Make the River Present encourages creative engagement with the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Although St. Louis is physically bordered by these rivers—the two longest in the US which come together at the confluence a few miles north of downtown—their presence is often obscured by industrialization, urban planning, and erasure of Indigenous culture. Make the River Present invites visitors to strengthen our connections to these enduring waterways through works of art, resources, and activities. The exhibition highlights present-day and ancestral stewardship of the rivers and surrounding environments, especially focusing on Indigenous and African American perspectives. 

This interactive exhibition provides a physical space to explore contributions of artists and cultural stewards whose work respects and engages rivers—Black Heritage Water Trail, Allena Brazier, Dail Chambers, Galen Gritts (Cherokee), Native Women’s Care Circle, Monique Verdin (Houma), and other authors and contributors whose writings are included.

4. Galen Gritts: River as a Verb

CAM’s Teen Museum Studies program (TMS) guides high school-aged participants through the process of selecting a St. Louis-based artist and presenting an exhibition of their work in our Education Galleries. The 2025 TMS cohort selected artist Janie Stamm, and the resulting exhibition draws parallels between how external forces threaten both safe queer spaces and the natural environment.

4. Galen Gritts: River as a Verb

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

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