It's Nice To Know People

The Counterpublic Triennial is an art exhibition that reimagines the role of art in public life in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The 2026 version, called Coyote Time, opened this week. The exhibit is composed of five hubs (buildings or neighborhoods) scattered throughout the area. Last night Hubby Tony and I, along with some friends, visited the International Institute hub.

Since 2014 the International Institute has been located in the former St. Elizabeth Academy school, which closed in 2013 after 130 years. The program for the evening had artist talks and tours, leading up to a a shared meal prepared by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija and assistants.

We checked in at the front desk and got our visitor badges. Instead of joining any of the tours we let our friend Annie be our guide. She was the perfect choice, because she graduated from St. Elizabeth's in the 1970s . There were six art installations on the main floor and an additional three in the basement. We saw all of them, but we also got to see parts of the building that weren't on the official tour. It was very interesting to see how the original classrooms had been repurposed. I loved looking at the architecture and woodwork in the original building. Some of the doors from one floor to another were locked, but as in most large buildings there were other ways to get places.

Eventually we ended up at the cafeteria, which is where the shared meal was taking place. However, when we saw there were way more people there than available seating we stayed for the opening remarks, then left. We drove several blocks south to South Grand, noted for its large collection of international restaurants. The one we chose served Vietnamese food. My Pho started was a fantastic mixture of flavorful beef broth, rice noodles, and slices of beef. As customary, it came with a side plate of basil leaves, chopped cilantro, bean sprouts, and a wedge of lime.

Five years ago: Clashing