Writer and curator Laura Raicovich is organizing a weekend-long festival called the "Circus of Life" in St. Louis, Missouri, taking place October 24–26 at the Big Top circus grounds in the Grand Center Arts District. The event is part of Counterpublic, a triennial civic exhibition founded in 2019 by James McAnally, and will feature artists, writers, theater groups, performers, and activists. Raicovich leads a team of four "ringleaders" including Kenneth Bailey, Galen Gritts, Jeanne van Heeswijk, and Nontsikelelo Mutiti, with additional participants such as Chloë Bass, Hilma's Ghost, and Kameelah Janan Rasheed. The program includes performances by Bread and Puppet Theater, conversations with Roxane Gay and Nermeen Shaikh, workshops, a parade, and communal meals, all free and open to the public.
This festival matters because it reimagines the traditional cultural event as an inclusive, accessible gathering that counters the isolation of pandemic-era screen-centered life. Raicovich, who has held leadership roles at the Guggenheim Museum, Dia Art Foundation, Creative Time, and Queens Museum, brings a critical perspective on the limits of conventional art spaces. By using the circus as a metaphor and venue, the event aims to create a welcoming forum for community and exchange, particularly for those who feel alienated from mainstream cultural institutions. It reflects a broader trend in contemporary art toward civic engagement, social practice, and radical hospitality.