Aldermanic Gallery

In an effort to support local artists, and perhaps spruce up one of the elegant but sparse spaces in City Hall, the Board of Aldermen will have a rotating installation in the Leisure Conference Room which is adjacent to the board chamber, Room 230.

The conference room is part of the Aldermanic offices on the second floor and is host to many of the board's committee meetings. It's a bit out of the way for many visitors to City Hall, but anyone stopping in at the main board office, Room 230, should take a quick look.

Currently the work of local architectural photographer Ken Konchel decks the walls. Konchel uses a 4"x5" large-format camera and silver gelatin printing to capture his subjects; in this case, buildings in St. Louis.

A number of Aldermen played the "guess which building I am" game as they stopped to admire the photos and speak with Konchel, who was on-hand after last Friday's meeting where the board recognized him as the inaugural artist. Many of the photos focus on unique architectural elements, not full shots of the buildings.

Konchel's work has been featured in a number of solo and multi-artist exhibitions locally and nationally; most recently, a solo exhibit at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago.

Brandyn Jones, who represents the board president's office on issues relating to development and the arts, and Pat Connigan, who is both the clerk and the attorney to the board, were among those who chose the selection of photographs.

And for those who note these things, and I know you're out there, the actual installation (which is more than just making them level, it involves selecting how the work is arranged, which, for the artist, can change how they would like their work viewed) was handled by the services department.

The photos will be up until mid-January when new work will be selected.