Fifteen Windows Gallery Opens Saturday on Cherokee Street

Its first show, The First Show, features 24 St. Louis-based artists

Feb 23, 2024 at 6:00 am

Bryan Walsh is opening Fifteen Windows Gallery to the public this Saturday. COURTESY FIFTEEN WINDOWS GALLERY

St. Louis’ thriving art scene gains another jewel this weekend with the opening of a new gallery on Cherokee Street.

Bryan Walsh, artist and curator, grew up in Belleville and has been in St. Louis for the past 20 years. He’s spent many of those years heavily involved in the St. Louis art scene, particularly on Cherokee Street. He previously co-owned the Aisle One Gallery and is a founding member of the Screwed Arts Collective, an art collective of visual artists, musicians, and designers located at Texas and Cherokee.

This Saturday, Walsh adds yet another destination to the Cherokee scene, Fifteen Windows Gallery. In an ode to its opening year, the gallery will feature 24 St. Louis-based artists — illustrators, painters, tattooists, graffiti artists — for its first show, titled simply The First Show.

Walsh speaks fondly of Cherokee, saying, “The street and surrounding neighborhood are what I love. It’s one of the few walkable and bikeable areas, and I’m excited to contribute to that.” In the gallery, he hopes to showcase artists from across the city with a broad range of backgrounds and variation in art form. He wants the space to be for the community.

Fifteen Windows is an informal continuation of the block’s art gallery pedigree. It will open in the space formerly occupied by Beverly Gallery, next door to what used to be the famed Fort Gondo compound for the arts. Fort Gondo, owned by the “godfather of Cherokee,” Galen Gondolfi, opened in 2002 and transformed Cherokee into the hub of artists and creatives it is today. While many spaces, including Fort Gondo, have since closed, Fifteen Windows hopes to help fill the gaps left behind. Walsh says Gondolfi, who owns Fifteen Windows’ building and strives to support local art, has shown tremendous support.

While Cherokee has lost a few landmarks on this block, Fifteen Windows joins a unique cluster of businesses at Cherokee and Compton. The gallery neighbors My Marie Haitian restaurant, faces Assassin Vintage, and is just steps away from both STL Style House and Flowers and Weeds nursery.

This weekend, The First Show opening reception at Fifteen Windows fit with spins from DJ Chilly C should be enough to lure you on over. Walsh promises the doors will be open on good-weather days, and Saturday looks beautiful. So, bring your good attitudes and good vibes and stop by from 6 to 10 p.m. to witness the city’s ongoing art renaissance.

After the opening, Fifteen Windows Gallery will have open hours from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays or by appointment @[email protected]