"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead


The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is one of the leading voices in the world of contemporary art. The Contemporary is dedicated to exhibiting the visual arts and artists of our time and to producing nationally recognized education programs. As a non-collecting institution, the Contemporary focuses its efforts on featuring local, national and international, well-known and newly established artists from diverse backgrounds, working in all types of media.

The Contemporary was founded on the Mississippi riverfront in 1980 by a group of civic, cultural, and educational leaders to bring visual-arts programming and cultural activities into the downtown core. In 2003 the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis moved into new permanent space in midtown St. Louis, an area known as the Grand Center Creative and Cultural District. In this location, the museum has served as a significant partner with other cultural organizations to revitalize and develop the area.

As St. Louis’s forum for interpreting culture through contemporary visual art, we connect our visitors to the dynamic art and ideas of our times. As a gathering place for experiencing contemporary art and culture, we push the boundaries of innovation, creativity and expression.

We invite you to join us!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Museum Hours
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10-5
Thursday 10-5
Friday 10-5
Saturday 10-5
Sunday 11-4

Note: The galleries may close early on occasion for special events.
Please call ahead for updates.

Admission
Members of the Contemporary and students receive free admission every day!

$5 Adults
$3 Seniors
Free for Children and Students (with valid ID)
Free for all visitors every Wednesday and Saturday!

Your admission contribution helps the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis continue to bring the most innovative art from around the world to St. Louis and present ongoing diverse educational programs.

Location
Click here for location information.

Facility Rental
Click here for information about renting space at the Contemporary for meetings, weddings, special events, and more.

HISTORY

After a nine month process, the Architect Selection Committee of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis named Brad Cloepfil, principal architect of Allied Works of Portland, Oregon, as the selected architect for a new building to be located at the corner of Spring and Washington Avenues.

With Allied Works' first project, the Seattle Brewing company, Cloepfil set the practice's standard of pursuing challenging and conceptually rich projects. This first project received the Progressive Architecture Award as well as the American Institute of Architects Awards in Seattle and Portland. Since then, Cloepfil, as Allied Work's principal architect, has garnered national recognition for designs such as the Sitings Project at Maryhill Museum, the Winslow and Blue Lake Residences, the PDX Gallery and the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. Currently under construction, the Wieden & Kennedy headquarters, an innovative design using an existing historic icehouse for a 400-person agency, received a Progressive Architecture Award in May 1999.

Expressing his initial ideas for a new home for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Cloepfil commented, "In making space for contemporary art, the architecture must first serve the artist; not by attempting to render a 'background' for the art, but by providing the artist with a specific spatial presence, an intentional vacancy that achieves meaning through the art itself.

HIGHLIGHTS IN THE CONTEMPORARY’S HISTORY

• 1979 - A group of civic, cultural, and educational leaders, alarmed with the prospect of an “artless” Downtown, come together with the hope of maintaining the presence of art as a complement to commercial activity.
• 1980 - First Street Forum (the Contemporary’s original name) is founded by a group of visionaries to “foster open discussions on issues of public interest.”
  
• 1981 - The First Street Forum opens in a 1,600 sq. ft. space on First Street in Laclede’s Landing in March 1981. Inaugural exhibition, from the Museum of American Folk Art, New York, opens, Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America.
  
• 1988 - The First Street Forum changes its name to “The Forum for Contemporary Art” and moves to 555 Washington Avenue in the heart of downtown. The new facilities allow for larger and more complex exhibitions and a lecture/performance space. Most importantly, the new location offers access to a larger number of people and the opportunity for a wide range of programs that interest them.
  
• 1992 - The Forum relocates to the recently created Grand Center Arts and Entertainment District. The Board realizes the importance of this opportunity to become the visual arts anchor for this ambitious development.
  
• 1995 - New Art in the Neighborhood, an education program providing arts education to local teens, debuts.
  
• 1998 - Capital and Endowment Campaign kicks off to raise funds for a new permanent building in Grand Center.
  
• 2001 - The ground-breaking of construction on the new, permanent building at 3750 Washington Blvd. designed by Architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture.
  
• 2003 - Inaugural Gala, a star-studded event, celebrates the opening of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
  Inaugural exhibition, A Fiction of Authenticity: Contemporary Africa Abroad.
  
• 2004 - The first Great Rivers Biennial highlights the work of three emerging artists from the St. Louis area.
  Annual Distinguished Speaker Series kicks off with a lecture by Glenn Lowry, Director of the Museum of Modern Art.
  
• 2005 - The Contemporary Challenge campaign launches with a $1 million gift from Alison and John Ferring and a $5.4 million challenge gift from Emily Rauh Pulitzer.
  The Contemporary ArtReach education program brings the arts to St. Louis Public Schools.
  The Contemporary starts podcasting and blogging, and is among the first museums in the country to do so.
  Monthly Select Nights make the Contemporary the place to be in St. Louis for twenty and thirty-somethings.
  
• 2006 - The Contemporary launches ArtLink, a collaborative young friends group, with other St. Louis art organizations.
  City-Wide Open Studios and Flat Files connect the St. Louis community with regional artists.
  
• 2007 - The Contemporary successfully meets the Pulitzer Challenge and pays off all building debt, and raises a $5 million endowment—before its 4th birthday.
  New curatorial team takes the helm at the Contemporary.
  
• 2008 - Chief Curator Anthony Huberman’s inaugural exhibition, John Armleder and Olivier Mosset, is presented.
  Contemporary launches The Front Room series of short exhibitions by artists and others.
  
• April 2009 - The Contemporary hosts its 5th Anniversary Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis honoring two St. Louis greats, Ernest Trova and Tom Friedman.
  

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