Artists of Color Council

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The Artists of Color Council is comprised of eight visual, literary and performing artists. Together, they are tasked with providing guidance to design, promote and implement art and engagement opportunities along the Chouteau Greenway.

Artists were selected to represent a diversity of mediums, demographics, experience and geography within the City of St. Louis. The goal is to make the Chouteau Greenway representative of the community and welcoming to all!

Many thanks to the Whitaker Foundation for their support of the Artists of Color Council.

Meet the Artists of Color Council:

Pacia Anderson
Literary, Visual and Performance Arts
Written, spoken, visual and teaching Word Artist, exploring line and language through various visual and performance modalities.
Syrhea Conaway
Literary and Performance Arts
Performing musician of original works, music, soundscapes and songs.
Miles Dela Cruz
Performance and Visual Arts
Teaching artist with visual and music arts, primarily focusing on painting (graffiti/street art) and percussion.
Tre’von Griffith
Performance Arts
Producing Director, TLT Productions
Chinyere E. Oteh
Visual Arts
Photography
Sahara Sista S.O.L.S.
Literary and Performance Arts
Writer recording narratives of the underrepresented and marginalized through poetry, plays and short stories. Performance includes spoken word artist, actor and director.
Jerry Stewart
Visual Arts
Pen and inks, watercolors and oils to create scenic cityscapes and landscapes through paintings and murals.
Diana Zeng
Visual Arts
Oil, acrylic, china markers, charcoal, pastel and non-traditional mediums.

Background & Overview of the Artists of Color Council:

When 19 teams submitted their qualifications for the Chouteau Greenway Design Competition, the jury had a robust discussion about many topics, most notably:

  • The importance of representation and ties to St. Louis to fully understand the complicated history and context of the project
  • How this project can be a model for building a just city
  • Which teams had the capacity to implement such a complex infrastructure project

While the jury felt confident that the four teams chosen had the capacity to bring this vision to life, they also issued the following challenge:

“The Jury looks forward to the creative energy implied in the proposals, but encourages the four finalist teams to bolster their local St. Louis representation, community engagement, and racial diversity. If ever there was a time or a project to reveal what a ‘just city’ looks like, this could be it. Great Rivers Greenway and the Project Partners have begun the difficult and uncomfortable conversations, and the Jury would like to see the design teams carry forward and build upon that courage.”

INTRODUCTION:
The Artists of Color Council will provide guidance to Great Rivers Greenway, their partners and their vendors to create a local art program as part of an overall art program for the Chouteau Greenway projects. The Council will make recommendations on the local art program and providing feedback on the non-local elements. The goals are to design, promote and implement opportunities for local artists of color as part of the Chouteau Greenway, engaging the community along the way and ensuring that the art is representative and welcoming to the communities the Chouteau Greenway serves.

COUNCIL GOALS:

Ensure that…

  • Opportunities for local artists of color are well-promoted in the St. Louis region by both designing a process that meets people where they are and helping to promote the program and opportunities.
  • Community is engaged with both the creation and delivery of art projects within the greenway.
  • Artists selected or commissioned locally are representative and reflective of the communities the Chouteau Greenway serves.
  • Artwork selected or commissioned locally is representative and reflective of the communities the Chouteau Greenway serves.

Defining Terms:

An “Art program” is the integration of art into any given project, can include:

  • Integration into design plans, such as artistic elements in the design of infrastructure or accommodation of amenities and features that champion future art and programs, such as performance spaces, lighting and power
  • Solicitation (in many forms) of public art (many disciplines) from local artists
  • Development of programs and events that take place along the greenway
  • Engagement of the community in the planning, creation and implementation of pieces and/or programs