Public Opening of Fall Exhibitions at the Saint Louis Art Museum

The Saint Louis Art Museum opens its fall exhibitions on Friday, November 6, with a public opening that runs from 4 PM to 8 PM. It's a free event, and it's one of those nights where you can see a few different things in one go rather than picking just one gallery to wander through.

There are three main things to look at. First is Unsettling the City: Julie Mehretu's "Epigraph, Damascus," a large-scale work by Mehretu. Alongside it is Signs Under Pressure: Jasper Johns Lithographs, which brings together a set of Johns' prints. And then there's a new installation, Art After 1945, which looks at the museum's holdings from the post-war era. If you're into the way a curator thinks about a collection, the curators Melissa Venator and Clare Kobasa will be giving gallery talks throughout the evening, so you can hear them talk through the work in person.

Beyond the art, there's a cash bar and live jazz playing, which changes the whole feel of the museum. It's less of a quiet walk and more of a social evening—the kind of night where you can hang out with friends, grab a drink, and drift between the galleries at your own pace. If you're not coming for the jazz, the gallery talks are a good anchor for the night.

For context, the museum is in Forest Park, and admission is free every day, so this opening is just one way to see the new shows. The museum also runs weekly drop-in tours, Gallery Talks, and Family Sundays, and on Fridays, admission is free for the featured show. The opening runs from 4 PM to 8 PM on Friday, November 6, and it's free.