Nine Network of Public Media’s Public Media Commons Grand Opening

The Nine Network of Public Media opened its Public Media Commons to the public, Saturday, September 13, 2014. The unique open-air media environment in the Grand Center Arts District of St. Louis will unite people for experiences that stimulate creative thinking and serve the community as an incubator of arts and ideas.

“The possibilities are endless,” proclaimed Jack Galmiche, president and CEO of the Nine Network of Public Media. “We’re inviting individuals and organizations to participate in the creation of experiences that bring the arts and dynamic digital video together to help us see things as we have never seen them before.”

Bordered by the Nine Network, St. Louis Public Radio and the Sheldon Concert Hall in the heart of the Grand Center Arts District, the Public Media Commons provides a playground for the mind and the senses.

The 9,000-square-foot space is flanked by large-screen video walls—two stories high—on two sides. Equipped with the latest audio/visual technology, the space will encourage the community to explore what can be created and experienced in a dynamic cityscape conducive to collaboration and experimentation.

The scale of the walls, the vivid quality of the imagery and sound, the surrounding urban architecture, and even a landscaped knoll for quiet contemplation will offer an environment like no other — an urban environment for shared creative experiences.

St. Louis Public Radio General Manager Tim Eby asserted: “The opening night celebration enabled the St. Louis community to experience a wonderful new gathering space—a space that is certain to become a destination place for concerts, festivals, art installations, interactive experiences and much, much more. September 13th, undoubtedly, started something special.”

The evening included dynamic video on the big screens, interactive experiences, entertainment, food trucks, and live music by Sleepy Kitty and The Reverbs. Among the featured videos involved a showpiece by filmmaker Frank Popper and the world premiere of Electric Pilgrims: Everyone Is Everywhere, designed as a site-specific multiscreen experience for the opening by Van McElwee, internationally acclaimed video artist and professor at Webster University in the School of Communications, in collaboration with HEARding Cats Collective. Jack Galmiche and Tim Eby officially “unveiled” the Commons by “fusing the Commons’ electrical connection”.

“Creative and informed citizens are the foundation of a great community,” UMSL Chancellor Tom George observed. “We’re proud that UMSL has partnered with the Nine Network and St. Louis Public Radio to strengthen that foundation with the Media Commons in Grand Center. It furthers our commitment to St. Louis and the people who make this region an outstanding place to live and learn.”

The two large-scale video walls—two stories high—will become “windows on the world,” providing cultural and sensory adventures for all ages. In addition to the video walls the space will feature four interactive touch screens, a performance stage and a window into one of the Nine Network studios.

The community also will be invited to participate in developing content. Already underway involve collaborations with StoryCorps, the Contemporary Art Museum, Feast Magazine, Alarm Will Sound, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Sheldon Concert Hall and TEDxGatewayArch.

The public can visit the Public Media Commons from morning to night for experiences ranging from large-screen video productions to performances, events, films, and interactive audio/visual adventures that ignite wonder. A schedule of activities and video content remain available at PublicMediaCommonsSTL.org. The Public Media Commons also will have availability for rental.

The Public Media Commons comprises a collaboration of the Nine Network of Public Media, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and St. Louis Public Radio. The Public Media Commons is managed by the Nine Network and is privately funded by local contributors.

Funding for the Public Media Commons has come from the generous support of the Emerson Charitable Trust, The Boeing Company, Nancy and Ken Kranzberg, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Edward Jones, Interco Charitable Trust, the Richard A. Baker Foundation, the Steward Family Foundation, the WWT Foundation, and the Trio Foundation of St. Louis.

The Public Media Commons was designed by a team from Powers Bowersox Associates Inc., led by Ben Gilmartin, AIA, who previously represented a lead designer on the Lincoln Center Promenade. Electrosonic, Inc., Dlandstudio, LLC, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, Inc., and HDR, Inc.coordinated other elements of the Public Media Commons. Electrosonic provided audio/visual design and implementation on the Newseum in Washington, D.C., and Millennium Park in Chicago.

Nine Network of Public Media                                                                                       The Nine Network of Public Media consists of a multifaceted public media organization creating a network of individuals and organizations empowered by public media to strengthen civic life. One of the nation’s most watched public television stations, Nine offers the people of the St. Louis region multiple ways to explore the world and become engaged in civic life, including four distinct broadcast channels (Nine PBS, Nine World, Nine Create and Nine Kids), www.nineNet.org, the Nine Center for Public Engagement and Nine Academy.

The Nine Network’s rich legacy of innovation and community service launched in 1954. The Nine Network, a community-supported nonprofit organization, has a mission to bring St. Louis together as it connects our region to the world and the world to St. Louis.

St. Louis Public Radio
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