Christner worked with Craft Alliance to create a satellite location in the historic Woolworth Building on Grand Avenue, as part of the Kranzberg Arts Center. The engaging space serves artists, students and the community with an exhibition gallery and studios for clay, fiber and metal art. This new location provides collaborative opportunities with nearby arts institutions and schools as well as an increased presence in the city. Inserting classrooms and artist-in-residence studios into the basement meant adding a stair to link the two levels and taking advantage of borrowed light from the storefront on the main floor. Spaces and furnishings are designed for multi-purpose use: instruction, display, meeting space and hospitality.
Size: 5400 sf
Status: Completed 2008
Award: 2010 Best Practices Award for Constructability, St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers
Located in the historic Woolworth Building, Craft Alliance's first floor storefront gallery space occupies a prime spot in the Grand Center arts and entertainment district.
The exhibition gallery features large-scale works and exhibits that change periodically. The reception desk is a custom piece of metal work.
Stairs lead from the gallery to the studio and classroom space below.
The lower level receives natural light from the open stairway. Furnishings are bright and colorful to enliven the space.
This hospitality center includes a kitchen and seating for program attendees. The window above the sink looks into the metals studio.
A flexible studio can accommodate a number of needs, including movie screenings, lectures, interactive art making, and outreach programs.
