The Counterpublic Process: Year One

In our conversations with community members, artists, musicians, and more, one big question has come up each time: What does Counterpublic do in the years between exhibitions?

During the last seven months, our team has been meeting with collaborators, partners, new hubs for the 2026 exhibition, and our many publics. In between our exhibitions, our process is a time of fluidity where we hear from our communities about their needs, desires, and dreams of the city of St. Louis and respond through programming and partnerships. This means that a lot of the process seems invisible – for now – as we carefully lay the groundwork for the next edition of Counterpublic.

Right now, we are showing up in neighborhood spaces, hosting happy hours, and collaborating with partners who align with the community feedback we have received.

The data we collect at events and online informs the curatorial team, the next exhibition, our next events, our future collaborations, and more! By interacting with our forms and sharing your thoughts and stories at our events, you are supporting Counterpublic’s continuous cycle.

With the information gathered during the engagement process, Counterpublic will produce a Community Report in the autumn of 2024.