Have THE John Waters in a sculpture park

Holy frog moley, John Waters is coming to town.

When my man at Laumeier (Mike Venso) asked me if I wanted to talk to John Waters, I assumed it had to be some other John Waters.

THE John Waters was not known to me as a sculptor. I had not been expecting an opportunity to have a conversation with THE John Waters.

It is, indeed, THE John Waters - of Baltimore, Pink Flamingoes, Hairspray fame and infamy.

The show that is coming to Laumeier is Artistically Incorrect: The Photos and Sculpture of John Waters, showing in the indoors galleries rather than out on that immense lawn, where lovers dream and teens sneak reefer.

The Laumeier release (from the pen of Venso, one assumes) relates that Waters has been making photo-based artwork, sculpture and installations since the early 1990s. The museum-grade Laumeier installation crew foreman'd by artist Robert Goetz will be installing more than 60 works by Waters, with the opening set for October 11.

As per art world tradition, the Oct. 11 opening will be celebrated with a free reception, 6-8 p.m. I'm not sure if the opening will be attended by THE man, but his live presence is the bait for the afterparty, a fundraising set with a ceiling of 250 guests and an asking price likely to exceed the financial ceilings of Confluence City readers.

But it's free to just go look and vibe.

I'll tell you later about the John Waters movie screenings at Laumeier, about my black Muslim friend's perceptions of those movies (peaceful Ramadan, Demond), and about Venso's uncle, who shot Lee Harvey Oswald. With a camera, that is.

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Illustration, posted up in the spirit of the election season, is "Campaign Button," 2004, latex paint on steel, plywood, masonite and epoxy, 60 inches diameter, in an edition of 2, by John Waters, at Marianne Boesky Gallery.