ST. LOUIS, MO.- Paul Ha, Director of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, has announced that the Gateway Foundation will generously sponsor the Great Rivers Biennial Awards Program in 2010. The innovative program awards three area artists with $20,000 each and an exhibition at the Contemporary.

The Program
The Great Rivers Biennial is a collaboration between the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and the Gateway Foundation designed to strengthen the local art scene in St. Louis. Now preparing for its fourth exhibition in eight years, this innovative program identifies talented local artists, provides them with the financial support to realize a large-scale exhibition, and offers a platform to present their work to a broad local and national audience.

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and the Gateway Foundation are committed to energizing the spirit of the art scene in Saint Louis and believe the Great Rivers Biennial Awards Program does just that by providing emerging artists with a tremendous platform to the national art world. As many as three artists will be selected by a panel of nationally recognized jurors to receive a grant of $20,000 each and the opportunity to exhibit at the Contemporary. With the exhibition space provided by the Contemporary, the Great Rivers program hopes to raise the visibility of the artist'work by providing them with professional support from visiting critics, curators, and dealers, as well as connecting the artists to the Saint Louis public.

"We are so grateful to be able to continue to partner with the Gateway Foundation and present the Great Rivers Biennial program for a fourth time,"remarks Director Paul Ha. "We hope that the award amount and the commitment of prominent national jurors for the 2010 exhibition will continue to establish a solid platform for Saint Louis-based artists to gain exposure in the national arts scene."