Animated Earth: The Many Permutations of Clay Curators Matt Wilt and Paul Dresang selected works by sixteen artists who incorporate animal (and human) imagery into functional and sculptural clay objects. The show sidesteps New Age-y explorations of earth spirits and animal avatars in favor of smart, strong works with an awareness of history. Kurt Weiser turns in Caucasia, a lidded urn with finely detailed fantasy figures. Beth Cavener Stichter's J'ai Une Ame Solitaire is an enormous prehistoric beast on a rude wooden cart, looking quite lonely indeed. Maryann Webster's Mesoamerican-style doll figures are chilling fetish figures containing "magical" objects. There's no shortage of wonderful, engaging work here; what's lacking is information about the various techniques and media used to produce each piece. [Editor's note: The curators are colleagues of RFT art writer Ivy Cooper at SIU Edwardsville.] Through July 24 at Craft Alliance, 6640 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-1177. Gallery hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.
Art Struck: The William D. Merwin Collection The first of what is to be a regular showcasing of art from local collections features Merwin's interest in post-1960s artists and works on paper. Jaw-dropping color prints by the likes of David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, Jim Dine and Roy Lichtenstein anchor the show; subtler pieces such as some exquisite Kiki Smiths and Christo collages round it out nicely. Topping it off are a small-scale sculpture by Mark DiSuvero, a gorgeous Jane Sauer birch piece and glass by Dale Chihuly and Dante Marioni (once, he was a local) -- plus dozens more. There's an overriding sense of the joy Merwin must take in collecting -- each of these works is ebullient. Through July 17 at the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, 3663 Lindell Boulevard; 314-977-3399. Museum hours 1-4 p.m. Tue.-Sun.
Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue The Pulitzer is getting a lot of mileage out of Richard Serra, particularly a few large-scale pieces (Joplin and Standpoint in particular) that have graced the main gallery since the Serra solo show opened two years ago. (They're really heavy; I wouldn't move them either.) Now Serra's sculptures and drawings are paired with sculptures and photographs by Constantin Brancusi, whose interests intersect with Serra's in some fascinating ways. Their approaches to materials couldn't be more different -- Brancusi hacked away at wood and polished stone and bronze to a high, classical finish -- but all kinds of intriguing observations emerge out of this "dialogue," including the ways in which both artists treat (or dispense with) the pedestal, their interest in stacking pieces and relating individual parts to the sculptural whole. The small Cube Gallery now features an intense confrontation between Serra's Pacific Judson Murphy (1978), a black paint-stick piece that spans two walls; and Brancusi's Agnes E. Meyer (1929), a stately, totemic polished work of black marble. It's an inspired pairing, equaled by the strong juxtapositions throughout the show. Through July 23 at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, 3716 Washington Boulevard; 314-754-1850. Museum hours noon-5 p.m. Wed., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.
Hurrell's Men As chief photographer at MGM Studios in the 1930s, and as owner of his own studio after that, George Hurrell (1904-1992) developed a signature style that epitomized glamour, grace and the glory of old Hollywood. Though he photographed dozens of women throughout his career, this exhibition concentrates on his gorgeous, bronze-toned portraits of actors. Hurrell's subjects -- like Clark Gable, Johnny Weissmuller, Tyrone Power and Ramon Navarro -- are posed and in character, yet they appear intimate and genuine at the same time. Anyone who can make David Soul look sexy has got to be a genius! Don't miss the text panel on Pancho Barns, the flamboyant aviatrix who befriended Hurrell in the 1920s and collected all these photos. Through August 13 at the Sheldon Art Galleries, 3648 Washington Boulevard; 314-533-9900. Gallery hours noon-8 p.m. Tue. and Thu., noon.-5 p.m. Wed. and Fri., 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Sat.
Junko Chodos: The Breath of Consciousness This California-based artist enjoys her first Midwest showing with this exhibition, curated by museum director Terrence Dempsey. It's a beautiful survey of three decades of work engaging heady questions of spirituality and the intersection between living beings and machines. Junko, who grew up in Japan during World War II, has plenty of visual and visceral experiences from which to draw inspiration for her wildly expressive prints, paintings and drawings. The "Concerning Art and Religion" series (2003) plots photographs of engines amid a roiling chaos of inky waves and drips -- it's nigh apocalyptic, and quite effective in the context of the museum's ecclesiastical design. "Compact Universe" features smaller versions of earlier abstract paintings and collages enclosed in CD jewel cases -- the ultimate in portable art. Most intriguing of all are the elegiac paintings in the "Requiem for an Executed Bird" series, and the collection of collages that layer minuscule cutout images into dense, frenzied fields. Through July 31 at the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, Fusz Hall, Saint Louis University, 3700 West Pine Boulevard; 314-977-7170. Gallery hours 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tue.-Sun.
Russell Kraus: Midwestern Modernist Russell Kraus graduated from the Washington University School of Art in 1940 -- an interesting point in the history of American art. While abstract modern painting had taken firm hold on the East Coast, the Midwest scene was still dominated by the more realist works of the likes of Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood. Kraus starts out painting in the realist vein, then moves through experiments with surrealism, American-style cubism (think Stuart Davis) and expressionism. (Then there's the astonishingly bad "children" series, started in 1972 and carrying into the 1990s, which defies categorization and is best left alone.) The most interesting work in this large retrospective is actually Kraus' illustration and design, and in particular the stark graphics of the World War II posters produced for the Work Projects Administration. The entire affair is useful as a review of mid-century modern art and design, St. Louis-style. Through July 23 at the Des Lee Gallery, 1627 Washington Avenue; 314-621-8735. Gallery hours 1-4 p.m. Sat. and by appointment.
Amber Marshall and Micah Roufa: Blown Glass Lighting These blown-glass lighting fixtures are extraordinary, ranging from brilliantly colored table lamps to vertical hanging lights and a chandelier composed of glass "shades" and mirrored globes. This last piece is a real knockout, pairing the icicle texture of modern Scandinavian glassware with super-mod globes -- sparkly effects abound. The more restrained vertical tubular lights hover just inches from the table or floor. They're all installed alongside conceptual furniture -- wooden frames that just hint at the shape of tables, beds and sofas. It's an impressive installation, and comes with a bonus work: In the grassy lot next door, dozens of mirrored globes on rebar posts create a wavy pattern that shifts gracefully as you walk or drive past. Through July 16 at Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar Boulevard; 314-367-4527. Gallery hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.
Six Shooters/Six Visions The "shooters" are six women photographers (Susan Dietz-Schmidt, Marianne Pepper, Joan Proffer, Naomi Runtz, Harriet Fisher Thomas and Kay Wood) who have frequently shown as a group since 1997. Their works are wildly divergent and often incorporate a variety of media in addition to photography (as is the case here). The standouts: Runtz's "Say Cheese" series of enlarged photobooth portraits from the 1960s and '70s, and Dietz-Schmidt's stark black-and-white images of tree branches. Thomas' manipulated Polaroids and Wood's Polaroid transfers explore conventional "women's" subjects -- flowers, baby shoes -- to mixed effect. In her "Turkish Relief" series, Pepper sabotages the power of her source material with extraneous decoration. Sustaining an artists' group requires considerable camaraderie and cooperation, and it's encouraging to see Six Shooters succeed at this level. Whether their exhibitions succeed is another question; this one is hit-and-miss. Through July 31 at the Gallery at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Boulevard; 314-863-5811. Gallery hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. -- Ivy Cooper
