This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 21, 2013: St. Louis' newest art gallery is not an art gallery. Instead, This Must Be The Place features pop-up shows in old, vacated buildings that show their wear and tear.
For founders Zach Swanson and Justin Strohm, it was important to pursue these spaces and reconsider the traditional presentation of art in square galleries with white walls.
"We want to give both artists and people who appreciate art an opportunity to create or experience art in a new way, and we do that by changing the context," Strohm said. "The reason that [traditional gallery spaces] are white boxes is an attempt to remove context and have art stand on its own, but ... a white box is a context all unto itself. It’s very meaning-heavy. That’s been a statement that art’s been making for the better part of a century. So, what we’re trying to do is experiment with new ways to have gallery spaces."
This past Saturday, artists and audiences were given a chance to explore the space at 3531 California Ave., the site of TMBTP's second show. The house was built in 1904 as a two-family flat, the first floor of which was devastated by a fire. Soot, charred walls and streaks from water damage fill each room from floor to ceiling.
The second floor was not damaged by the fire, but each room had been stripped down to its support beams, with only remnants of the plaster walls left standing.
The difference between these two levels provided juxtaposition and "a lot of potential to inspire," Swanson said. "I think a lot of artists we have here were inspired, and you can see it in their presentation."
Indeed, this is a small part of the duo's larger goals for artists interacting with their spaces.
"I hope it just triggers something, they notice something and kind of hone in on it, and bring that out so that other people see it too," Swanson said. It's about "really just seeing things not as this neglected, gross building, but the beauty in it."
The interest in derelict buildings has become something of a contemporary trend.
"It’s sort of chic for people to take pictures of messed up buildings. It’s somewhat humorously, somewhat cuttingly — I think — called 'ruin porn,'" Strohm said. "But ... ogling a messed up building is not doing anything to help preserve it or find new uses for it. ... It’s just saying, 'Oh man, look at all these mannequin hands from this old mannequin factory. Isn’t that weird and creepy?' Maybe it is. We kind of hope to [turn] that sort of drive to look at derelict spaces ... into something more productive."
Strohm's interest in preservation comes not only from an admiration for architecture or the value of St. Louis' built stock, but also from emotional attachment to the buildings. He admitted he has occasionally made decisions that were not so wise financially because of this emotional attachment.
"There aren’t a lot of places in this country where you could have a hundred-odd-year-old building that has not been particularly well maintained, that is still structurally sound, and still beautiful, and still has things to offer people," Strohm said. "And it’s a shame in the city, a lot of those buildings are being stolen or torn down."
Saving these buildings means thinking of unconventional ways to use them, and This Must Be The Place offers one of these such ways.
"This is something that we can do. We can use these buildings. They’re structurally good, they’re beautiful, they’re interesting, and they provide new, unique opportunities for expression," Strohm said.
As it turns out, this is part of Strohm's business. He makes a living working for Vroman Industries, investing in run-down buildings and then selling them for profit. This connection provides the means for finding venues for TMBTP.
In this way, Strohm is the "logistical backbone" for the organization. It was Swanson who came up with the idea after hearing about a similar art show that had taken place in an old manor in England.
"I was driving around and seeing all these buildings that are unused and funky and thought, what a great way to get out of the white box gallery thing and bring art into the community," Swanson said.
Having no way to make this idea a reality, Swanson looked into a grant proposal for Sloup, a monthly St. Louis soup dinner in which attendants vote on projects and the winner takes home the money collected at the door. Swanson's proposal didn't win, but he met Strohm.
The first show they hosted as This Must Be The Place was the Washington University show for recent Bachelor of Fine Arts recipients, which took place in early May. The venue was 2276 S. Jefferson Ave., which was built in 1888 as a boarding house.
As could be expected with a pilot show, there were some snags.
"We were relying on natural lighting. Exactly at the time that we were supposed to open, the sky just clouded over and started to rain. But despite that, we had 200 people show up," Strohm said. "It was a big success. I think that we’re going to do bigger and better as we move forward."
In the coming year, Strohm and Swanson hope to have a format for the shows hammered out and possibly open new chapters in other cities. Swanson, a recent Washington University graduate, has been considering this as he prepares to move to Austin at the end of this month.
"I think even the different regional locations could be really interesting," he said.