Cherokee Street artist, Cbabi Bayoc featured on the St Louis PBS station program “Living in St Louis”
“Our touch and our connection to one another is what’s huge and what makes us who we are,” Bayoc says through a face mask April 11, standing in the Cherokee Street Gallery. He’s surrounded only by his works on display… Click the image below for the full article:
Cbabi will be opening an exhibition of his powerful artwork at Cherokee Street Gallery on Saturday April 11th. We will be ready with a virtual reality tour of Cbabi’s exhibition in the case that we are still unable to get together in person on 4/11/20 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, plus Cbabi plans to do a live painting in the gallery that we will be streaming online. We are striving to innovate and evolve to continue serving the talent of our artists as we navigate these challenging times. We thank you for your support.
The opening reception for Jeff Williams’ exhibition was a blast. In addition to being a visual artist, Williams is also the front man for the long running and legendary punk / funk band NiL8. Williams has spent his entire life creating both visual and sonic artwork. His paintings are a reflection of his irreverent sense of humor, as well as his passion for cycling. Never afraid to experiment and take chances Williams' paintings express a creative exuberance for the human experience. His work offers us a glimpse of the world through his uniquely imaginative perspective.
Noelle Wagner’s artwork is currently on preview in the gallery, pictured here in the center.
We are currently previewing a selection of works artist Noelle Wagner who will be having an exhibition at Cherokee Street Gallery this Summer, please stay tuned for the dates of Noelle’s exhibition.
The November Edition of Cherokee Street 2nd Saturdays aligned with the Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl and the street was jumping. St Louis was blessed with beautiful Fall weather and folks came out in droves. Cherokee Street Gallery hosted Swing Dance lessons at noon and opened an evening reception featuring new works by Jeremy Rabus, Bharat Ajari & Robert Longyear with live music by jazz sax musician Dominique Burton. Urban Chestnut Brewery provided the refreshments.
Bharat Ajari
Cherokee Street 2nd Saturdays is a monthly, street wide, celebration of the vibrant and emerging culture coming out of the Cherokee Street neighborhood. For the September Edition of Cherokee Street 2nd Saturdays, on 9/14/19, we are hosting the opening reception of “Groove Theory” by artist Bharat Ajari. This exhibition is a collection of soulful portraits painted by Ajari of the soul and funk music legends who influenced him through his youth.
"through the use of a vivid color palette and loose, gestural brush strokes, this work seeks to render a series of conceptual portraits of various artists and musicians of color from the 1970s soul and funk era. Within this series, the notion of "color" has multiple meanings which coalesce into an exploration of how light, as reflected through a person, an object or palette can illuminate a vision of how the world can be seen and our place in it." - Bharat Ajari
We are also very proud to announce that Urban Chestnut Brewery will be offering a very limited edition sampling of their Konomi Ale. It’s a collaboration between Masumi Sake and Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, brewed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Japan America Society. Masumi Sake is a highly regarded sake brewery that has been brewed in Suwa, Nagano (St. Louis’s sister city) by the Miyasaka family since 1662. They are also the brewery where “Brewing Association Yeast Number Seven” was 1st discovered and isolated. That strain is now the widest used sake strain in the world, and they have sent us their home yeast with which to brew.
The name: “Konomi”. 好み“ In everyday parlance, konomi means “to like,” or “to favor.” However, from the tea ceremony comes a slightly different connotation. In the tea ceremony, konomi is a creative impulse that vivifies something in a new way.” Which is a perfect pairing for our gallery’s mission.
Soulful Portraits by Artist Bharat Ajari
Artist Bharat Ajari, is exhibiting a collection of soulful portraits at Cherokee Street Gallery, located at 2617 Cherokee Street, St Louis. Bharat calls this collection of vibrant portraits, "Groove Theory." This body of work is comprised of lovingly painted portraits of funk and soul music legends who have had a formative influence on the artist throughout his life. Bharat says, that "through the use of a vivid color palette and loose, gestural brush strokes, this work seeks to render a series of conceptual portraits of various artists and musicians of color from the 1970s soul and funk era. Within this series, the notion of "color" has multiple meanings which coalesce into an exploration of how light, as reflected through a person, an object or palette can illuminate a vision of how the world can be seen and our place in it." Cherokee Street Founder, Benjamin Lowder, comments that, "these portraits are filled with warmth and compassion. "Groove Theory" is a direct reflection of Bahrat's affection for these musicians who have shaped his identity." This exhibition is a part of Cherokee Street's monthly 2nd Saturday's event, featuring live music, art exhibitions, open studios and more. Things are happening up and down Cherokee Street the 2nd Saturday of each month so this is a great time to come down and explore the unique and emerging art scene happening on Cherokee. “Groove Theory” runs from 9/14/19 through 10/11/19.
An Exhibition of New Works by Jeremy Rabus Opens 8/10/19
Saturday, August 10th from 6 to 9 pm Cherokee Street Gallery is hosting an opening reception exhibition of new artwork by Jeremy Rabus. Refreshments will be provided by Urban Chestnut Brewery. This art opening is in conjunction with Cherokee Street's 2nd Saturday festivities, so there'll be a lot happening up and down the block. "We are excited about this show. Jeremy's abstract compositions of gestural strokes express an emergent joy through their vibrant color palette, drawing viewers into ever deepening levels of discovery," says Cherokee Street Gallery Founder, Benjamin Lowder. "Jeremy has been creating some gorgeous new work from his studio here on Cherokee Street and we are very pleased to have him in the neighborhood." Jeremy shared that "I enthusiastically accepted Ben’s invite to show new works at Cherokee Street Gallery, and am absolutely excited to share these fresh paintings, collages, and sculptures with the arts community on this eclectic street. In January of this year, I made the move of securing a new studio, my third space on the famous Cherokee Street... I signed the lease that would return me to the world of Cherokee Street, it’s community, it’s DIY concerns, and it’s galleries."
Please Join us on Saturday, July 13th from 6 to 9pm for the Cherokee Street Gallery one year anniversary celebration and exhibition. This event is part of Cherokee Street's 2nd Saturday Art Walk, featuring artwork by Kool Koor, Lauren Marx, Travis Lawrence, Al Diaz, Jerald Ieans, Zack Smithey, Robert Longyear, Bryan Walsh, L. A. Marler, Benjamin Lowder and more. Refreshments are provided by Urban Chestnut Brewery, plus a special rum tasting from Nobletons Distillery. Nobletons will be sampling their rum varieties, signature mojitos and daiquiris.
The “Text Con Text” exhibition at Cherokee Street Gallery was a group show featuring all text based artwork from artists Bryan Walsh, Robert Longyear, L. A. Marler and Benjamin Lowder.
Bryan Walsh
Robert Longyear
L. A. Marler
Benjamin Lowder
“Super Bloom” is an explosion of flower-like geometric assemblages based on a 2-D version of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome geometry, built from reclaimed wood and vintage metal signage by artist Benjamin Lowder, happening now through May 10th.
Cherokee Street Gallery is hosting a fundraiser for the House of Miles East St. Louis.
Featuring a performance by musician Tonina & artwork by Kool Koor & Benjamin Lowder
Saturday, March 9th from 6 to 8pm at Cherokee Street Gallery
2617 Cherokee Street • St. Louis MO 63118
The House of Miles East St. Louis is a nonprofit organization located in Miles Davis’ historic childhood home in East St. louis, Illinois and it is known by the acronym H.O.M.E. They are engaged in a dual mission of maintaining this important cultural landmark as well as offering love and encouragement to the children of East St Louis through supportive programing offered at the H.O.M.E. “This is the kind of cultural stewardship we are proud to throw our support behind,” said artist and Cherokee Street Gallery Founder, Benjamin Lowder. “The House of Miles East St. Louis is not just looking to preserve the past, they are building an enriched future on the foundation of Miles Davis’ legacy in East St. Louis.”
artists to be featured at the “Miles Tones” fundraiser at Cherokee Street Gallery Saturday 3/9/19
The event will feature Miles Davis inspired artwork by artists Kool Koor and Benjamin Lowder being sold that evening to benefit the House of Miles East St Louis. The artworks being offered for the benefit of H.O.M.E. will range from large original pieces to limited edition posters. Also that evening, jazz musician and St. Louis native, Tonina Saputo will be playing live in the gallery. Former President Barack Obama personally named Tonina’s song “Historia De Un Amor” to his list of “Favorite Songs of 2018.” The name given to this event, “Miles Tones,” draws from the title of a piece of artwork created by Kool Koor after he and Lowder visited Miles Davis’ house in East St Louis. Admission is free, donations are encouraged, come join the celebration. Contact: cherokeestreetgallery@hotmail.com
Lowder (L) and KOOR (R) pictured in front of Kool Koor’s artwork titled “Miles’ Tones”
“Sanctuary” by Kool Koor is currently on view at Cherokee Street Gallery
KOOL KOOR Building "Sanctuary" in St Louis
Kool Koor traveled from Brussel, Belgium to St Louis to create a powerful new body of artwork for his solo show opening at Cherokee Street Gallery on Saturday, November 3rd with an artist talk at 6PM and reception to follow.
Exercise Your Demons
It was a blast exhibiting work by St Louis artists Lauren Marx, Jason Spencer, Rebecca Bolte and Dan Mutchler for the Cherokee Street Gallery Halloween show titled “Exercise Your Demons.” The week long exhibition climaxed with a live performance by Rebecca Bolte’s band “Red Bait.”
Patti Astor and Benjamin Lowder 2017 NYC, Urban Art Fair, “Fun Gallery Flash”
Patti Astor is taking over Cherokee Street Gallery to share her incredible journey through the formation of the Hip Hop, Punk Rock, New Wave and Underground Film scenes of the late 1970’s to early 1980’s New York City. Astor will be at Cherokee Street Gallery on Friday, October 12th for an opening reception at 7:00 pm to present her personal collection of artifacts and ephemera from her legendary Fun Gallery days as well as her career staring in landmark art films. She will also share her amazing first hand experiences in a talk at Cherokee Street Gallery on Saturday, October 13 beginning at 6:oo pm.
Through her film career Patti Astor earned a reputation as the "Queen of The Downtown Screen" acting along-side people like Rene Ricard and Debbie Harry from the band Blondie. She appeared in early and influential art films by directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Eric Mitchel, Amos Poe and Charlie Ahearn. Astor is most well-known, as an actress, for her starring role in Charlie Ahrean’s 1982 movie Wildstyle, which was the first feature film to document Hip Hop culture.
Along with her film career, Astor opened Fun Gallery, with Bill Stelling, in the desolate East Village neighborhood of New York City. Through her pioneering efforts at Fun Gallery, from 1981 to 1985, Astor curated what has become the most important roster of American artists in recent history including Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Jane Dickson, Kenny Scharf and “Dondi” White among others. Astor serves as a Curatorial Advisor for Cherokee Street Gallery, a role that grew out of Astor’s inclusion of the gallery’s founder and artist Benjamin Lowder in her roster of contemporary artists that she calls her “Fun Gallery Crew.” Lowder says, “Patti Astor is one of a very small group of individuals who were at the creative nexus in New York City that yielded a globally transformative American cultural movement not seen since the Jazz age. This is an important opportunity for St. Louis to witness living history.”
Artist Al Diaz discussing SAMO©… art history at Cherokee Street Gallery, St Louis
Photos of the Al Diaz art opening at Cherokee Street Gallery by Rebecca Bolte 2018
SAMO©... LIVES
Artist Al Diaz to exhibit at Cherokee Street Gallery
New York City artist, Al Diaz is coming to St Louis to open an exhibition of his current artwork at Cherokee Street Gallery on Saturday, September 8th. The exhibition is titled “SAMO© LIVES” and opens at the gallery with an artist talk by Diaz from 6:00 to 7:00 pm followed by an opening reception beginning at 7:00 pm.
“I’m psyched about showing theses new pieces. I’ve been preparing all summer for the Cherokee Street Gallery show. St. Louis is proving to be a Street Art Destination.” - Al Diaz
Al Diaz and Jean Michel Basquiat collaborated on the creation of the enigmatic graffiti tag "SAMO©", pronounced "same oh" as in "same 'ol shit" or "same 'ol thing." It was a blasé expression of boredom in reaction to the repeated patterns of daily activity offered by modern life. Diaz and Basquiat worked to build the SAMO© concept by writing short cryptic slogans on the streets of New York City from 1977 to early 1980 tagged with the name SAMO©. According to Diaz, "SAMO© was never intended to be a person." Cherokee Street Gallery Founder, Benjamin Lowder’s take on SAMO© is that, “it was meant to be a brand or place holder for the empty promises presented by religion and consumer culture.” Basquiat took over the SAMO© identity for a while as his art-world alter ego, but Diaz says it was never intended to be that and he presents an alternative viewpoint of what the enigmatic SAMO© actually was.
August marks the 30th anniversary of Basquiat’s death and the Contemporary Art Museum St Louis is mounting an exhibition titled “Basquiat Before Basquiat” focusing on the same years that Diaz and Basquiat created SAMO© together. Cherokee Street Gallery Manager Lisa Simani says, “it’s fortuitous timing that brings these two exhibitions together here in St Louis to present a more complete picture of this culturally significant collaboration between Diaz and Basquiat.”
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Cherokee Street Gallery • 2617 Cherokee Street, St Louis • www.CherokeeStreetGallery.com
Contact: info@cherokeestreetgallery.com