In honor of the William & Florence Schmidt Art Center’s 21st Anniversary and grand reopening, 21 artists will showcase their own artwork alongside a selection from the college’s permanent collection.
The “21 Years: 21 Artists” exhibition will be on display at the Schmidt, located at the SWIC Belleville Campus, 2500 Carlyle Ave., from Aug. 19 to Oct. 7. An opening reception will be held Thursday, Aug. 18, from 5-8 p.m.
The exhibition and reception are both free and open to the public.
“Since the Schmidt Art Center was closed due to the pandemic for our 20th anniversary, we wanted the upcoming reopening to commemorate that milestone,” said Schmidt Art Center Curator Sean FitzGibbons. “This year we are celebrating the Schmidt’s 21st anniversary. Within those 21 years, there has been a strong tradition of collaborating with local and regional artists.”
Metro East and St. Louis area artists who will showcase their paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, ceramics and multimedia pieces at the event will include:
- Dawn Marie Blum
- Andrea Coates
- Nicole Cooper
- J.T. Felix
- Jessica Forys-Cameron
- Charlie Houska
- Tom Hück
- Noah Kirby
- Andrew Koester
- Marianne Laury
- Todd May
- Metra Mitchell
- Shawn Niebruegge
- Allison Ouellette-Kirby
- Libby Reuter
- Bryce Robinson
- Cory Sellers
- Daniel Stumeier
- Sarah Swist
- Sopearb Touch
- Deborah Wheeler
Featured art from the college’s collection will include works by Ernest Trova, Robert Rauschenberg, Alice Neel, Dorothea Lange, Jill Downen, and many more.
“I really enjoyed putting this exhibition together. I wanted to highlight that history of connecting directly to our community,” FitzGibbons said. “The “21 Years: 21 Artists” exhibition not only showcases the amazing talent right here in our area, it is an opportunity to highlight the Schmidt’s fantastic collection.”
For more information about the exhibition or about the Schmidt Art Center, call 618-222-5ART (5278), or visit swic.edu/theschmidt.