Lately, the guitar seems to be taking center stage.In 2019, the St. Louis Science Center featured an exhibition titled “Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World.” It appealed to all ages and featured more than 70 guitars including acoustic, electric...

Drive through any city in the world and you will find war memorials dedicated to battles or individual war heroes. Many of the sculptures are made by famous artists. War and the military have been themes in art through the ages.St. Louis and the state...

I was once again thrilled by an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Titled “Jewelry: The Body Transformed,” the exhibit is described in the museum’s brochure — “What is jewelry? Why do we wear it? What meaning does...

I picked up a copy of “The Pharaoh’s Treasure: The Origin of Paper and The Rise of Western Civilization,” by John Gaudet published last fall. What a fascinating read it was. In his author’s note, Gaudet says, “When is paper not paper? Many...

Whether or not you’re a lover of musical theater, one can’t help but notice that it surrounds our culture.  In 2017, “La La Land” won Academy Awards galore and other recent movie musicals such as “Mary Poppins Returns” and “The Greatest...

I was talking to a recent college graduate and asked what she had majored in. When she said her degree was in graphic arts, I wasn’t really certain what the term meant or what she was going to do with such a degree.I contacted Douglas Dowd at Washington...

When I’m giving a tour of the St. Louis Art Museum or Laumeier Sculpture Park and feel that I am losing my audience’s attention, I often find myself saying, “Let me tell you a story.” They are back with me in an instant. I use the same strategy...