Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum — Attraction in St. Louis

Incredible exhibit and campus. Lovely space. Unfortunately my rating is related to the staff’s attitude towards me as a pregnant mom with a toddler. As an art teacher in the St. Louis area, I believe it’s extremely important and necessary to expose kids of all ages to art and to continue to help them engage museums and art in the best and appropriate way. We are so fortunate to have many free museums to bring kids to even if for a small amount of time. During my time at the Kemper today, I felt discouraged by the lack consideration and respect they showed. My son and I walked through the exhibit with friends and decided to head back to the lobby to wait for our other guests to finish their experience. My son and I were reading and looking out the windows and he was skipping and jumping on the ground (not off anything, not onto me, but the ground). I was approached and told that they would like him to stop because they were concerned he would get hurt or break something. Please keep in mind, we were in the lobby where the nearest art installation was hanging from the ceiling other than that, we were in a completely open room. I’ve never been treated this way and have taken my son to many gallery openings, exhibitions, and museums. I’m not sure why WashU feels as if they are above having people of all kinds in their gallery, but that’s the impression they left on us today. I am currently an art teacher and have worked in multiple galleries before and know their are plenty of other ways to kindly work with kids in a museum/gallery space that creates an engaging and kind environment for everyone. Simple respect is a good place to start. Oddly enough we went outside and actually engaged the outdoor art including jumping on the ground and nothing broke. Be wary of the concrete and steel flooring, there is a concern it is not substantial for a...

I was disappointed with the lack of welcome and inclusiveness at this museum. We were on the Wash U campus for family weekend visiting our daughter, who is a student, and decided to explore the collections housed at the museum. We have visited many museums worldwide, from the British Museum, The Louvre, Musée D’Orsay, L’orangerie etc and I have never felt so watched and hovered over as I have here. Within moments of entering the galleries, we were surrounded my museum employees who constantly circled us and continued to peek around corners and watch us as we viewed the collections. It was as if they were concerned we would either defile the art or steal it. In contrast, when we visited the St Louis Art Museum with its priceless Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gohs, I never felt this level of distrust for patrons., but rather the joy of having us as guests experiencing these magnificent creations. So sad that Kemper feels that patrons are a threat. It defeats the purpose of museum open and free to the public. With so many outstanding art museums in the public sphere, there is no need to subject yourself to this humiliation. Do yourself a favor and frequent museums that welcome and appreciate...

What a carefully curated collection of unexpected gems. I found my favorite Max Ernst today, an excellent non-drip Jackson Pollock, a delicious Frederic Church, and a number of paintings and installations by contemporary artists I didn't know, but will start to follow. Of note is the work by Chitra Ganesh. Do not miss her short surrealist/multiversal animated films in the basement.

I saw a number of reviews complaining about staff. I can only say the front desk and security staff were friendly and professional. Ignore the negative reviews.

Parking in East End Garage was remarkably straightforward and a reasonable series of steps (didn't check for an elevator but I would guess one is available) and short walk from the...