Going to the Chapel: New art venue paints a selfless picture
BY PETE COSENTINO
What is Truth?
Well, I guess it all depends.
If you’re talking about the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, then it’s a courtroom oath for those about to testify. And in that context, Truth was what Nicholson told Cruise he couldn’t handle in a certain movie courtroom drama showdown. And Truth is also an intriguing aesthetic equation: Art = Beauty = Truth.
Which brings me to last Sunday. I cruised through cyber space in search of Truth as Beauty, a trip which took me straight to ArtPatrol.Com, a website of what’s happening and current on the local scene. The only posting for Sunday, August 17 was for an art show and reception at some place called The Chapel. The artist was Christine D’Epiro and I’d seen her work before at the MFA Show at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University and I liked it. She was going to give a pre-reception talk at 5:30, and by my dollar watch, it was already almost 6:00. I had to hurry.
Luckily The Chapel wasn’t far, just a couple miles away on Skinker near Wash U. behind Memorial Presbyterian Church. Now this location gave me some misgivings since my halo light is so low-watt it makes the fireflies snicker. However, it was the Lord’s Day after all, and maybe this Chapel place might somehow jump-start my dead battery.
So with a full moon on the rise I headed north on Skinker, hooked a left on Alexander Drive, parked the car and soon was standing in the luscious summer breeze gawking at the grandeur of the gothic masterpiece of architecture which is Memorial Presbyterian. And behind the church, standing like a son or younger sibling, was The Chapel.
I must confess that when I got there my mood was as wrinkled as my slept-in shirt and scruffy as my unshaved, nubby face. I don’t know if it was the weather, the wine, or the wonderful art but everything weary, worn and cynical in my soul discernably dissolved and took a hike somewhere, maybe crossing Skinker into Forest Park to hit the links with the frou-frou.
I mean the people were all welcoming and pleasant, especially the artist, Christina, who made a point of greeting everyone who entered. The gallery space isn’t very large but it’s cozy and bright and fit the scale of the twenty works displayed. With two exceptions, all of these were 9”x12”’s which might be seen as visual confections were they not so filled with the essential vitamins and minerals and nutrients needed to make good art-food great and eminently tasty.
Like fine cuisine, each piece was blended with wit and sprinkled with savory gravitas. These are the works of a playful, thinking artist/chef possessed of vision and confidence. There is almost too much to digest, the kind of art which warrants encore viewing. And besides, the viewer’s eye must save room for the main course tour de force which is the largest piece, entitled Wait/Weight. Wait/Weight is a 48”x72” hemisphere of moonscape Armageddon. That said, it made me smile. Christine D’Epiro’s show was the inaugural for The Chapel and it was a wise choice by the-Cheese-in-Charge.
The space which formerly housed the chapel proper now holds a stage for musical concerts and theatrical productions. The room is immediately inviting and exudes all manner of charm and gothic ambiance. It has a character and moody personality. I spoke with the gallery curator, John Early, and met his lovely wife, Kate. John is an artist himself and will soon be attending Wash. U in the MFA program. From him I got a glimpse of The Chapel’s ambition, and when I checked out the website he directed me to (www.chapel-venue.org), I was totally amazed. Here is a paraphrased/verbatim portion of what I discovered:
“...to serve musicians, to serve artists, to renew the city...”
THE CHAPEL is a not-for-profit musician-centered venue, event-based gallery and theatre. Through generous supporters, THE CHAPEL provides all services free of charge to artists and musicians. Bands always take 100% of their cover. All cover charges go to the bands. No exceptions. Ever. Good beer and wine are donated by friends of THE CHAPEL and a professional staff volunteers their time. We support St. Louis as it positions itself as a premier city for the arts and music. THE CHAPEL is designed to lose money so musicians get their due “
Say what? Come again! You mean to tell me this place which calls itself The Chapel, Sanctuary for the Arts is just exactly that? Generous, benevolent, selfless, inclusive, inviting...and gratis, to boot?
As I left that night I noticed a chandelier in the atrium upon which were attached numerous sheets of papers. These were scribbled and printed with thoughts and sayings by many people in many languages. One of them said: “The Truth is found between the lines.” That may well be so, but regarding The Chapel, that line might be seen as the city/county boundary of Skinker, and the Truth in this case is not so much between the lines as barely over at 20l S. Skinker. And if I may be so bold, I’d like to amend the aforementioned aesthetic equation to read as follows:
Truth = Beauty = Art = The Chapel
Check it out! Here and there in Sixty-Two Square.
You can submit ideas for Sixty-Two Square at lucashudson@thevitalvoice.com
