We are proud to announce our new MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM. For the first time, we are offering memberships for a variety of levels and benefits that go directly to help support The Luminary’s innovative work in the community. With arts funding being cut from most state and national agencies, it is up to individuals in our area to ensure the creative culture of our city continues to grow. The Luminary isn’t just a gallery and venue–it is an incubator that makes new ideas possible. Our members are true patrons that help support the creative ideas that develop the community as a whole.

The perks are pretty nice too. Members will receive discounts on workshops and events, one-of-a-kind editions from our exhibitions and resident artists, invites to special preview events and more. The editions will be unique art objects created specifically for our members and will be sent directly to you 4 times per year. Think of it as an art subscription and you become a contemporary art collector, overnight.

Find out more and become a member online at http://theluminaryarts.com/exhibitions-and-events/support/

In conjunction with AV*Artist Equipment Library, the Luminary is offering an exciting schedule of workshops led by local professionals to participants of all skill levels. Workshops are offered at a discounted rate for AV members, according to membership level.

To enroll in a class, please email brea@theluminaryarts.com.

If you are interested in something specific that we are not currently offering or would like to lead a workshop please let us know! We are open to suggestions and want your feedback. Email brea@theluminaryarts.com to discuss further workshop opportunities and interests.

Class Schedule:

Instructor: Chris Corsano with New Music Circle

Class: Free Percussion Workshop
Synopsis: Chris Corsano will present a free workshop on percussion and extended technique in advance of his performance for the New Music Circle at the Kranzberg Art Center. The legendary percussionist has performed with the likes of Bjork, Yoko Ono, Nels Cline and Sonic Youth.

Date: Saturday, January 28th from 12-2pm.

Instructor: Arsenal Studios
Class: TMI: 20 Topics for Success on the Web
Synopsis: This workshop will allocate 10 minutes per topic on a wide range of subjects that are crucial for web publishing success and improved visibility online. Instructor will be “working against” a countdown timer for each topic. When “time is up”, the class must move on to the next topic. This will be a fast paced, high-energy roundtable. Topics include search engine optimization, web publishing platforms (wordpress, tumblr,etc.), preparing and optimizing media for web, effective social media usage, design and development shortcuts / strategies, and much more. Lecture will also be broadcast live on the web and a forum will be provided for offsite participants to contribute and interact.

Date: December 3rd 12p-4p and December 8th 6p-10p    Cost: $25       Class is limited to 30 people

Fill out the form here to sign up!

Visit our AV page for further information on our Artist Equipment Library and membership process.

You trust your taste and you want others to get to hear it over serious speakers and subs. Here’s your chance. We’re looking for other people to make a soundtrack for our concerts that create context for the performers and presents new music to the audience.

For each show in the 2011 Elevator Music Series, we are taking submissions for a mixtape contest in which we will select one winner who will get 2 free tickets to the show and have their mix played in between sets. We will also give the band your mix to play while on the road so you can help soundtrack the late-night drives.

We will accept digital submissions at booking@theluminaryarts.com (links to d/l preferable) or drop off a CD at The Luminary Wed-Sat 12-6pm. The winner will be announced the day before each show. Submissions must be between 45-70 minutes long to be considered. In your submission, be sure to include a full tracklist and what show it is submitted for.

Check out our upcoming dates and start assembling a playlist!

AV is a new membership-based artist equipment library at The Luminary that provides access to specialized equipment and resources to area artists and musicians. As an artist resourcing organization, one of the primary aspects of The Luminary’s vision is to serve artists by helping meet the practical needs they face in the production and presentation of their work. Artists at all stages of development need access to diverse materials, equipment and training that are impractical for an individual to own, either due to cost, size or infrequent use. By centralizing these resources, we are able to serve a broad community at a relatively low cost per person and encourage the continued experimentation and production of artists in the St. Louis area.

Several of the most significant resources available will be a Photo/Video Studio, a portable Pro Tools Studio, a basic Woodshop, Digital Projectors, Disc Duplicator and Large Format Printing, among numerous other more specialized resources.

We are currently accepting in-kind and cash donations to help open AV. In exchange for donations of $50 or more, we are offering a free full-access membership for a month. All donations are tax deductible.

Our current needs are:

• Audio Recording Equipment (microphones, stands, software, etc)
• Digital Projectors
• Video Equipment (cameras, lighting, editing software)
• Woodworking Tools
• Screen Printing Equipment
• Button Makers
• Contemporary Art Books & Periodicals
• DJ Equipment (turntables, mixer)
• Light Box
• Printer paper
• Guillotine Paper Cutter
• External Hard Drives

AV will be launching a six-week Beta period from March 15^th-May 1^st, which will be limited to 20 members at a special rate of $30 for the period.  Follwing the Beta period, AV will open to the public with full access on May 1^st. Contact us at info@theluminaryarts.com or visit our website at http://theluminaryarts.com for more information.

For the second year in a row, The Luminary has been awarded St. Louis Magazine’s A-List. This year, we won for Best Music Series for the Elevator Music Series. Pick up a copy of the magazine throughout July to read about the award and to check out all of the other incredible award winners.

Here is a sample of what they had to say about us:

“How do you get folks to get out and support local bands? Find a venue with one of the best sound systems in the city…make it feel more like a happening and less like a gig.”

Thank you to St. Louis Magazine and to all of the bands, fans, and artists that make it all possible!

OPEN CALL FOR 2011 INSTALLATION PROPOSALS

The Luminary Center for the Arts is a nonprofit contemporary arts organization based in St. Louis, MO. The Luminary seeks to provide meaningful support to emerging artists, audiences and appreciators in the St. Louis area. As a combined studio, education, and exhibition space, we bring together a conversation from all areas of the art world, encouraging creative engagement with contemporary art production and processes.

The Luminary invites artists and curators to submit proposals for site-specific installations to be realized in our dedicated Installation Space throughout 2011. The 500 sq. ft. space is a renovated former chapel with 20 ft vaulted ceilings, natural light, and a one-of-a-kind environment for the presentation of new work. Each artist accepted will have up to two weeks for installation and each project will remain up for six weeks from the date of the opening. The Luminary serves as an incubator of new ideas and proposals with an innovative, interactive and experimental approach will be given priority.

GUIDELINES

•    Proposals must be emailed to info@theluminaryarts.com no later than October 21, 2010. Emailed submissions should use ‘Installation Proposal 2011’ as the subject line. Physical submissions will also be considered and may be mailed to 4900 Reber Place, St. Louis, MO 63139.
•    Proposals must include a short (no more than 500 words) summary of the project, at least 5 examples of past work, timeline, contact information and a CV.
•    Applicants will receive a confirmation email within 2 weeks that your materials have been received.
•    Successful proposals will be notified within one month of the deadline.

This summer, in conjunction with the Partnership for Downtown and Commerce Bank, we are hosting a series of four Post Performances commissioning local artists and musicians to collaborate for engaging, one-off events open to the public at the incredible Old Post Office Plaza Downtown. The Post Performances are pairing some of the best local artists and musicians and are actively cultivating new audiences for this kind of outside the box event.

At our first installment, BJ Vogt and Theodore, along with Spelling Bee, brought out over 250 people, from families to retirees, artists to residents of area lofts. We are getting ready to host the second event on Saturday, June 19th from 7-9pm with producers Phaseone and Parisian pairing with video artists Daniel Shown and Matt Strom. Check out the video of the first Performance below.

The Luminary presents POST PERFORMANCES: Theodore & BJ Vogt from Ryan Powell on Vimeo.

One of the hallmarks of The Luminary’s curatorial practice is that we seek out work that actively engages with the cultural landscape around us. By presenting work that speaks to shared areas of life, this organizational principle allows anyone an entry point. To the extent that the exhibitions are successful, the audience will find their own questions, thoughts, and concerns played out in the gallery setting. The concept behind this practice is that it opens the art world to intersect with life and gives a new ability for emerging audiences to interact with art.

Our exhibitions have always been thematic. In 2010, we are extending this practice to envelop a yearly theme that will grow over each exhibition to create a narrative arc. We will be curating each exhibition along the larger theme of information: How we generate it. How we manage it. How it manages us. Why we are addicted to it. What it means for how we will structure our lives this year and every year after. Information has never had such a dramatic effect on how we view the world and what we view as possible.

As we launch our 2010 Exhibition Season, Answer Factory, we are excited to announce the four major group exhibitions that frame our season: Old Media/Old News, Cause + Time, Answer Factory, and Future Perfect. In March, we will also be announcing the selections for the installation space, which will open in April and feature openings every other month alongside the major exhibitions.

Old Media/Old News

January-March

This high-profile exhibition brings together six innovative emerging artists working with concepts of news reception, media saturation and the role of the artist as documentarian and mediator of information in our increasingly rapid global news culture.

Cause + Time

May- June

Cause + Time is an exploration into art that responds to its environment, whether through interactivity, social broadcasting, advertising that changes based on the viewer or growth over time. Cause + Time will also feature the first of our public projects launched in conjunction with the exhibition schedule. The project will focus on a moss painting project that will grow over the course of the exhibit on buildings, streets and overpasses across the city.

Answer Factory

August-October

Answer Factory will be a large-scale public project incorporating billboards, text work and yard signs that will culminate in a town hall meeting and group exhibition. The exhibition itself is based around the concept of the enigmatic ways we generate truth, propose answers to unknown questions, and navigate through contradictory information.

Future Perfect

November-December

Future Perfect focuses on a wide variety of future-focused work from data models to hysteric predictions in a fitting end-of-the-year exhibition. As a closing exhibition, Future Perfect brings the theme of information into our projections, conjecturing about what comes next.