Gallery 210 has become a leader in the organization and presentation of contemporary art in St. Louis and a byword for the best, most challenging, and most progressive shows exhibited in a nonprofit format. All artistic media, from prints and painting to photograph, sculpture, mixed media, video,  and performance art have been represented at 210. Gallery 210 promotes the arts as a force for social improvement. Recent exhibitions have dealt with such difficult themes as AIDS, censorship, race, and environmental issues. 210 has also been at the forefront of promoting works by women artists, artists of color and strongly supports the work of a Missouri artists.

It is an article of faith in museums and art galleries that an encounter and contemplation of the actual object is a significantly different learning experience than text or word. Art exhibitions are an exploration of the aesthetic dimension of human experience, a catalyst for new knowledge and contribute to education and public life. Gallery 210 contributes to the education of the community through the organization and exhibition of original and unique works of art. The exhibitions are interpreted for the audience through free gallery talks, lectures, panels, symposiums, and publications. The gallery programs engages in outreach and educational programs for St. Louis City and North St. Louis County by presenting exhibitions that address topics relevant to the community, (such as All American and THIN) supporting local artists, (Exposure series) collaborating with local high schools to present the work of young artists, (Collaboration project) hosting teacher workshops (such as the Art of the Book exhibition) on gallery exhibitions, and by being a resource for local groups such as the consulting with the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.

The Gallery is an academic and community institution. A highly regarded program, 210 is a fully functioning independent nonprofit art gallery in its own right, fulfilling an ongoing community need for exposure to new and established artists. Since 1996, Gallery 210 has reached an estimated audience of 25,000. Each show brings in between 500 and 600 visitors. Gallery 210 provides a vital link between the University’s students and the contemporary art scene, the Gallery provides students with hands-on experience in nonprofit management, curatorship, and professional gallery expertise.

SHOWS AND ACCOLADES

The Riverfront Times has this to say about one of Gallery 210’s recent shows:

BEST GALLERY SHOW, 2003: David Helms, “Automated Dispositions,” Gallery 210

…Artist David Helm utterly transformed Gallery 210 into a nightmarish, high-tech home of the future… The effect was hilarious and chilling at the same time.

About Gallery 210 itself:

BEST GALLERY, 2000: Gallery 210

Sure, there are bigger galleries. There are galleries with bigger, more dependable budgets. There are galleries with more and more permanent staff members. But this year, Gallery 210 proved to be the little gallery that could. There was no more reliable place to see an inventive show, whether it was a local effort or a traveling exhibition from elsewhere… Gallery 210 is off the beaten gallery path, but it’s always worth the trip.

BEST CURATOR, 2000:

Terry Suhre probably has the toughest job in the art business: He’s the curator of a small university gallery. That means he’s got to fill a yearlong calendar with art. He’s got to curate original shows and nab traveling exhibitions. He has to work with a small space and an even smaller budget. And he has to operate within the wider educational mandate of the university. Suhre walks these tightropes with flair and has managed to make Gallery 210 a prime destination for art viewing… Ever humble, Suhre credits the student staff at Gallery 210 for much of its success. And he assumes that “artists are doing me a favor by agreeing to exhibit at Gallery 210, not the other way around.” But it’s also his imagination, flexibility and knowledge of art that explain his success