The St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM) hosted two special exhibitions during the past semester: the annual "Art in Bloom" floral exhibition from February 27 to March 1, 2026, and the solo show "Currents 125: Blas Isasi" opening February 6, 2026. "Art in Bloom" pairs 30 permanent collection pieces with ephemeral floral arrangements created by local designers, featuring a centerpiece by New York-based floral designer Rachel Cho. The exhibition has grown from an invitational event with 7,000 attendees to an open call drawing over 30,000 visitors. Isasi's exhibition, titled "The weight of a gaze (is to listen to the sound of a kilogram)," is part of SLAM's "Currents" series and the WashU Henry L. and Natalie E. Freund Teaching Fellowship, incorporating a Chincha Inka balance from the museum's collection alongside sandstone sculptures and aluminum foil pieces.
These exhibitions matter because they demonstrate SLAM's dual role as both a community connector and a platform for contemporary artistic dialogue. "Art in Bloom" exemplifies how museums can attract broad audiences through accessible, participatory programming that recontextualizes historical works, while the "Currents" series supports emerging artists through a unique fellowship that combines teaching, studio space, and a solo exhibition. Isasi's work, rooted in ancient Andean ontologies and cosmologies, highlights the museum's commitment to amplifying non-Western perspectives and bridging past and future through contemporary art.