2011 American Arts Experience – St. Louis« BACK

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Jazz great Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at the Sheldon Concert Hall, the renowned Martha Graham Dance Company presented by Dance St. Louis, Red on the mainstage at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, the music of Gershwin and Copland at the St. Louis Symphony, and George Benson at Jazz at the Bistro are just a few of the programs in the second annual American Arts Experience – St. Louis. The festival will take place September 30 - October 16, 2011 throughout St. Louis.

Other festival happenings will include Laumeier Sculpture Park presenting poetry and speeches among the sculpture, an exhibit of New Orleans-based paintings and photographs by Ralston Crawford at the Sheldon Art Galleries, The Who’s Tommy at Stray Dog Theatre, Fiber Focus at Art St. Louis, the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Historic Shaw Art Fair, American artists at the Saint Louis Art Museum, American films shown in Grand Center, bluegrass virtuoso Sam Bush at both the Old Post Office Plaza and The Sheldon, American folk music at the Saint Louis Zoo, and storyteller David Gonzales at COCA.

The grass roots festival is a collaboration among many arts organizations to draw attention to the quality and breadth of the arts in St. Louis and to attract new audiences both within the region and from around the country.  The festival began in fall 2010, with over 100,000 people attending over 200 events presented by 48 arts and cultural institutions.

Paul Reuter, founder of the festival and executive director of The Sheldon, noted: “We had a terrific beginning last October and we are excited about the ways we will improve the festival going forward. There are so many organizations doing great work – we invite everyone to come and experience the arts in St. Louis!”

“The American Arts Experience – St. Louis is a great collaboration among St. Louis’ rich arts and cultural institutions,” said Cynthia A. Prost, president of the Arts and Education Council. “Event-goers from the St. Louis area and beyond will be able to immerse themselves and experience all aspects of American arts.”

St. Louis Symphony Concertmaster David Halen and friends kickoff the second annual American Arts Experience-St. Louis on Thursday September 29 at the Sheldon Concert Hall with a program featuring colorful classical music, selections by George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, and much more. This exciting multi-media event will also highlight events and organizations participating in the festival and will be broadcast live on HEC-TV.

Organizations participating it the second annual American Arts Experience – St. Louis include: Art St. Louis, Arts and Education Council, Center for Creative Arts (COCA), Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Craft Alliance, Dance St. Louis, Department of Music, College of Arts & Sciences - Washington University, Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, Grand Center, Inc., HEARding Cats Collective, Historic Shaw Art Fair, Jazz St. Louis, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Missouri Botanical Garden, Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, Portfolio Gallery and Educational Center, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, Regional Arts Commission, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis Children's Choirs, St. Louis Symphony, Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries, Stages St. Louis, Stray Dog Theatre, Touhill Performing Arts Center, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The full schedule of American Arts Experience – St. Louis is available on the festival’s website at www.AmericanArtsSTL.org. For more information on St. Louis, including complete visitor information and travel resources, please visit the official online visitor’s guide at www.explorestlouis.com.

The American Arts Experience – St. Louis is sponsored by Emerson, the diversified global manufacturing and technology company headquartered in St. Louis. Additional support is provided by the Arts and Education Council, and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.  Media partners are St. Louis Commerce Magazine, HEC-TV Nine Network, St. Louis Public Radio, and the St. Louis Jewish Light.  American Airlines is the official airline of the The American Arts Experience – St. Louis.  The official hotel is Hotel Ignacio.

American Arts Experience - For 17 days and nights, beginning September 30, 2011, the American Arts Experience – St. Louis will fill concert halls, museums, theaters, universities and outdoor spaces in the St. Louis area with dozens of performances and shows by renowned American artists and companies in disciplines ranging from symphonic music to jazz and singer-songwriters, theater by American playwrights and dance by American companies to major American visual artists. The American Arts Experience – St. Louis is an annual festival each October celebrating all mediums of American arts.  Visit www.AmericanArtsSTL.org for more information.