Monique Verdin, ReIndigenized 1861 Mississippi Watershed Map (detail), 2022. Inkjet on canvas. Courtesy the artist.
Dail Chambers, A River Journey (detail), 2024. Handspun wool and cotton, gourds, acrylic paint, decorative tassels and trim, corn husks; synthetic, human and horse hair; wooden pegs, lace; plastic, glass and wooden beads; jute, cowrie shells, bells, costume jewelry, feathers, sweet grass, seed pods, copper wire, florist's wire, maracas, ribbon, and dried flora, approximately 240 x 36 inches. Courtesy the artist.
Allena Brazier, River, 2024. Digital print. Courtesy the artist.

Make the River Present

Mar 7 – Aug 10, 2025

Make the River Present encourages creative engagement with the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Although St. Louis is physically bordered by these rivers—the two longest in the US—their presence is often obscured by industrialization, urban planning, and Indigenous erasure. Make the River Present invites visitors to strengthen our connections to the rivers through artworks, resources, and activities that highlight present-day and ancestral stewardship of the river and its environments, especially focusing on Indigenous and African American perspectives. 

This interactive exhibition provides a physical space to explore contributions of artists and cultural stewards whose work respects and engages rivers—Monique Verdin (Houma), Galen Gritts (Cherokee), Allena Brazier, Dail Chambers, Black Heritage Water Trail of St. Louis, and other authors and contributors whose writings are included. 

Make the River Present is organized for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis by Michelle Dezember, CAM’s Director of Learning & Engagement and Allena Brazier, independent curator. Exhibition design by Tiana Berry-Jones.

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Make the River Present

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