Every year since 2002, with just one exception, the Artica festival has set up on a patch of land just north of Laclede's Landing and transformed the largely abandoned riverfront acreage into a wonderland for one weekend and one weekend only. The explosion of creativity has been described as St. Louis' Burning Man — made all the more amazing because it's long taken place on land owned by a local bank.
As Lohr Barkley, president of Artica's board of directors, explains it, each year Artica has gone to the site's owner, and each year they've gotten permission. That's been true throughout various permutations of ownership.
But in the past year, the most recent owner, Busey Bank, sold the land to cargo company SCF Marine. And this year, SCF Marine said no.
That leaves Artica with no choice but to find a new home, 22 years after they first set up at Lewis and Dickson avenues near the Cotton Belt Freight Depot. And finding land ideally suited to host Artica's 140 artists and their 50-plus projects — including Our Lady of Artica, the festival's signature structure, a 49-foot sculpture that is burnt to the ground to close each festival — is not an easy proposition.
"We're exploring every option," Barkley says.
Barkley says SCF Marine told him it plans to do something with the site in the coming months, although, as he notes, "It's entirely possible there won't be anything happening October. We still can't use it." (A representative for SCF Marine did not return a call seeking comment yesterday.)
And so they're looking — but where could they go? They'd like to stay close to the river, but they need good access (roads, parking) for both festivalgoers and the fire department, and with big chunks of the roadways along the riverfront now barricaded, Barkley isn't sure if any nearby site could work. They also need a fair amount of acreage, big enough for the projects that artists build. Ideally, they'd like to stay within sight of the Arch, too. "It gets to be a pretty specific list," he acknowledges.
In some ways, Artica's organizers always knew something like this could happen. "There's never been a guarantee," Barkley says. But the timing is a bit of a bummer; Artica has seen big growth in recent years and recently hired a (part-time) executive director, as well as designating other paid roles within what had previously been almost entirely a volunteer effort. "I was really excited about this year and what that could mean," Barkley says.
And so he and other board members are looking, and making phone calls, and asking for ideas. Yet despite all the current uncertainty, Barkley is sure of one thing: Artica will take place. Come the first weekend of October, art will be made and celebrated and enjoyed — even if our Lady of Artica doesn't make the move. They're at a point, Barkley says, where everything (except perhaps the date, since they've already locked into the first week of October) now feels negotiable — even that signature art piece.
"We're looking at everything we possibly can," he says. "If it changes the nature of the festival, so be it."
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