About

Counterpublic is a triennial exhibition reimagining the role of art in public life. Located in St. Louis, Counterpublic connects art with lasting impact by bringing together bold ideas with the region’s most pressing challenges. As one of the largest public art exhibitions in the nation, Counterpublic celebrates and spotlights the St. Louis region as an epicenter of art and culture through new artist commissions, inventive programs, publishing, and civic initiatives.

Counterpublic is a triennial exhibition reimagining the role of art in public life. Located in St. Louis, Counterpublic connects art with lasting impact by bringing together bold ideas with the region’s most pressing challenges. As one of the largest public art exhibitions in the nation, Counterpublic celebrates and spotlights the St. Louis region as an epicenter of art and culture through ongoing partnerships and artistic programming. The focal point is a three-month, citywide exhibition with dozens of the world’s leading artists.

Working in public places, cultural institutions, historic houses, and community gathering spaces, Counterpublic commissions artists, and cultural leaders, and civic stakeholders to make and present artworks and ideas that engage history and imagine new futures. In addition to presenting artworks, programs, and publishing, Counterpublic rethinks the model for art exhibitions, seeding civic initiatives that extend beyond the exhibition. Guided by community engagement, each three-year cycle focuses on a new set of dynamic sites and questions, remaining responsive to the moment and aligning with the most impactful opportunities in the region to cultivate generational change.

Counterpublic is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2021.

2023

Counterpublic 2023 considered the entanglements of time in the city—its complex histories, charged present, and many possible futures—in one layered exhibition, following the footprint of Jefferson Avenue as it charts the pulses of the city from the Southern Riverfront through the Brickline Greenway at Market Street to St. Louis Avenue in North St. Louis.

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History

Counterpublic was founded in 2021 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit by James McAnally, Executive and Artistic Director, and Lee Broughton, President, along with a founding board of directors. Before its incorporation, Counterpublic was a project of The Luminary, a St. Louis arts organization. The Luminary’s 2015 and 2019 exhibitions entitled “Counterpublic” were organized along Cherokee Street. The shared ethos of the original exhibition and now independent organization is centered on the belief that art should be an everyday, accessible part of life.

The name “Counterpublic” comes from a sociology term where communities or “publics” are brought together through shared interests, identity, geography, language, and more, with a purpose to reclaim representation in public space.

Counterpublic’s offices are located in a historic home in the Grand Center Arts District. The house serves staff offices and hosts periodic gatherings and events, acting as a physical presence in the community outside of the exhibition.