Cherokee Print League 4th Annual Holiday Sale on December 3rd
 |
Do you know which gallery on Cherokee Street was once the site of a merry-go-round? How about which print shop was originally a vaudeville theater? Or why the area was known as "a shelter for desperate, lawless vagabonds" during the 1830's? You can find out during three different historic walking tours during the Cherokee Print League 4th Annual Holiday Sale on Saturday, December 3rd, The tours, led by a Cherokee resident who is also a Preservation Specialist with Landmarks Association of St. Louis, will be at:
11:00 beginning at Fort Gondo Compound at 3151 Cherokee
1:00 beginning at Firecracker Press at 2838 Cherokee
3:00 beginning at Paperboat Studios at 2306 Cherokee
The offical press release from the Cherokee Print League relates all the great shops, venue, artists, and events that will be taking place in the neighborhood.
Cherokee Print League, a vital contributor to the blossoming art scene in the South City/South Grand area, has announced plans for its fourth annual holiday print sale. The print sale showcases local artists and businesses whose work is print-related including printmaking, letterpress, screen printing, and printed fabrics. The sale is Saturday, December 3rd, 10:00AM - 7:00PM and provides holiday shoppers with creative ways to complete their shopping lists. Some of the unique activities planned at the numerous print shops and galleries along Cherokee Street include tours, demonstrations, and custom items printed on the spot. Galleries will host several of the artists whose work is exhibited. Maps will be provided at each participating location. For more information, please visit http://cherokeeprintleague.com
In March of this year, Cherokee Street was fortunate enough to host an evening of printmaking events as part of the SGC International Printmaking Conference sponsored by Washington University. With thousands of attendees (participants and on-lookers), the street was lit up in celebration of art and community, gaining international attention. Several businesses continue to make their mark in printmaking and other creative fields including architecture, literary culture and art galleries. Annually, hundreds of people turn up for this event to mosey along the historic shopping district and purchase the printed wares of local artists. Building off of the excitement from SGC, this year's bound to be larger than ever. A sampling of the participants and their events for CPL 2011 include the following:
Printmakers
All Along Press (2712 Cherokee St.), a cooperative print shop specializing in letterpress printing, screen printing, fine art printmaking and book arts, works with artists, writers and designers on a local and national level to create a variety of printed materials. You will find many unique items available for purchase, including limited edition books and prints. Take a tour of the impressive studio stocked with letterpress, etching, silk-screening and bookmaking equipment and machinery. If you are intrigued by these age-old processes, sign up for one of the many workshops and classes open to the public.
Firecracker Press (2838 Cherokee St.) was recently named one of the Top 40 Letterpress Studios in the country. This year, the folks at Firecracker will be hand-printing custom stationery on the spot. What could be more fun than picking your favorite image & paper, and then watching as the skilled artists crank your one-of-a-kind goods through the nostalgic, big, metal presses? Firecracker Press is building a nest on Cherokee Street among the grassroots movement of artists, rehabbers, restaurants, coffee shops and entertainment. Eric Woods, owner of Firecracker Press, is excited about this year's sale. "We've been in it from the beginning, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger each year." Also at Firecracker during the print sale event will be a special performance of presses and instruments. All the presses will be running while printing a book, accompanied by guitar, drums, and other traditional musical instruments. The performance is over when the edition is complete. Audience members will be encouraged to participate, and everyone gets to take a freshly made book home with them. It will be a cacophony of printmaking and musical experimentation!
Porter Teleo (3323 Cherokee St.), designer and maker of high-end, handmade wall coverings and textiles in Chicago, New York, L.A., and Miami showrooms, will be selling seconds, off-color and off-printed wallpapers. The special wallpapers and fabrics are used in the most exclusive homes in the country, and the small business has been a favorite among Hollywood celebrities and trendy magazines including Vogue, Architectural Digest & Elle Décor. Usually closed to the public, owner Kelly Porter says, "One spot here or there, and the whole roll has to be scrapped. We'll be selling these yard by yard at drastically reduced prices for people to use as artwork, gift-wrap, whatever inspires them." Porter Teleo will also be selling hand-dyed scarves and other holiday gift items at the sale. The Porter Teleo team will be making wallpapers on the spot so curious participants can have fun watching & learning.
Paper Boat Studios (located just east of Jefferson Avenue) is a cross-country collaboration between artist, Amy Thompson, and her Seattle based-business partner.
The print studio offers letterpress printed cards, calendars, gift tags, games, and ornaments, in addition to hand-bound journals and sketchbooks, and custom work. Alongside her collaborative project, Amy teaches typography and book design at Maryville University.
Sleepy Kitty is the graphic arts and music project of Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult.
The duo arrived at Cherokee Street on a visit from Chicago because they were hunting for Retro 101, a vintage shop of legendary sweet finds. Once on the street, they started fantasizing about setting up shop in one of the many available buildings there. They couldn't afford afford to design and print posters, make artwork, write and play music in Chicago. As the artistic community has coalesced on Cherokee, they've been able to make their own artwork their own way. The duo started making posters for their own bands in Chicago in 2007 and relocated to St. Louis in late 2008 to set up their screen printing and art studio. Sleepy Kitty creates posters and screen printed goods for bands, theater companies, venues, wedding and commitment ceremonies, and other interesting events. They were named "2011 Best Poster Designer" by the Riverfront Times. Their band, also called Sleepy Kitty, is active in St. Louis and the surrounding region, and just released its first album, "Infinity City," in July 2011. During the sale, you can find them exhibiting at Foam Coffee & Beer.
STL-Style / Lighthouse Print & Design (3159 Cherokee St.), featured by the New York Times, are creators and purveyors of colorful, diverse, quirky and loveable St. Louis-inspired apparel and merchandise. Creators (and identical twins) Jeff and Randy Vines have been active in a number of civic efforts in the revitalization of St. Louis, and they use STL-Style as a launching pad for their advocacy. STyLehouse is the collective home base of two of Cherokee Street's emerging creative enterprises: STL-Style, whose neighborhood branded apparel and merchandise are must-haves for any proud St. Louis city dweller; and Lighthouse Print & Design, an independent specialty screen printer and graphic design shop. The two companies operate separately, but they join forces to make STyLehouse a premier destination on Cherokee Street and beyond. Jeff Vines feels the neighborhood art sale is rare and special, full of creative talent and an intangible sense of hopefulness and whimsy. He says about the ever-growing arts district, "Cherokee is the perfect example of an urban district evolving in just the right way. There aren't one or two heavy-handed developers calling the shots here; it's a neighborhood effort that everyone takes an active role in shaping. Longtime businesses sit shoulder-to-shoulder with a recent crop of immigrant-owned merchants and dynamic artists and creative enterprises. Cherokee also has incredible bones. It's a solid, dense neighborhood that evokes a distinctive sense of place, and when you're here you know you're in a cool city. There's a collaborative spirit here that is not common everywhere, and we need to embrace that. It sounds hokey, but there's a sense that we're all in this together."
Galleries
During the print sale, each of these galleries will be open to the public hosting a handful of artists who are exhibiting their wares.
Aisle 1 Gallery (2627 Cherokee St.) was founded by Bryan Walsh and Jenn Carter, presents work by established and emerging artists. Showcasing painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture and mixed media work, the gallery will host solo and paired solo shows, with additional group exhibitions throughout winter and summer.
Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts (3151 Cherokee St.) fell in love with Cherokee Street's main street like facades, reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting. The gallery provides a forum for emerging artists, local students and community members. The gallery currently features new prints by Dan Zettwock, well-known for his St. Louis cartoons and caricatures.
Snowflake Gallery (3156 Cherokee St.) was the winner of River Front Times Best Gallery Exhibition of the Year in 2009. Showing local, regional, and national contemporary artists since 2003, the gallery's most recent exhibition (Wonder Koch + Eliza Newman-Saul, What's the Use?) was reviewed by Jessica Baran, of White Flag Projects, in the September edition of Art Papers.
Food, etc.
Foam Coffee & Beer (3359 South Jefferson Avenue), located on the corner of Cherokee and Jefferson, will be hosting artists during the Cherokee Print League sale. It's an ideal place to start/end your tour of Cherokee as you can pick up a map, buy prints, coffee, hot chocolate, irish coffee, whatever you want and relax in the comfy seating areas along with the artists, including Sleepy Kitty.
This vibrant community of local artists, musicians, and foodies await your participation in this year's Cherokee Print League Sale. Come enjoy the music, antiques, books, great food, and a variety of art galleries, print shops, and venues. The perfect place to do your holiday shopping! The sale takes place along Cherokee Street Saturday, December 3rd from 10:00AM - 7:00 PM. Maps will be provided at each location. For more information, please visit http://cherokeeprintleague.com.