the Vino Gallery has a print based show featuring 3 artists Alex Orosco, Myles Keough and Kyra Termini.
Dilapidated Buildings of St. Louis
As a transplant to St. Louis 3 years ago it took me some time, and lot's of urban cycling, to understand the layout of STL, to feel comfortable with my neighborhood and the neighborhoods that I visited most often. More Important was understanding the shift of neighborhoods as I traveled throughout the city. The same block that I passed through might hold a dilapidated mansion next to a an active halfway house. St. Louis is a violent city; it's population decreases with each year as more people move to the county, but continue to utilize the wonderful resources that can only exist within an urban landscape. What is special about St. Louis is very special. This project is one facet of the effort to explain my fascination with the dilapidated mansions and the active halfway houses and all the spaces in between. Those who have lived in St. louis a long time might recognize landmarks of their lives and childhoods, and feel a nostalgic desire to see those landmarks become something new and special. I come from a perspective that values the reuse of materials, in this instance buildings, my hope being that the beauty of each building will inspire the desire for restoration rather than demolition.
One of the things that immediately impressed me about St. Louis was its dedication to reusing standing structures, even offering tax incentives to home owners who renovate their properties. This preserves and develops the urban fabric, rather than wasting resources and destroying historic aspects of the city. The City Museum is not only a spectacular space on its own but has collected, using what has been termed "urban archaeology," the remnants of the city itself and put them on display.. My stamp project the "Dilapidated Buildings of St. Louis" has been my own investigation of urban archaeology. It has been my way of finding the beauty and potential beauty of St. Louis, feeling a part of it in as honest a way as I can. My intention is to make the viewer aware of the rich urban fabric that I discovered in St. louis.
