It’s the third season of Golf the Galleries at The Sheldon in St. Louis. With the onset of COVID-19, things like scheduling and sanitation may look a bit different this year, but the mini golf still remains fantastic. This playable, artist-designed, nine-hole mini golf installation is designed to be inclusive, family friendly and accessible. If you’re in the St. Louis area, we highly recommend signing up for a tee time! Check out our guest review from the previous 2018 Golf the Galleries at The Sheldon as well for reference. Kudos to all the artists.
Oh, and if you explore the galleries, you’ll even find the two of us in this special exhibition accompanying the mini golf! Check out these giant prints of our photos from our Safari honeymoon last summer on display in the gallery. It’s an honor to have our work amongst mini golf and other safari animal themed work. Wish we could experience it all in person.
All of the photos below were provided to us courtesy of The Sheldon.
Hole #1: “Sze’s Route” by Jacob Stanley Inspired by the installation work of artist Sarah Sze, “Sze’s Route” will incorporate every day and industrial objects such as milk crates, wooden chairs, clamp lights, ladders and conduit to create challenges for the player on the way to the hole!Hole #2: “Conservation Begins at Home” by Charmin Dahl This collaborative hole continues the course, featuring textile art including quilting, crocheting and embroidery created by curator of the Paly Foundation Charmin Dahl, along with students and community volunteers. Depicting a “nature-yard” or community greenspace, players will be surrounded by the sights and sounds of Missouri’s native flora and fauna including birds, pollinators, plants and insects, culminating in resources for the player to learn more about creating habitats for St. Louis’ urban wildlife and other steps they can take to support conservationHole #3: “Mishap at the Circus” by Mark Sheppard A day at the circus is usually a fun-filled event with clowns, trapeze artists, performing dogs and cotton candy, but Mark Sheppard’s version takes a slightly different turn, with undertones of the sinister lurking in the shadows. Players will be greeted by paintings that pay homage to Bosch, Bruegel and Goya in this macabrely funny hole!Hole #4: “Fauna Chroma” by Justin King Returning artist Justin King brings his whimsical recycled-cardboard creations to life once again with a majestic 3-D display of everyone’s favorite animals including elephants, rhinos and gazelles, and a zebra-print rug playing surface.Hole #5: “Get a Clue!” by Natalie Pinson Audience-favorite in 2018, designer Natalie Pinson creates a meticulously curated, immersive version of the classic board game Clue! From the exaggerated “golf-sized” billiard table and the black-and-white tiled Ballroom; to the mysterious library; lush, plant filled conservatory; and prop-filled study where players can pose with the dangerous weapon of their choice, this interactive hole sets the stage for a fun-filled who-done-it!Hole #6: “Zip It” by Ameli Blaser Inspired by the zipper installation in the old garment district on Washington Avenue, and St. Louis’ resurgence as a fashion community, fashion designer Ameli Blaser creates a life-sized zipper made with Astroturf, sheet metal and 3-D printing. Golfers will have the option to take their shots the easy way, around the zipper – or the hard way for a hole-in-one, straight through the zipper pull!Hole #7: “Opening Theory” by World Chess Hall of Fame For its third creation as part of Golf the Galleries, the World Chess Hall of Fame presents a hole inspired by chess’ over 1,500-year-long history and its origins in India. Warriors riding elephants, camels and horses will take the place of bishops, knights and rooks in this colorful course that blends the historic and the fantastic!Hole #8: “Bauhaus” by Alejandro Franco and Kelly Jimenez Award-winning artists Alejandro Franco and Kelly Jimenez commemorate the 100th anniversary of the groundbreaking Bauhaus art movement with a highly-stylized and colorful hole. Both Colombian-born artists who often use discarded materials to create highly crafted artifacts, Franco and Jimenez will explore the Bauhaus movement with bold geometrical designs in different disciplines. Their most recent exhibition. “Throwaway World,” was recently on view at Granite City Art and Design.Hole #9: “Louis Vuittaco” by Martha Valenta and Brian Macke Designed by artist and owner of I Need That Art, Martha Valenta, and built by scenic carpenter and theatre technical director Brian Macke, “Louis Vuittaco” reimagines the humble taco as a luxury item, paring it with the universally-recognized logo of legendary design house Louis Vuitton. Due to a medical condition that requires her to avoid many of her favorite foods, Valenta channels her foodie dreams into these playful, heartfelt works of art, which in this case, invites players to putt through and around a giant taco and its tasty fillings.
