All posts by Kranzberg Arts Foundation

This is the final week to catch Cave of Bones, the exciting exhibition by Kranzberg Arts Foundation Resident Artist José Garza presented at The Kranzberg Gallery. Cave of Bones is a powerful commentary on the current state of failed societal promises. The work observes warlords and emperors exploiting a “once promised dream,’ where every victory is ultimately a deception.

Drawing inspiration from the exhibition’s title, the pieces suggest a path forward through collective action: the refusal to comply will ultimately ignite a spark, leading the way out of darkness and toward a new future. This challenging, socially engaged work—featuring photography, video, sculpture, and drawing—is the culmination of Garza’s residency with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation.

Garza is a St. Louis-based multimedia artist and educator whose socially engaged practice draws inspiration from a wide range of cultural and subcultural sources. His diverse body of work encompasses traditional and new media, including photography, video, sculpture, and curated exhibitions. Garza has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, with notable appearances at the 2017 Biennale di Spazio Pubblico in Rome and the 2019 Counterpublic Triennial. He currently serves as the Museum Academic Programs Coordinator at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University and teaches at Saint Louis University. 

 Cave of Bones is on view during gallery hours, Saturday from Noon-4 p.m.

As The Wiz makes its return to the Fabulous Fox, Legends’ Gallery presents a joint pop-up exhibition with a co-producer of the national tour honoring this timeless classic story. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published as a children’s story in 1900, L. Frank Baum gave us Oz and Dorothy’s journey to, through, and from Oz as a reflection of America at the turn of the century. The idea for The Wiz came in the early 1970s from Ken Harper, an Army veteran who was a DJ and the public affairs director at an NYC radio station. In an America coming out of the Civil Rights Movement and amidst the Vietnam War, Harper chose Oz and Dorothy’s journey as a vehicle to amplify and celebrate black style, wit, and fantasy.

What does the 2024 version of The Wiz invite us to consider, realize, see, and dream through its journey to, through, and home from Oz? And what does that journey invite us to consider, realize, see, and dream about in our individual and collective encounters with upheaval, the unexpected, and more than we think we can handle?

This exhibition presents items on view from various productions of The Wiz over the years including: A pair of silver slippers worn by Stephanie Mills in the original Broadway production; set models from the 2018 Muny production; programs from the 1975 and 1993 tours that came through St. Louis;  and albums from the Original Broadway Cast, the 1978 film, and the 2024 Broadway production.  The exhibition also includes reflections from community events hosted by exhibit partners 4TheVille and InvestSTL, as well as an invitation to contribute to the exhibit with visitors’ own reflections on the journey to, through, and from Oz.

“We are deeply grateful for the chance to work alongside co-producer Nicole Hudson to celebrate 50 years of The Wiz and to welcome St. Louis into this moment of reflection,” says Gina Grafos, KAF Chief Curator and Director of Visual & Literary Art. “As so many continue to navigate the impact of the May 16 tornado, this exhibition invites us, as the show reminds us, ‘to look inside our hearts’ for the courage and clarity to keep moving. Together, we consider how we travel ‘through’ upheaval toward a renewed sense of home, held up by a resilience that has long defined this city.”

St. Louis artist and new Kranzberg Artist in Residence Hayveyah McGowan has created a series of beautiful limited editioned prints available in three variations for this special exhibition that are for sale in the Legends’ Gallery and online. Sales of the poster will benefit 4theVille and InvestSTL. Legends’ Gallery is located at 3318 Washington and is open 12–5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

With the days growing ever shorter, The Walls Off Washington and The Market at The Walls Off Washington are changing to winter hours, open Wednesday through Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. at 3333 Washington Avenue in the Grand Center Arts District. The holiday season is a magical time to experience the incredible murals of The Walls with family and friends—especially those visiting from out of town. 

Experience over 33 thought-provoking murals by renowned local, national, and international artists painted on (and off) walls between Josephine Baker Blvd. to N. Leonard Ave. and Locust St. to Sam Shepard Blvd. The Walls recently added two new murals by renowned artists Kenny Scharf and Brock Seals. Stop by The Market and pick up a self-guided tour map at the counter to begin your tour. 

In addition to serving as the gateway to The Walls, The Market is a central hub for information, local artisan goods, KAF venue merchandise and a full-service box office selling tickets to performances and events at all KAF venues—great holiday gift options that celebrate our local artists. The Market is offering a special holiday discount of 25% off all KAF venue, MATI*, and Elemental merchandise from Black Friday through New Year’s Eve!

*Excludes For The Ville Boots On The Ground fundraiser T-shirt.

Stepping into The Key Burger Bar & Boogie, patrons are greeted by a dynamic illustrated universe created by St. Louis based Cuban artists splashed across the walls, but the story doesn’t end there. Displayed on the side of the building at Olive and Compton, and the interior walls of The Boogie, revived and reframed tifos from St. Louis City SC’s inaugural season act as Polaroid portraits of players in action, expanding the definition of what constitutes civic art. 

Inside the elevated Gallery Lounge, historic photographs honor seminal St. Louis performers, including Josephine Baker, Katherine Dunham, Tina Turner, and Dan Coleman, whose choreography and teaching shaped generations. These works serve as the opening chapter of the visual narrative, situating the venue within a continuum of movement-based cultural legacy. 

Displayed elsewhere in the venue are additional significant items from supporter groups and the Vogt Family archive, offered on generous loan and in collaboration with artist and supporter B.j. Vogt. Together, these artifacts highlight the depth and endurance of St. Louis fan culture and its indelible role in the expressive identity of the city.

“The curatorial vision for this venue is anchored in the belief that movement in all its forms—dance, sport, music, gathering—is a core language of the city. The Key’s visual identity draws from this lineage and continually reimagines it for the present,” says Gina Grafos, KAF Chief Curator and Director of Visual and Literary Arts. “Like many of KAF’s venues, the identity of The Key is not fixed, but rather intentionally conceived as an additive curation process. Installations will shift with the seasons, inviting new artists, artifacts, collaborations and activations from both local and international voices. Over time, the venue will continue to engage in dialogue with its community, allowing each visual layer to build upon the last.”

“The Key is envisioned as an evolving cultural environment shaped within two historic buildings preserved from demolition and given a new purpose,” Grafos continues. “Its curation honors where STL has been, celebrates where the city is now, and remains open to the new rhythms yet to arrive. And somewhere in that constellation, there will always be a disco ball or two.”

Join St. Louis filmmaker and Kranzberg Artist in Residence David Kirkman for a special artist reception and screening of episodes 1 and 2 of his series, “GONZO,”  a coming-of-age story set in 2005 following a college student who invents a groundbreaking algorithm that could reshape the world. As his creation threatens powerful industries in this high-stakes drama, the price of innovation is steep, and the fight to protect it even steeper. The first two episodes, starring Jordan Walker and Shawn Roundtree, Jr., will be playing on a loop in the gallery.  

“I wanted to make GONZO because when I learned that Black people only make up four percent of the entire tech industry, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it means to create something world-changing when the odds are already stacked against you,” says Kirkman. “The support from the Black Studies department at Washington University helped ground the series in real history and cultural memory, so even as the narrative evolves, it’s tethered to truth. GONZO is about what happens when that brilliance goes up against global empires and systems designed to keep progress out. It’s a story I’ve never seen told from our point of view.”