Timing
is sometimes everything.
By Sonja Henz Anderson
Just ask Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, gallery director of the Sheldon
Art Galleries, and Josh Stevens, a partner at Reedy Press LLC,
a St. Louis-based publishing company.
At about the same time Lahs-Gonzales was exploring opportunities
to more prominently promote major art exhibits at the Sheldon,
Stevens was calling gallery representatives to introduce his
company’s services, which included producing books for museums.
Stevens’ cold-call paid off for both parties. The result: within
the last 12 months, Reedy Press has produced two full-length
books—a first for the Sheldon—to serve as exhibit companion
pieces, documenting two of the Sheldon’s recent shows. The first,
Josephine Baker: Image and Icon, a four-color, coffee-table
book, showcased the museum’s exhibit of the same name. The exhibit,
organized by the Sheldon Art Galleries, coincided with the 100th
birthday of Baker, a native St. Louisan, and has since traveled
to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
The second, City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St.
Louis, 1895-1973, by local KWMU disc jockey and jazz historian,
Dennis Owsley, was released last fall. It has been recognized
as the first book ever published that thoroughly covers St.
Louis jazz history. The exhibition that inspired the book also
was organized by the Sheldon Art Galleries and runs through
August at the Sheldon.
For Lahs-Gonzales, the books are more than just souvenirs. “The
Josephine Baker exhibit was a major show and was years in the
making,” she says. “It drew from collections from the National
Portrait Gallery, the J. Paul Getty Museum, The Metropolitan
Museum of Art, and from private collections from throughout
the United States and Europe. Even though our exhibit is over,
the book continues to give a worldwide audience a perfect opportunity,
not only to learn about a groundbreaking artist, but about the
Sheldon Art Galleries and St. Louis, as well.”
For Stevens and his co-publisher, Matthew Heidenry, the Sheldon
projects were a perfect fit for their relatively new business.
Native St. Louisans, both share a love of books and history,
and have extensive backgrounds in publishing, having spent years
publishing books and catalogs for the Missouri History Museum
before branching out on their own. “The timing was just right
for these books and fortunately, everything just clicked with
the people at the Sheldon throughout the creative process,”
Stevens says. “These are incredible exhibits and more than deserve
to be preserved in books that could be enjoyed by art lovers
worldwide.”
Paul Reuter, Sheldon executive director, couldn’t agree more.
“From a gallery perspective creating a book is a wonderful tool
that documents the scholarly exhibits and art collections,”
he says. “No one remembers an exhibit exactly after it’s moved
on. These books open the doors for so many opportunities to
learn something new. Sur-prisingly, we learned that there has
never been a full-length book on the history of jazz in St.
Louis until ours was printed. Fortunately for us, we were able
to take Dennis’ manuscript, which represented 25 years of research
and create an exhibit and a book to put St. Louis’ jazz history
in the spotlight.”
For the not-for-profit Sheldon Art Galleries, the publicity
generated from the book sales couldn’t be better, as it relies
heavily on sponsors for its exhibits. Located in the Grand Center
arts district, the facility was built in 1912 as the home of
the Ethical Society of St. Louis. Upon the Society’s move in
the mid-60s, the Sheldon slowly evolved into an intimate music
venue enjoying a rich history of jazz and gospel concerts. A
major 1998 expansion into an adjacent parking garage allowed
the Sheldon to create the Emerson Galleries, which features
seven themed galleries and a sculpture garden with works by
local, national and international artists. Mary Strauss, one
of St. Louis’ most active philanthropists, spearheaded the Baker
exhibit. An anonymous donor sponsored the current jazz exhibit.
“From a public relations perspective, it has been great for
the Sheldon to be recognized around the world for its exhibits,”
Reuter says. “We know we have great exhibits and locally we
have a strong reputation, but these book—especially because
of their Internet availability— really have helped put us on
the map. They give us greater credibility when seeking funding
for future shows.”
Thanks to sales on amazon.com, both books, according to Reuter,
are nearly sold out, having received worldwide recognition and
rave reviews. Owsley’s also has been nominated for an Award
for Excellence by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections,
an international organization dedicated to the preservation
and study of recordings in all fields of music. Discussions
are underway with Reedy Press regarding second printings for
both books.
“A book is a legacy,” says Lahs-Gonzales. “It’s a wonderful
tribute to an artist. It’s been a very exciting experience watching
ours evolve. We’ve heard from people from as far as South Africa
regarding these exhibits and books. We are absolutely keeping
open the possibility of doing more.”
