Walking into the doors of the new exhibition space Wildfruit Projects (4704 Virginia Avenue), visitors are greeted by a collection of light and airy sculptures. There are multimedia pieces made out of materials from estate sales and hand-painted clothes.
They're all the work of St. Louis artist Dail Chambers, who is exploring her heritage, migration and sustainability through her exhibit, Figure/Ground.
The synergy between Chambers' work and Wildfruit Projects is undeniable — both are all about place and community. That Chambers' is the gallery's latest exhibition just makes sense and speaks to the ideas behind its birth.
Wildfruit Projects is a relatively new effort from Nate Lucena and Kentaro Kumanomido. The gallery and events space is in the original location of Urban Matter, the home goods and gift store now located on South Grand.
Wildfruit Projects opened its space in June with the goal of creating a queer-led dedicated space for building community. Its first event was a Pride party that drew in 100 attendees.
"[It's] not exclusive to the queer community," Lucena says. "But we want a space that is safe and prioritizes lifting up St. Louis' queer, artistic and creative community."
The name, Wildfruit, is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the use of "fruit" as a slur as well as an homage to the three fruit trees — two apple and a peach — located in the gallery's backyard, which Lucena says is "wild" and "has a life of its own."
It was that backyard that helped the two fall in love with the building, and they jumped at the chance to purchase it. The result is a passion project for the owners, who have been in St. Louis since 2009.
Located in south Dutchtown, the gallery stands out thanks to large, open windows peering into the brightly lit space. Wildfruit is one of the few businesses on the street, in a part of town that has struggled with vacated buildings in the past couple of decades.
Lucena says he hopes it will become a permanent staple in Dutchtown and that, for them, community means not only the queer community but also the neighborhood in which the gallery is located.
"We are pretty committed to finding ways to get people to come and engage with the neighborhood," he says. "It's something we think about a lot. We want to be clear: We love our community."
Entering the building feels like stepping into a cozy, intimate home. Refurbished hardwood and exposed St. Louis brick make it feel like a place to relax while you explore the display.
The space comes complete with a comfortable bathroom, a full-service kitchen (the opening included delicious, locally sourced snacks) and that large backyard, which includes a gazebo.
Wildfruit can cater to many types of events and plans to continue to showcase more artists' work this summer. "We like to say to people, 'If you have an idea for building community, come,'" Lucena says. "Come talk to us about it, and we'll see if we can make it happen."
When visiting the current exhibit, visitors will be able to appreciate and purchase items from Chambers' latest collection, which includes her hand-painted clothing.
To make her hanging sculptures, Chambers uses weaving, wrapping and sewing. Her goal with each piece is "to document the people around me, and myself." Each represents personal history, such as the migratory patterns of family and friends, or those in the environment around her.
Chambers is based in St. Louis, as is her personal story. She takes great pride in being from here and believes in the power of her familial history belonging to the city where she's now raising her family.
"My great-grandmother, Pearl Miller, moved here from Oklahoma," she says. "I've been tracing my family history, and I've found it's been four generations belonging to north St. Louis."
Along with the art, her spiritual work is displayed for purchase, as is the Black Herbalist Guide. Chambers is also offering an herbal oil-making class and will present on the guide at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 11.
She produces and dries the herbs herself at her farm, Coahoma Orchards. The orchard is located in north county, in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. It's an urban farm open to the public, where one can pick familiar favorites, such as black cherries, and native plants, such as paw paw.
"I'm a sustainable artist," she says. "I'm a spiritualist, so I try and find things which mean something."
Visit Wildfruit Projects at 4704 Virginia Avenue. Viewing is by appointment only, but there will be a public artist talk and celebration at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 7.
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