Bright & Early: Drawn Studio's Ryan Greis

Created by Mike Spakowski of AtomicDust, Bright&Early, is a monthly coffee experience designed to highlight and promote the STL creative community. Prepare to be inspired by St. Louis's most creative minds every third Friday of the month. Powered by STL.org.

• doors open at 7:30AM
• presentation begins at 8AM
• we’ll be at the CURIOSITY Building at 3033 Locust Street, 63103
• coffee provided (gratis) by STL.org — award for who drinks the most
• parking is easiest on the street (and early enough for low competition)

This month Bright & Early welcomes Drawn Studio's Ryan Greis's, What Tracking Down Lost Art Taught Me About Finding Things

When artwork disappears, it isn’t necessarily stolen. Sometimes it’s simply forgotten. In this talk, researcher and artist Ryan Greis shares how he tracked down over a million dollars’ worth of missing and forgotten artworks, uncovering the stories of overlooked artists and the vanished moments of our cultural past along the way. From dusty archives to scattered records, Ryan shows how persistence, curiosity, and asking the right questions can piece together fragments of history. This isn’t just about recovering paintings. It’s about rediscovering the artists and stories that time nearly erased.

About the Presenter – Ryan Greis
Ryan Greis is an artist and researcher with a passion for uncovering hidden stories in the art world. He has spent years tracking down missing and forgotten artworks, piecing together their histories, and bringing overlooked artists and cultural moments back into view. His investigative work, including the rediscovery of a long-lost Frank Duveneck painting from the 1904 World's Fair, has highlighted the power of persistence, curiosity, and asking the questions others don’t.
He also runs Drawn Studio, where he teaches drawing principles to students of all ages, weaving in insights from art history and real-world stories of artists and their work. (edited)

Bright & Early is a free, monthly coffee lecture series for creative types designed to inspire and promote creativity in our city. Coffee and morning snacks are complimentary.

Questions? Please email [email protected].

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Host or Publisher STL.org