10 Arts Events to Catch in St. Louis This Fall

Laumeier After Dark
November 4
Laumeier Sculpture Park (12580 Rott Road, Sappington)
Laumeier Sculpture Park is a treat no matter what the time of day. More than 70 large-scale sculptures scattered throughout the park make it one of the most fun places in the metro to view and experience art. On a regular day, Laumeier closes 30 minutes after daylight ends, making this a rare opportunity to visit this beloved St. Louis County spot in a new light … or lack thereof. At Laumeier After Dark, temporary art installations by local artists will illuminate the 105-acre park grounds. Live music and fire pits complete the night, along with a night market with St. Louis-area makers and food and beverage vendors. Entrance is $10 for adults and kids aged 11 and up. Anyone younger gets in for free. More details at laumeiersculpturepark.org/after-dark. —Monica Obradovic

Ellsworth Kelly
October 20-April 7
Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine Arts Drive)
If you’ve ever had an obnoxious acquaintance look at a piece of modern art and say, “My five-year-old could do that,” know that they very well might have been viewing an Ellsworth Kelly canvas (or, just as likely, Jackson Pollock). Kelly, after all, is known for his minimalist color field paintings, which might not look technically difficult but are, in truth, the result of his innovation and willingness to work outside of the art trends of the time. In the late 1950s, his work began to catch on, and by the time he passed away in 2015, Ellsworth had become a truly celebrated artist with paintings in museums and private collections worldwide. Indeed, our own Saint Louis Art Museum has a rainbow-esque one, Spectrum II, that seems to be the linchpin in the museum’s forthcoming celebration of his contributions, titled simply Ellsworth Kelly. It’s good timing, since this year marks 100 since the artist was born in Newburgh, New York. The exhibit will appropriately cover all six decades he was active and include his paintings as well as sculptures, drawings and prints in order to showcase his evolution over the years. The free show will be in the South Terrace and Roxanne H. Frank Galleries 255 and 257. —Jessica Rogen

Paint Louis
September 1-3
St. Louis Flood Wall (1000 South Wharf Street)
Graffiti artists from across the world converge on St. Louis once each year for the Paint Louis event. At this multi-day festival, graffiti writers are invited to create new murals along St. Louis’ flood wall on the south side of downtown. The annual event got its start more than 25 years ago and it’s grown each year, with street artists hopping flights from the other side of the globe to make their mark on St. Louis scenery. Held this year September 1 through 3, the festival is essentially a weekend-long party in the blaring end-of-summer sun. All are welcome to stop by to see the three-day transformation of the hottest graffiti spot in town. Paint Louis provides entertainment along with the art, too, and the music-filled event is often sponsored by major brands that have figured out that this is one of the coolest things to happen in St. Louis all year. While other cities hate graffiti writers, we invite them in and welcome them (as long as they stick to just painting the flood wall, of course). Visit paint-louis.com to find out more information. —Jaime Lees

St. Louis International Film Festival
November 9-19
Hi-Pointe Theatre (1005 McCausland Avenue)
The 32nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival should be a world-renowned meeting of film-loving minds. Once a year, people from all over the world congregate in St. Louis to view, celebrate, debate and watch films. It seems that each year at SLIFF the films are better than the last year and this year, we can assure you, will be no exception — check back after the entrants are notified on September 15 to see that promise paid out. Every year includes a star-filled roster of full-length narrative features and documentaries as well as shorts both fiction and nonfiction. What will be different in 2023 is the location for most events. In previous years, the festival was spread throughout the city. However, for the first time in history, the organizing nonprofit, Cinema St. Louis, is operating out of a venue that can support thousands of movie viewers, the historic Hi-Pointe Theatre, which it purchased earlier this year. Surely, there will be some other venues and online screenings, but we’re excited to see how Cinema St. Louis’ new home will shape SLIFF. See cinemastlouis.org/sliff/festival-home for the latest. —Jaime Lees & Jessica Rogen

Margaret Cho
September 24
The Pageant (6161 Delmar Boulevard)
Comedian Margaret Cho is a familiar face thanks to her roles in popular films and TV shows like Face/Off and 30 Rock, as well as more recent credits like the comedy Fire Island. But when it comes to comedy, she’s been cracking up audiences for well over two decades. So when you go check out her live comedy at the Pageant on September 24, you know your evening’s entertainment is going to be in the hands of a pro. If the name of her current tour, Live and LIVID!, is any indication, she no longer gives any fucks, which of course always rebounds to the audience’s benefit in standup comedy. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show kicks off one hour after that. Tickets start at $35. Details at thepageant.com. —Ryan Krull

Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
September 7-17
Multiple locations
Whether you’re a longtime fan of Tennessee Williams or know little of his work beyond the much-parodied cries of “Stelllllllla!!!” inspired by his masterwork, A Streetcar Named Desire, the local festival that bears his name has proven a source of insight, as well as terrific productions of his plays. Since founding the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis in 2015, Executive Artistic Director Carrie Houk has found exciting new ways to stage even Williams’ most familiar works, such as the remarkable 2021 production of The Glass Menagerie that incorporated the fire escapes and rear wall of the playwright’s former residence, as well as bringing to light lesser plays, as with last year’s inventive staging of The Rose Tattoo at the Big Top. This year’s festival should keep up the momentum, with Williams’ shocking novella-length “Suddenly Last Summer” taking center stage at COCA (6880 Washington Avenue) from September 7 to 17. Sexual compulsion, exploitation, cannibalism, the threat of lobotomy — it’s going to be fun to see Houk & Co. tackle this rich Freudian stew. The festival includes a host of interesting programming to complement the production, including a panel about Williams’ years in University City on September 9, a performance of the classic one-act “Something Unspoken” at U. City Mayor Terry Crow’s house from September 8 to 10, and a screening of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on September 12. Full details at twstl.org. —Sarah Fenske

Shaw Art Fair
October 7-8
Flora Place and Tower Grove Avenue
The fact people are still paying to visit the Shaw Art Fair after 30 years despite the plethora of free art fairs in this town should tell you something — and we suggest your takeaway is that this is an extremely well-run and well-curated event. It also features actual art, not just the crafts you’ll find at lesser events. Stroll the beautiful parkway running through Flora Place and take in art from more than 120 booths, along with food, music and activities for the kids. The fair isn’t just about spending money; you can also enjoy a half-dozen artist demonstrations each day, with select artists putting their talents on display and answering questions from patrons. This year also features a partnership with Black Art In America, with two artists selected by the organization for entry into the fair. Make sure to check out the mixed media portraits from Brittni Mosby of Florissant and figurative paintings by Kevin West of Brownsburg, Indiana. The fair runs Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can pay $8 for a weekend pass at shawartfair.org — or wait until the last minute and pay $10 at the gate. —Sarah Fenske

Artica
October 7-8
Near North Riverfront (1322 Lewis Street)
Artica is St. Louis’ Burning Man. It’s commerce-free, meaning your money is useless there and you have to bring your own food or drinks; it’s multidisciplinary, so renegade artists of all kinds flock to the area; and, like Burning Man, it’s unconventional, to say the least. Expect music, dancing and a vibrant array of art that celebrates not only the joy of creating but St. Louis itself. Past iterations of the annual event have included circus performers, kitemaking, giant Legos, a man who put a pumpkin on his head and set it on fire, and an actual fire called “The Burn,” in which a sculpture by the name of Lady Artica was torched. The festival grounds are an “open landscape” in the city’s Near North Riverfront neighborhood between the abandoned Cotton Belt Freight Depot and the Riverfront Trail. Remember to bring your own supplies for the day, as well as maybe a costume — and, most importantly, an open mind. More details at articastl.com. —Monica Obradovic

SLICE
October 14
The Sheldon (3648 Washington Avenue)
The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo, or SLICE, is set to be the longed-for successor to the St. Louis Small Press Expo, a bustling one-day event that launched in 2014 at Firecracker Press in Old North. The event quickly outgrew those bounds and then expanded year after year in the Central Library until COVID-19 seemingly stopped it in its tracks. A group headed up by St. Louis-based comic artist Steenz resurrected and reimagined the event, which finds a new home at the Sheldon this year. The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include a book fair with plentiful exhibitors, local and not, that run that gamut from comic artists to printmakers to illustrators to small press publishers and more. Special guests include Zachary Clemente, a small press comics publisher from Somerville, Massachusetts; Bianca Xunise, an illustrator, writer and educator hailing from Chicago; and Cassi Mothwin, a tabletop RPG designer, writer and illustrator living in St. Louis. SLICE’s organizing committee is determined to make this more than a one-day affair, however, so make sure to check slicexpo.org for related events before and after the expo itself. —Jessica Rogen

The Lehman Trilogy
September 5-24
Loretto-Hilton Center (130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves)
If you’re over the age of 35, the name “Lehman Brothers” ought to ring a bell, even if you are a bit shaky on the specifics as to why. Most regular Americans were either vaguely or not at all aware of the financial institution until it suddenly went belly up in 2008 amid the Great Recession. Since then, the family derived company name has become a sort of shorthand in financial markets for a warning sign that comes too late to do anything about. The story of the Lehman family actually goes back two centuries to a country in Europe that no longer exists, winding its way through the American South, war, slavery and the Great Depression before meeting its ignoble end on Wall Street. The Lehman Trilogy, 2022’s Tony Award winner for Best Play, opens at the Repertory Theater September 8 after a few days of previews. It frames the tale as “one family’s passionate pursuit of the American Dream and the piercing cost of greed.” Showtimes vary by day. Tickets start at $25. More info at repstl.org. —Ryan Krull