About

Counterpublic is a civic exhibition that weaves contemporary art into the life of St. Louis for three months every three years in order to reimagine civic infrastructures towards generational change.

Actively engaged with both its neighbors in St. Louis and national conversations on the role of contemporary art, Counterpublic is a 501c3 nonprofit that aims to be a beacon of creative thinking and community engagement—an inclusive art platform that expands social, political, and civic horizons. Working in public places, cultural institutions, historic houses, and community gathering spaces, Counterpublic commissions dozens of artists, collectives, and community organizers to make and present works in St. Louis that engage the city’s histories and imagine new futures. The three month festival also includes active education, research, residencies, performances, publications, public projects, and commissions.

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 by Lee Broughton and James McAnally, along with a founding board of directors. Previously, Counterpublic was an exhibition organized by St. Louis-based nonprofit The Luminary, first in 2015, organized by Brea Youngblood and James McAnally. In 2019, an expanded version opened on Cherokee Street, organized by Katherine Simóne Reynolds, Youngblood, and McAnally. Following its founding as a nonprofit, the 2023 edition was realized through thirty-seven commissions across forty sites along the six mile length of Jefferson Avenue. The 2026 edition is forthcoming.

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