October 24, 2007
Wm. Stage at Mad Art
Wm. Stage will probably always be known best for his long-standing column, "Street Talk," in the Riverfront Times. But even for that paper, he wrote two other columns and always kept himself busy with outside pursuits, from writing true-crime books to process serving to publishing postcards. There's always a story when you run into Wm., and you might do that anywhere. The track. A corner saloon. The annual Polish festival in North St. Louis. He's that kinda get-around guy.
He'll be in one place soon enough, as a Mad Art exhibit features his words and photography. Details here:
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WM. STAGE BOOK SIGNING
& PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT AT MAD ART
Writer-photographer Wm. Stage will sign copies of his book, Pictures of People, at Mad Art Gallery on Thursday, November 1, 2007 from 7 to 10 PM. In addition, Stage will hold forth on his writing and photography pursuits spanning nearly three decades. Some 40 pictures of people from the book will be on display for that evening only.
Pictures of People is a collection of 80 black-and-white candid photographs exposed from 1982 to 1993. Subjects hail from diverse pursuits and every level of society. The famous, the infamous, and everyday working stiffs all share a common bond, scrutiny before the lens. Most subjects were photographed in Saint Louis, either natives or artists/lecturers passing through. Text is limited to name, occupation, locale and year photographed. Among those pictured are former Cardinals’ manager Whitey Herzog, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, novelist-visionary Ken Kesey, mountain climber-environmental activist Sir Edmund Hillary, actress-comedian Brett Butler, poet-filmmaker Yevgeny Yevtushenko, novelist T. C. Boyle, and monologist Spalding Gray. An expanded version of this book may be viewed on www.pixofpeople.com.
A working journalist since 1982, Wm. Stage has interviewed and photographed thousands of people from every walk of life. He has taught photojournalism at Saint Louis University School for Professional Studies. He attended the week-long Photojournalism Workshop, offered by the University of Missouri-Columbia’s School of Journalism and held in a different Missouri town every year since 1946. In 2007, he became an occasional commentator on NPR affiliate KWMU, located on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis. Other books by Stage include Ghost Signs: Brick Wall Signs in America [1989]; Mound City Chronicles [1991], Litchfield: A Strange and Twisted Saga of Murder in the Midwest [1998] and Have A Weird Day: Reflections & Ruminations on the St. Louis Experience [2003]. He lives and drinks in the City of St. Louis, where photographic opportunities abound.
Mad Art is located near the A-B Brewery at 2727 S. 12th Street St. Louis, MO 63118.
For more information please call 314.771.8230 or 314.567.8697