The House that Schuchard built
Anthony Jacuzzi
If pod people had visited St. Louis last year, they might have chosen to land at Washington University’s Des
Lee Gallery, located downtown on Washington Avenue.
Last year, the gallery housed Kaiju Big Battle, an unusual art exhibit involving giant pods, built by drawing students, where students sat in the pods and attacked others.
“It was kind of like battle bots, but on a much larger scale,” said Allison Cooper, a participant of Kaiju Big Battle. Professor Thomas Huck and his drawing classes arranged the event.
The Des Lee Gallery is a venue for many forms of art, some of which-like Kaiju Big Battle-might surprise those not familiar with this out-of-the-way gallery of the university art scene. But the Des Lee Gallery’s uniqueness extends beyond its exhibits. Like no university-owned venue, the gallery fuses art, residences and student training, creating an upscale artists’ colony run by WU.
The gallery was dedicated in January of 2000 in honor of alumnus E. Desmond Lee. It is located in the University Lofts building, nicknamed “The House that Schuchard Built,” by those familiar with it. The unique space was the brainchild of Patrick Schuchard, head of the WU painting department, and was built with the help of a unique partnership between the art school, Bank of America and the Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance. Together they embarked on a $5.6 million rehabilitation project of the old warehouse, turning it into a living and working space for artists, as well as a gallery.
The gallery, a 3,000-square-foot area with wooden floors and visible ceiling pipes, is located on the ground level of the building. Above the gallery are 26 lofts, ten of which are rented out at market rates, while the other 16 are designated as tax-credit units for WU graduates and students. All 26 lofts are occupied, and there is a lengthy list of prospective residents waiting to get in.
Among the tenants of the building, are Thomas Huck, the mastermind of Kaiju Big Battle, and Philip Slein, the Des Lee’s director.
“We have this great space where we can live and make our work,” said Slein.
The Des Lee Gallery exhibits work from various sources, according to the season. In the fall, the gallery brings in several large shows from prominent artists. In the spring, the gallery is a showcase for student exhibits, giving art students a rare chance to exhibit their work in a professional setting. And in the summer, the gallery promotes local talent.
Currently on exhibit is the work of internationally renowned artist Shimon Okshteyn. Okshteyn’s work is meticulously detailed and makes use of everyday objects as subjects. His photo-realist drawings, sculptures and prints have attracted the attention of many influential critics including David Kiehl, curator of prints at the Whitney Museum in New York, who attended the opening of the exhibit and applauded both artist and gallery.
Although art students do not exhibit their work in the gallery during the fall, they still reap its benefits. Not only are they able to view artwork that Slein describes as “cutting edge and avant-garde,” but they also get a chance to work with the artists who exhibit their work there. The gallery encourages artists to enlist the help of WU students, and many gladly oblige.
In the Okshteyn exhibit, there are three prints on display which students assisted him in making. Slein described the experience as much like an apprenticeship for students before they start to work in the real world.
As for the type of artwork showcased in the gallery, Slein said that the gallery is not restricted to any certain art form.
“The only limit is that we have a high bar, in all mediums,” he said, emphasizing that the gallery only accepts the highest quality artwork.
Slein said that the gallery and Steinberg Hall’s Gallery of Art “are separate entities but they work together.”
According to Slein, Des Lee and Steinberg are moving in different directions. While Steinberg is taking on more of the role of a museum of art, Des Lee is emerging as an interactive space for students.
The location is another advantageous feature of the Des Lee Gallery. The University Lofts building is located on Washington Avenue, in the middle of the downtown “Loft District.” The effort to rebuild WU’s loft building comes as just one of many steps to revitalize downtown St. Louis.
And for the Des Lee Gallery, it’s a time of great energy and change.
“There’s a real excitement down here,” said Slein, “the Loft District is going through a major revival.Pat Schuchard is a visionary, I think he saw this coming.”
Slein declined to comment on future exhibits at Des Lee Gallery, as they are not yet set in stone. He did, however, allude to upcoming events with enthusiasm.
“A very exciting lineup is in store, I can promise you that,” he said.
Past events at the Des Lee Gallery
1627 Washington Avenue
935-4643
April 7 to April 15, 2000
“Super Imposed,” work by 15 first-year School of Art graduate students.
October 6 to November 30, 2000
“Juan S nchez: Printed Convictions,” an exhibition of prints and related works on paper.
February 23 to March 11, 2001
Franco Mondini-Ruiz, an exhibition of small sculptures juxtaposing elements of Mexican and pre-Columbian art with assorted knickknacks.
March 1, 2001
“Gowns in the Gallery,” a preview of the School of Art’s spring fashion show.
August 31 to September 16, 2001
Thomas B. Allen, an illustrator whose portraits and story illustrations appeared in Esquire, Fortune, Life, Look, The New Yorker, People and more.
October 5 to October 28, 2001
The Shank Family exhibit, “Relative Perspectives: A Retrospective of the Architecture, Illustration, Jewelry Design and Painting From 1925-2001 of One St. Louis Family.”
November 9, 2001 to January 2, 2002
Shimon Okshteyn exhibit, displaying large, painstakingly detailed pencil drawings of everyday objects whose presentations rival the realism of photography.
*Source: The Record
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