SHOP THE BLOCK

FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, ST. LOUIS' ANNUAL PRINT BAZAAR HAS TURNED CHEROKEE STREET INTO A BUSTLING, MAGICAL MILE OF ART AND HOLIDAY CHEERTHE PERFECT KICKOFF TO A WEEKEND EXPLORING THE LOU.

- AMANDA E. DOYLE

Holding a map marking the locations of more than 160 artists, I suppress my FOMO instinct and decide to just start at one end of the Print Bazaar and see how far I get. It's a cold December day in St. Louis, and the shops, bars, galleries and community spaces serving as venues for one of the largest print sales in the Midwest provide respite from the chill. (A well-timed snack and drink at natural wine bar 'Ssippi also do their part, but I won't find that out until later.) I spy an antiques store, The Bricoleur, on the western end of Cherokee Street, and step inside.

The first artist I talk with is a newcomer herself: Hannah Weck, a student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She attended the Bazaar a few times with her brother (also an exhibitor) in the past and took the plunge on her own table this year, partly because she had stockpiled so much work. Occupational hazard for art students, I suppose, and also a great reminder of what this event represents-a wildly varied showing of all manner of printmaking, open to veterans and dabblers alike.

Pete Holohan, a frequent participant alongside his partner and fellow artist, Lillian Stephen, relishes that quality. "That's the whole romantic appeal of printmaking," he says. "It's a democratic medium. It's what first allowed folks in the merchant class to finally bring art into their homes." His hand-carved woodblock relief prints and hand-set letterpress packaging tell the story. "I'm totally in deep with the oldschool way of printing," he says with a laugh.