Explore St. Louis

"Ars Gratia Artis." The Latin phrase meaning "Art for Art's Sake" may be the motto of the roaring lion at MGM Studios, but this weekend it could just as easily be referring to St. Louis' special event scene.

Check out the 13th Annual St. Louis Art Fair, located in the heart of downtown Clayton, today through Sunday, September 10. Hours are 5 - 10 p.m., Friday; 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday; and 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday. Admission is free.

In addition to works of art from165 artists and craft artisans from the U.S., Canada and Europe, the fair offers free entertainment on multiple stages and food from some of the area's finest restaurants and crafts for kids. The fair is rated among the top in the nation. Works for purchase include paintings, jewelry, glass objects, photography, sculpture, wood and metal works and pieces in mixed media.

The Third Annual Art Outside event, located at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, runs Friday night from 5 - 10 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fifty artists will display and sell their works at the festival which also features food from area restaurants, entertainment and do-it-yourself projects.

Sunday, from noon until 4 p.m., the Saint Louis Art Museum stages a European Extravaganza to celebrate the reinstallation of the museum's Early European Galleries. Guests from the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Festival join museum visitors for Ford Family Sunday.

Andy Warhol's ethereal Silver Clouds will be installed at Saint Louis University's Museum of Contemporary Religious Art beginning Sunday, September 10. The floating mylar balloons will be on display until December 17 in celebration of the exhibition's original opening 40 years ago in 1966. Admission is free.

And don't forget that the wildly popular Chihuly: Glass in the Garden exhibition continues at the Missouri Botanical Garden through October 31.