All posts by Kranzberg Arts Foundation

The High Low Gallery presents a new exhibition, “MAIN STREET: The Lost Dream of Route 66,” featuring photographs by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Edward Keating, on view through Sunday, March 15. The exhibition is accompanied by Keating’s eponymous book of 84 photographs (Damiani, 2018).

MAIN STREET is the result of 11 years of travels along Route 66 — the 2,400 mile stretch between Chicago and Santa Monica. Called the “mother road” in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Route 66 has inspired countless artists and writers, including Andy Warhol and Jack Kerouac. Following the path of migrant farmers and others, Keating has ventured westward and back along Route 66, documenting the lives of Americans along the way.

Keating approaches the route as both a journalist and memoirist. His photographs bring attention to the lives and myths scattered along the stretch of Route 66, and serve as a metaphor for the deterioration of middle-class America. This book is also personal mythology, constructed from the artist’s own recollections of the road: Keating’s mother grew up in St. Louis along Route 66 where her father owned the city’s first Ford dealership. In his early 20s, he embarked on a cross-country trip on Route 66, but found himself, rock-bottom, in a broken-down motel in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 2000, he returned to Route 66 as a New York Times staff photographer, traversing all 2,400 miles in three weeks. The book is a milestone for an artist who has spent a life wandering along the main streets and back roads of America’s most mythic highway.

Edward Keating had served as a photojournalist for nearly 40 years for such publications as The New York Times, Forbes and Business Week. In 2001, Keating received the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, as well as the John Faber Award for International Reporting, Overseas Press Club, for his series of photographs on the September 11 attacks. He additionally shared the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting with The New York Times staff for the series, “How Race is Lived in America,” and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for the 1997 series “Vows,” co-authored with Lois Smith Brady. In 2003, Keating joined Contact Press Images photography agency. MAIN STREET was Keating’s sixth monograph. Tragically, Keating died of cancer in Sept 2021contracted as a result of his long exposure to toxic materials at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11. He was 65 years of age.

The Gallery at The High Low is open to the public during café hours with no appointment necessary, every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Grand Center Arts District is officially a finalist for Best Arts District in the country in the USA Today “10 Best” Readers’ Choice Awards. This flagship awards program highlights the nation’s best of the best in various travel and lifestyle categories, including destinations, food and drink, and attractions. A panel of experts nominates in each award category, with the final set of nominees selected via editorial review by USA TODAY 10BEST editors. Once the nominees are announced, the public is invited to vote for their favorites over a period of four weeks.

In addition to the Grand Center Arts District, the following St. Louis cultural institutions have also been named as finalists:

Pulitzer Arts Foundation
Best Art Museum

Laumeier Sculpture Park
Best Sculpture Park

City Museum
Best Immersive Art Experience & Best Children’s Museum

National Blues Museum
Best Music Museum

Saint Louis Science Center
Best Science Museum & Best Free Museum

James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science Center
Best Planetarium

National Museum of Transportation
Best Open-Air Museum

“It’s great to see so many St. Louis organizations recognized in USA Today’s 10 Best, and especially the Grand Center Arts District. This kind of national recognition furthers our goal of making Grand Center the most exciting arts district in the country,” said KAF Executive Director Chris Hansen. “I encourage everyone in St. Louis to vote for all of these finalists as often as possible.”

Public voting is open through February 16 at noon Eastern Time, and individuals can vote for one nominee per category, per calendar day. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, February 25.

The Wednesday Night Jazz Jam at The Dark Room has been a staple of KAF’s community programming for over 13 years, bringing the art of jazz within reach for people of all ages and backgrounds and helping to preserve and cultivate jazz music in St. Louis.

Musician, composer and educator Bob DeBoo, who has led the Jazz Jam since its inception, is stepping away, and as of this month, legendary St. Louis drummer Demarius Hicks has taken the helm of this special weekly event. Hicks will head a core trio that also includes bassist Christopher Thomas and guitarist Eric Slaughter. They will be joined by select rising-stars and St. Louis jazz legends, as well as Nationally-recognized artists touring through the region, to provide the opening performance each week. The audience is then invited to participate, resulting in everyone from an eight-year-old budding pianist all the way up to a well-seasoned octogenarian tenor sax player joining in the fun.

As an East St. Louis native and a part of the St. Louis music scene for over 30 years, Hicks was a natural choice to take the mantle. Though he was hesitant when first approached, he recognized the deep resonance of the Jazz Jam in the community.

“Initially when the conversation started, I didn’t see any way it was going to work for me and my family, but when you look at the mission and the purpose of the thing, you find a way to make it work, because it’s about others and especially our young people,” Hicks says.

The lack of age restriction allows elementary, high-school and college-aged musicians a safe and inviting place to practice their craft—an opportunity that may not exist in typical jazz settings. Some of the younger musicians that have joined through the years have grown, gone off to school or new cities, and come back to join occasionally as now professional musicians.

“My favorite part is always playing when I get the opportunity and knowing that, after 13 years, I can be a part of a legacy in terms of the jam being not just a place of opportunity for our young people of all ages, but also a safe haven and a space where not only do they grow musically, but they also grow socially,” says Hicks.

After his first three weeks leading the Jazz Jam, Hicks says things have been going well with standing room only audiences, and he’s excited for the year ahead, jamming with regulars of the series and drawing in new players and fans. With world-class musicians from in and out of town, such as St. Louis born trumpet phenom Keyon Harrold and East St. Louis native Russell Gunn among the sit-ins, Hicks says, “You never know who will be there, so just imagine what that can feel like to our young people—not only to see them, but be able to approach them to have conversations, questions, and then to top it all off, be able to share the stage and maybe play a song or two with them.”

Jazz Jam takes place each Wednesday evening from 6-9 pm live inside The Dark Room at The Grandel. Food and drink are available for purchase and limited seating is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Bring your instrument or just yourself and come join the jam!

Director of Special Events Becky Hale celebrates 10 years with KAF in February. She came to the foundation through a longtime friendship with Executive Director Chris Hansen, who reached out to her in 2016 when he was looking for someone to manage the private events department. Hale jumped at the opportunity.

During her tenure, KAF’s event venues have grown to nine dynamic spaces that host everything from weddings to nonprofit galas to corporate events and more. Hale deftly manages these events to ensure clients focus on enjoying themselves and entertaining their guests. If you’re looking to plan an event, reach out to Becky at becky@kranzbergarts.org.

What is your favorite part of your job at KAF?

I truly love my job. I have been in the industry for 36 years, and meeting new people while helping them bring their events to life feels like magic. We host so many different types of events, which keeps things exciting. Prior to working with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, I only ever worked in single-venue environments. Now, I manage events across nine buildings, and I love the variety—it keeps my job fresh and interesting.

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

The revenue my department generates helps support local artists in St. Louis and contributes to the many KAF programs we offer.

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

I love the St. Louis Art Museum. My family and I visit about four times a year to see new exhibits and explore the artwork on display.

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

Every year, I travel to Bentonville, Arkansas with friends to visit the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. We make a whole weekend out of it, and I absolutely love it.

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

My favorite artists in St. Louis are DJs. I grew up in the late ’80s, going to nightclubs, and my first experiences were at places like 1227, Twist, Zone 8, Faces, and OZ. I grew up listening to Gary Mac, Marc Buxton, Mike Carol, Kevin Brock, and DJ Danny. It was amazing to be exposed to so many new sounds coming into St. Louis from all over the world.

Human rights and peace with justice advocate Francie Broderick shares photos of political murals in Belfast and Derry and helps put them in context. While there have been literally thousands, they change over time reflecting whatever issue is current and pressing and originate in the heart of the working class neighborhoods created by local groups and individual artists. The most famous are in the Derry City Bogside and are collectively called The People’s Gallery. 

During the height of the conflict, British soldiers would fire plastic bullets at the works in progress and throw buckets of paint on the murals. Broderick concentrates on murals painted in nationalist areas for this presentation. Mural content changed over time from plastic bullets, hunger strike, solidarity with other struggles, rise of sinn fein, to the peace process. 

Broderick’s connection to this topic includes regular visits to the north of Ireland between 1981 and 1998, where she stayed with families of political prisoners and members of Sinn Fein, including visits to Long Kesh/Maze Prison. In the U.S., she was CoChair of Saoirse USA, a group working to recognize former Irish Republicans imprisoned in the U.S. or facing deportation or extradition as having been involved in “political offenses” (rather than criminal or terrorist). Broderick compiled bios on all former prisoners being prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department, laying out their cases for asylum or change of status, and testified before a Congressional Subcommittee on the topic at the same time the “peace process” was underway in Ireland. 

Many of the photographs Broderick will share in the presentation are from her own collection and those of friends. She traveled to Belfast when President Clinton went to highlight his support for the peace process and met with key figures involved in the process. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, her associations have been informal with relatives, friends, and former comrades in this process. 

Beyond her work on the Irish conflicts, Broderick’s career spanned 40 years in community mental health, with a focus on the most seriously disabled with multiple co-occurring diagnoses and developing supported housing. Much of her time was spent as Executive Director of Places for People. After retiring in 2012, she helped start Gateway Housing First, a supported housing organization that pioneered harm reduction housing in Missouri. Now most of her time is spent in her local food pantry.

Since its opening in October 2025, The Key Burger Bar & Boogie has become a new favorite in Midtown. This month, The Key expands its offerings with new programming series in dance, sports and music, including the following.

Infinite Latin Dance at The Key, Thursdays from 7:30-8:30 p.m.:
Big news for Latin dance lovers in St. Louis. Starting this month, Level-Up Thursday Bachata lessons with Dan Sadicario and Chloe Grabenhorst moves to The Key featuring lessons every Thursday evening from 7:30-8:30 p.m., with a social every second and fourth Thursday from 8:30-11:30 p.m.

The classes are a blend of 40 percent Salsa, 40 percent Bachata and 20% everything else. All levels are welcome ((primarily intermediate) and beginner support is available. Enjoy dancing in this unique space designed for community, movement, and great vibes—with our full bar and kitchen serving top-notch cocktails, burgers, and more throughout the night. Expect occasional guest instructors and live Latin bands as this space grows. Class cost is $15 for drop-in or $50 for four classes.

Thursday Night Sports Trivia with KLIS Inside The Lou and Sports Central:
Starting January 22, join sportswriter and 101 ESPN’s College Football/Basketball Connection host Alvin Reid for a fun and challenging night of sports trivia. Expect a night filled with laughs, a little friendly competition, and the kind of thoughtful, welcoming vibe that makes St. Louis feel like home. Whether you come knowing every stat or just ready to guess and enjoy the company, this is trivia night done the St. Louis way: smart, spirited, and full of energy. Following January 22, Sports Trivia will take place on Wednesday nights from 7-9 p.m. in the Burger Bar.

Also, on Thursday, January 22nd, Cam, Jim Hayes and Matt Adams from KLIS, The Lou Information Station and Sports Central will be recording their show live at The Key with prizes and giveaways.

Live Band Karao-KEY:
Ever dream of fronting a live band on stage in front of an audience? Live Band Karao-KEY debuted last week at The Key and continues monthly with the next events set for February 14 and March 13 from 8-11 p.m. Doors open and sign-up begins at 7 p.m. Backed by incredible band Cover Me Badd and cheered on by a lively crowd, your performance could be the talk of the town. Grab the mic, choose your song, and let the music take over.

A large-scale steel sculpture titled “Everything Under the Sun” has begun installation in a KAF-owned lot at the intersection of Delmar Boulevard and Leonard Avenue, at the northeastern edge of the Grand Center Arts District. The concept for the installation was inspired by the roughly east-west orientation of St. Louis streets and their alignment with sunrise and sunset throughout the year. The installation includes a monumental steel sculpture that will allow sunlight to filter through in perfect alignment with the city’s street grid during sunrise and sunset on specific days each year. The experience will be enhanced with regular public programs tied to sunrise and sunset and community experiences on the site.

The project comes out of a multiyear collaborative initiative, Design Openings, launched last year by The Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University, that invites local interdisciplinary design teams to animate public life in the Covenant Blu Grand Center neighborhood through long-term creative design projects and collaborations.

“Everything Under the Sun” was conceived by Jonathan Stitelman, senior lecturer in architecture and urban design, who led a team including Becca Leffell Koren, senior lecturer in communication design; Max Bemberg, project architect; RJ Hartbeck, photographer and storyteller; Josh Levi, sound design lead; and Chris McCrossan of Trocofab. Their proposal was selected by a jury of local community stakeholders. The initiative is made possible with funds from an endowment established by Emily Rauh Pulitzer to support collaborative projects between WashU and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

“KAF was pleased to offer the Design Openings initiative this piece of land upon which a new and dynamic piece of public art will be enjoyed by all in the district,” says KAF Executive Director Chris Hansen. “This project is a true collaboration that elevates our entire arts community.”

If you happen to visit the St. Louis County Library’s Clark Family Branch, be sure to stop by the KAF Gallery on the main floor to view works by Kranzberg Artists in Residence. The exhibition presents recent work by past and present Kranzberg Arts Foundation Visual Artists in Residence including: Felia Davenport, José Garza, Mee Jey, David Kirkman, Moraa Nyaribo, B.J. Parker, Sarah Paulsen, Norman Spencer, Vincent Stemmler and Kenneth Randle, as well as renowned St. Louis artist and Brock Seals.

The selection highlights each artist’s conceptual range, material exploration, and ongoing creative evolution—reflecting the diversity and excellence of artists living and working in our region. Together, they embody the spirit and cultural impact of the Residency’s mission in St. Louis.

Launched in 2021, the Kranzberg Arts Residencies for Individual Artists program supports participants in defining and achieving their artistic goals. Each residency provides dedicated space, resources, and proximity to the Foundation’s network of venues and creative infrastructure—enabling artists to expand their work, build connections, and engage meaningfully within St. Louis’s evolving arts landscape.

“The library is the perfect venue for taking in thought-provoking artwork. This exhibition brings the important work that the KAF Residencies provide to our local artists, to share with our community at large,” says collections consultant Dana Turkovic. “The galleries are accessible to all and encourage curiosity in everyone, celebrating the power of the imagination in all artforms whether it be the written word or a canvas saturated with vibrant imagery.”

Opening Monday, January 12 at The High Low Gallery 

The High Low Gallery presents a new exhibition, “MAIN STRƎƎT: The Lost Dream of Route 66,” featuring photographs by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Edward Keating, opening  Monday, January 12 and on view through Sunday, March 15. The exhibition is accompanied by Keating’s eponymous book of 84 photographs (Damiani, 2018).

MAIN STREET is the result of 11 years of travels along Route 66 — the 2,400 mile stretch between Chicago and Santa Monica. Called the “mother road” in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Route 66 has inspired countless artists and writers, including Andy Warhol and Jack Kerouac. Following the path of migrant farmers and others, Keating has ventured westward and back along Route 66, documenting the lives of Americans along the way. 

Keating approaches the route as both a journalist and memoirist. His photographs bring attention to the lives and myths scattered along the stretch of Route 66, and serve as a metaphor for the deterioration of middle-class America. This book is also personal mythology, constructed from the artist’s own recollections of the road: Keating’s mother grew up in St. Louis along Route 66 where her father owned the city’s first Ford dealership. In his early 20s, he embarked on a cross-country trip on Route 66, but found himself, rock-bottom, in a broken-down motel in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 2000, he returned to Route 66 as a New York Times staff photographer, traversing all 2,400 miles in three weeks. The book is a milestone for an artist who has spent a life wandering along the main streets and back roads of America’s most mythic highway.

Edward Keating had served as a photojournalist for nearly 40 years for such publications as The New York Times, Forbes and Business Week. In 2001, Keating received the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, as well as the John Faber Award for International Reporting, Overseas Press Club, for his series of photographs on the September 11 attacks. He additionally shared the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting with The New York Times staff for the series, “How Race is Lived in America,” and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for the 1997 series “Vows,” co-authored with Lois Smith Brady. In 2003, Keating joined Contact Press Images photography agency. MAIN STREET was Keating’s sixth monograph. Tragically, Keating died of cancer in Sept 2021contracted as a result of his long exposure to toxic materials at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11. He was 65 years of age.

The Gallery at The High Low is open to the public during café hours with no appointment necessary, every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Happy New Year! After a hugely successful holiday season, the KAF staff is rested and ready to bring it in 2026. We have a full year of thrilling programs, exhibitions, performances and development activities on the horizon—all in service of our mission to provide the essential infrastructure for the arts to thrive in the St. Louis region.

On the music front, our latest development, The Sovereign, run by Old Rock House owner Tim Weber, has an incredible lineup of shows slated through May 2026 with tickets currently on sale and more being booked every day. Weekends at The Key are heating up January with some of the best party bands in St. Louis, including Proud Larry, Ghost Kitchen and Laka – the Tina Turner Tribute. The Dark Room continues to be a mainstay of the St. Louis music scene with weekend performances by some of St. Louis’ top musicians in Jazz, Soul, Hip-Hop, Latin and more; while Sophie’s Artist Lounge serves up inspired weekly sets by resident DJs.

KAF’s Visual and Literary Arts programming will bring more thrilling exhibits in 2026, highlighting St. Louis artists, including members of Kranzberg Artist in Residency Program (KAIR) in Visual Arts. New commissions are planned for The Walls Off Washington as well, adding to the more than 30 current murals by local and international artists on view in the district. The Key will also be further developed as an interdisciplinary venue rooted in movement, sport, music, and visual storytelling in the coming months. Within the literary arts, the popular High Noon speaker series will be expanded and more deeply integrated with gallery programming. Our first event of the year kicks off this Thursday, as St. Louis poet Matthew Freeman reads from his new book, Dopamine and the Devil. 

Our Programs and Partnerships department remains steadfast in its efforts to refine systems that strengthen creative equity, expand infrastructure, and build lasting trust in our community in 2026, including deepening ties and growth with St. Louis’ Latino and Asian communities, broadening on-the-ground reach, and scaling our Community Ticket Program to further access to the arts among our most vulnerable populations.

The ArtWorQ initiative workforce development program, launched in fall 2025 with the goal of connecting St. Louis job seekers with careers in the arts and entertainment industry, recently graduated its inaugural cohort and will continue to grow and expand in the coming year, creating

a pipeline to jobs for low to moderate-income individuals in the city and county of St. Louis, as well as the entire Missouri region.

And, of course, stay tuned in the coming months for exciting news and announcements about MATI 2026.

Whether you visit one of our galleries, take in a show at one of our great venues, visit with our team at a community event or simply follow us here or on social media, we can’t wait to share more of St. Louis’ incredible arts scene with you over the next year.