21c Museum Hotel | Special Acquisition
21c Museum Hotel St. Louis is an adaptive reuse project transformed the historic YMCA building, located at 1528 Locust. It has been reimagined into a destination property featuring more than 14,000 square feet of museum exhibition and event space, 173 guest rooms, chef-driven restaurant Idol Wolf, the Good Press coffee shop, and a 10,500-square-foot athletic and wellness center.
The museum exhibition spaces will feature rotating artwork by renowned national artists, but the guest rooms have a more permanent local connection with large-format works by St. Louis artist Carmon Colangelo. Suites feature additional works by Missouri-based artists, including Collin W. Elliott, Brandon Forrest Frederick, Bethanie Irons, and La Vispera.
Several pieces from my vanitas still life series were selected for the suites. Here is a little background on the works selected and the impetus for the project…
During the beginning days and months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I became much more aware of my own mortality and the ephemeral nature of my surroundings. As I spent more time reflecting at home and as items became scarce, I questioned the value I placed on objects and came to terms with the inevitable transition to a new way of life. Through this series of digital illustrations, I explored the tradition of vanitas still-life painting. Each image contains symbolic items pertaining to anxiety, time, death, life, cleanliness, play, boredom, chaos, monotony, and hope. Through these images, I filter this ongoing experience with the acceptance of change and an urgency to find joy in the present.
Image courtesy of Sleeper Magazine.
Image courtesy of Sleeper Magazine.
Image courtesy of Sleeper Magazine.