The Art of Country Music. (At 8 p.m. Stuart performs a full show; tickets are $35 to $40.) The exhibition showcases choice bits from Stuart's extensive country-music memorabilia collection, and features rare costumes and artifacts formerly owned by C&W legends such as Johnny Cash (Stuart got his first big break playing in the master's band and was his son-in-law for a time), Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. And if being an ace musician and a renowned country-music preservationist weren't enough, Stuart's also an accomplished photographer; the exhibition includes an extensive selection of his black-and-white and color photography of stars offstage. His mother has the same gift. Hilda Stuart: Choctaw Gardens documents the scenes and people from her Mississippi hometown that she began capturing on film at age sixteen. Both shows remain on display through Saturday, January 3, 2015; the gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

IMAGE CREDIT: Marty Stuart, Final Portrait of Johnny Cash, September 8, 2003, gelatin silver print, 24 x 20 inches, Collection of the Tennessee State Museum, (c) Marty Stuart.
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tuesdays, 12-8 p.m.; Wednesdays-Fridays, 12-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Wednesdays-Fridays, 12-5 p.m.; Tuesdays, 12-8 p.m. Starts: Oct. 4. Continues through Jan. 3, 2014