The World Chess Hall Of Fame Proudly Presents Screwed Moves
 The World Chess Hall of Fame and the Screwed Arts Collective are proud to present Screwed Moves. This interactive arts experience will utilize the talents of eight of St. Louis' most recognized artists as they work together to produce a completely one-of-a-kind, site-specific wall drawing.
"This exhibition is a great fit for us because the Collective's process can be seen as a metaphor for the game of chess. The artists play off of one another's work as they spontaneously create the mural," said Susan Barrett, director of the World Chess Hall of Fame.
To produce the piece, the artists begin by discussing broad concepts like color and form amongst themselves. The walls of the gallery at the World Chess Hall of Fame will then be completely transformed as large sheets of wood are screwed down to form the "canvas" for the work. Finally, the artists will set about painting, stenciling, sketching, or using any other method they choose. They collaborate throughout the process, adding to one another's work, letting one another's changes inspire them as they constantly tweak the design and message.
The artists will begin work on September 13 with an in-the-gallery "meet the artists" event. The finished piece will be unveiled on September 28 and will be the gallery's featured fall/winter work.
The World Chess Hall of Fame will remain open to the public 24 hours a day during the two-week period that the artists are working. Visitors are encouraged to visit at any time and interact with the artists as they create.
"It's not like we make a sketch or a plan of who's doing what before we begin, so the work will change every day and feel almost like performance art. We're eight artists with very different styles, but at the end you won't be able to identify which artist worked on a particular section of the piece because we work toward a cohesive whole," said Bryan Walsh, one of the artists who is part of the collective.
Walsh's fellow artists in the Collective are Christopher Burch, Stan Chisholm, Kris Mosby, Justin Tolentino, Jason Spencer, Daniel Jefferson, Daniel Burnett, and Christopher Harris.
"These are guys who know each other well. They riff off of each other. Someone puts down a part of the work and the other artists decide what they are going to do in response. You can paint over what someone puts down as long as it's clearly better. That's tough, but that's how they've worked it out," said Roseann Weiss, director of community art programs & public art initiatives at the Regional Arts Commission, where the Collective has previously exhibited.
Weiss is co-curating the installation with Walsh.
The entire process will be broadcast live through the WCHOF's website. Viewers can expect to see the artists working as well as DJing, having friends over to hang out while they create, or maybe even catching a few minutes of sleep before shuttling between this temporary studio and a day job.
"We've been open for a year and have enjoyed being recognized globally for highlighting innovative artists and unique shows. We felt like now was the time to bring things home to St. Louis, to showcase our local artists. We are demonstrating how our galleries are relevant and fit in with the city," said Barrett.
The World Chess Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization committed to building awareness for the cultural and artistic significance of chess. It opened on September 9, 2011 in the Central West End after moving from previous locations in New York and Miami.
The WCHOF is housed in an historic 15,900 square-foot residence-turned-business and features the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame, displays of artifacts from the permanent collection, and temporary exhibitions highlighting the great players, historic games, and rich cultural history of chess.
The WCHOF partners with the Chess Club and Scholastic Center to provide innovative programming and outreach to local, national, and international audiences.
The Screwed Arts Collective, established in 2010, is a group of thinkers, visual artists, musicians, and storytellers who are committed to the evolution of participatory culture through various collaborative projects spanning a variety of traditional and non-traditional mediums including drawing, painting, music, video, print and installation.
The Screwed Arts Collective has held two exhibitions at the Regional Arts Commission in St. Louis, MO: Screwed In (2008) and Screwed Again (2010).
A work by the Collective is a rare thing, only happening two more times since their initial piece four years ago. They recently competed in the ArtPrize festival at the UICA in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with their exhibition, Screwed Rapids.
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