All posts by AJ Fontana

24 Aug 2026

Image Credit: Alice Bucknell, Coyote Time, video game still, 2026

Envisioning a shared near future with boldness and hope in a time of global upheaval, ‘Coyote Time,’ the third triennial exhibition from St. Louis-based Counterpublic, brings together fifty new artist commissions and selected historical artworks presented at public sites throughout the city, beginning September 10. Coyote Time will present daring new artist projects, public programs and events, and long-lasting civic initiatives centering urgent crises including climate, education, and immigration.

Coyote Time derives from the title of artist Alice Bucknell’s commissioned artwork for the exhibition, marking the moment in a video game when a character leaps off a cliff and is suspended in midair, unsure of what comes next. This moment of anticipation guides the exhibition, where uncertainty creates a space for experimentation and possibility. The artworks and ideas presented in the exhibition invite audiences to inhabit Coyote Time: To take the risk of jumping into the unknown with faith, purpose, and intentionality.

KAF is proud to be a partner and supporter of Counterpublic and its mission of reimagining the possibilities of art in public life. As one of the largest public art exhibitions in the nation, Counterpublic celebrates and spotlights the St. Louis region as an epicenter of art and culture through ongoing partnerships and artistic programming.

In addition to its exciting lineup of opening weekend events, a new, permanent public stage environment titled The Switch Which by Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin with Rhett LaRue, is currently taking shape throughout the fall of 2026. Being constructed on a parcel of KAF-owned land near the site of the completed installation, Everything Under the Sun, this stage and artwork is a gift to the residents of St. Louis for all to use.

The work opens on Friday, October 23 at the Counterpublic 2026 Convening, when it transfers from the hands of artists and builders to city residents who can determine what the stage becomes. Fitch and Trecartin have long treated their sculptural sets as inseparable from performances staged on them. Part of The Switch Which‘s invitation is this building-in-public period, which asks for witness to civic infrastructure taking shape.

The stage’s construction is a ‘first act’. As The Switch Which comes into full view of the public, visitors can watch its building and landscaping unfold in phases. All are invited to see it as theirs: for staging future screenings, gatherings, and performances.

“KAF is thrilled to partner with and lift up Counterpublic in its third triennial, expected to draw artists, media and visitors from all over the world to experience everything the St. Louis artistic community has to offer, ” said KAF Executive Director Chris Hansen. “This is a win for the entire region.”

For complete information on all of the exciting events and commissions surrounding Counterpublic ‘Coyote Time,’ visit counterpublic.org.

14 Aug 2026

Food & Beverage Director Abbie Joyce

byAJ Fontana /

Uncategorized

Food and Beverage Director Abbie Joyce joined KAF in 2019, working as a bartender at The Dark Room. She was familiar with the Weekly Jazz Jam and wanted to work in an environment with live music. After the pandemic, she stayed on to grow with the KAF team. Abbie studied Modern Literature at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she developed a strong foundation in communication, critical thinking, and the arts. She has since built more than 10 years of professional experience in the hospitality and beverage industry, with much of her career focused on beverage operations, events and arts venues.

What is your favorite part of your job at KAF?

The community service of it all is the most rewarding part. I enjoy the sweat equity of making big and great changes to our city for the better.

How do you feel your role directly supports the KAF mission?

F&B supports the mission by curating great food and drink offerings and putting the revenue directly back into the stages we build to support St. Louis artists. The team I work with is filled with artists themselves, and they continually inspire me to be creative.

What do you love most about the St. Louis arts community?

There is so much art here and everyone is talented, yet it can still feel like a small-knit community. I think a lot of artists here take care of each other, and advocate for each other. I love the camaraderie.

What do you personally do (outside of work) to engage in the arts?

I like to read and write when I’m not working, dog walks in Tower Grove Park, and my novice rose garden. I love living in South City, there’s always something going on.

Who are some of your favorite St. Louis artists/musicians/creators that people should check out?

Our F&B team is full of talented artists that everyone should check out. Here’s a few – XX$TRABUTTA, Grim The Green, Bates, BAGFACE.

10 Aug 2026

Kranzberg Artist in Residency Update

byAJ Fontana /

Blog
On View

Song Watkins Park in her studio

In January, KAF welcomed three new artists as the cohort for its 2026-2027 Kranzberg Artist in Residency (KAIR) program in Visual Arts: Sukanya Mani, Hayveyah McGowan, and Song Watkins Park. Together, they bring a dynamic range of perspectives and mixed-method practices that reflect the evolving landscape of contemporary art in St. Louis.

Throughout their 18-month residency, these artists have the opportunity to expand their creative practices, develop new work, and engage directly with the community through exhibitions, programs, and conversations supported by the Foundation. Their innovative approaches and commitment to exploration will contribute meaningful dialogue and fresh energy to our artistic ecosystem.

Now nearly halfway through their residency, the resident artists are deeply engaged in this work. Here is an update on where they are with these projects in their own words:

Sukanya Mani

Thooli is an immersive installation through which I explore postpartum identity, maternal memory, and intergenerational healing using fabric, suspended forms, and storytelling. Named after the Tamil word for “cradle,” the work centers the postpartum body as a site of transformation, care, and resilience, expanding conversations about healing within a medical context. Through Thooli, I respond to the erosion of intergenerational knowledge surrounding postpartum healing—traditions that have historically been passed from one generation to the next through touch, ritual, and oral exchange. Drawing from my own experiences and conversations with immigrant and refugee women, I honor these diverse care practices while placing them in dialogue with contemporary medical frameworks.

Hayveyah McGowan

My current body of work explores the intersections of diasporic cosmologies, altar-making, the domestic, and the unseen. Through recurring symbols and gestures, I am interested in how ordinary materials can become vessels for memory, protection, intention, and care. Working across sculpture, textiles, printmaking, and installation, I am developing an evolving visual language that blurs the boundaries between art object and ritual object. My residency has become a space for experimentation, allowing me to expand this language through world-building and immersive environments that invite viewers to consider intuition, ancestry, and the unseen as meaningful ways of understanding the world.

Song Watkins Park

I’ve been working on a series of paintings that explores my identity and how living in St. Louis for the past 10 years has shaped and influenced it. This body of work will be presented in my solo exhibition at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation next spring. In other exciting news, I was recently featured as the cover artist for New American Paintings Midwest Issue 179. In July, I spent a month living and working at the ChaNorth Residency in upstate New York, where I developed a new body of work.

The Visual Arts KAIR is designed to support these outstanding visual artists in a collaborative, resource-rich environment. This residency provides artists with the time, space, and support needed to develop substantial bodies of work, foster collaboration, and fully realize their creative visions.

“This residency has become a space to slow down, experiment, and follow ideas wherever they lead,” McGowan says.

Through developing and managing artistic venues, galleries, studios, and community-based programming, KAF provides essential infrastructure enabling the arts to flourish in the St. Louis region. Our residency program adopts an arts-based approach to community development, aligning resources and investments with community vision and needs. Committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, the program supports economic development and cultural sustainability, further positioning St. Louis as a leading arts and entertainment destination.

03 Aug 2026

Line Dancing Comes to The Key!

byAJ Fontana /

Press

Popularized in the 1990s, line dancing is having a huge resurgence across the nation, driven heavily by Gen Z and viral Tik-Tok crazes. The Key is getting in on the action, now offering two different line dancing class options on Wednesday evenings: Slide with Indy on the first and third Wednesday of each month and Country Line Dancing with Mabee Fitness on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. All classes take place from 7-8 p.m. and are followed by a dance social from 8-10 p.m. Classes are open to all and the cost is $15 per person for the class plus the social or $10 for the social only.

Slide with Indy Instructor India Fowler says, “Teaching line dancing has become so much more than just learning steps. It’s about creating a community where everyone feels seen, encouraged, and confident. I’m blessed to teach in a welcoming space where people of all ages and skill levels can come together to dance, exercise and build meaningful connections.”

Slide with Indy classes offer a fun, energetic, and judgment-free environment in which each dance is broken down step by step, so no one feels left behind. Classes are designed for everyone, especially beginners, making sure everyone has the opportunity to learn at their own pace. The post-class socials allow participants to put the dances they learn into action with great music, new friends, and confidence – it’s all about having fun, making memories and building community.

“More than anything, I hope people leave feeling happier, more confident, and connected. I want them to know that line dancing is for everyone. It’s a great way to stay active, relieve stress, meet amazing people, and simply enjoy life,” says Fowler. “ My goal is for every person who walks through the door to leave smiling, feeling accomplished, and excited to come back. I hope they don’t just find a dance class, I hope they find a community and a place where they truly belong.”

Country line dancing instructor Sami Mabee has been teaching for the past five years at private events as well as large country music festivals and dance conventions. She always begins her classes with the most challenging dance of the night, not to deter dancers, but to let them know that it gets easier.

“If you can get yourself in the building, you have enough of what it takes to be able to join in on the fun,” Mabee says. “Dancing in general is one of the only things left in this generation where people engage with others outside of their group. As much as you commit to it, you can be included in as many dances as you want.”

The Wednesday night line dancing offerings join Thursday night Infinite Bachata classes and Forro Dance Nights (third Thursday of the month) as part of The Key’s regular dance offerings – solidifying the venue as the place for dance in St. Louis. Taught by Dan Sadicario and Chloe Grabenhorst, Infinite Bachata classes are a blend of 40 percent Salsa, 40 percent Bachata and 20 percent everything else. Forro Dance Nights are hosted by Viva Brasil STL with a dance social DJ’d by DJ Mo Samba.

Visit thekeystl.com for complete schedule and details.

27 Jul 2026

MATI 2026 Draws More than 20,000 to the Grand Center Arts District

byAJ Fontana /

Press

Another successful MATI Festival and Conference is in the books! The streets of Grand Center came alive as an estimated 20,000 music fans attended this year’s festival – more than ever before. Approximately 2,500 people per day come to attend the free community block party, including more families than ever, enjoying live music on free stages, local food trucks, a first-ever outdoor roller rink on Washington Blvd., Frizzy by Nature’s Blooming Business Market and more.

The Fabulous Fox was packed for Thursday night’s kick-off concert with Grammy-winner Jon Batiste on July 16. Batiste performed a career-spanning set of his original music as well as inspired covers by Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Prince and Tom Petty, among others, setting the tone for the weekend to come.

Friday night featured a reunion of St. Louis’ own Illphonics on the Big Top stage to kick things off, ZAPP featuring Tuxedo getting the whole tent dancing with their brand of 70s funk, and an inspired late-night set by Artist-in-Residence Keyon Harrold at The Sovereign. Saturday brought the heat with hip-hop legends Big Freedia and Killer Mike headlining, and a late-night dance party with The Motet playing Jamiroquai.

Fans gathered once again at The Fabulous Fox for Sunday evening’s epic closing show with the soulful sounds of PJ Morton and Wyclef Jean, as well as a special set with Keyon Harrold featuring Andra Day.

“This year’s MATI was a true showing of the community spirit of the Grand Center Arts District – drawing people from all across the St. Louis region and beyond to experience our world-class venues, artists and culture,” said KAF Executive Director Chris Hansen. “Special thanks to our incredible staff and amazing volunteers, without whom MATI would not be possible, as well as all of the incredible musicians who graced our stages.”

Check out MATI’s feeds on Facebook and Instagram for highlights from the weekend.

Photo Credit: Tyler Small