North Connector Banners

Great Rivers Greenway commissioned four St. Louis-based artists to develop artwork for temporary streetlight banners along Grand Boulevard between Natural Bridge and Cass, marking a segment of the Brickline Greenway: North Connector, which will begin construction in 2025. The selected artists took their inspiration from the communities along Grand Boulevard, celebrating the unique identity of the neighborhood.

More information about each artist and their designs are below.

Photos clockwise from upper left: Jen Everett, Jamie Bonfiglio, Marquis Terrell, Andrea Hughes.

Check out the 4 sets of banner designs!

JAMIE BONFIGLIO  |  @iam_jamietheartist

About the Artist: Jamie Bonfiglio is a self-taught visual artist and muralist whose work is characterized by vivid colors, bold brushstrokes, and dynamic compositions. Born in New York City and raised in Mobile, AL, Jamie developed a passion for art at a young age. But her path went in a different direction.

Initially headed towards a forensic science career, a trip to the art store would eventually change everything. A few paint tubes, canvases, and brushes set Jamie’s naturally artistic spark ablaze. From never having painted before to being featured in USA Today, Jamie’s work has found a home with art collectors all over the world.

About the Concept:  I’ve lived in North St. Louis for over a year now. Thanks to my neighbors’ stories, I learned how Leon Spinks used to walk the neighborhood as a youngster challenging anybody to a fight. I had to depict Crown Candy, a long-standing staple that’s provided sweet treats for years. Music is such an integral part of the city, so I created Jazz Man to represent creativity and artistry. The buildings and parks here are amazing. When researching Fairground Park, I learned about the bear exhibit as well as the dark, racist history surrounding the public pool. The image of the girl blowing a bubble in front of the old zoo entrance counters that dark history. She represents the beauty of the people and the bubble gum conveys child-like, carefree energy. Each art piece is meant to portray the nostalgia, history, creativity, and beauty of this neighborhood.

Location: Along Grand Boulevard between Natural Bridge and Sullivan

JEN EVERETT  |  @jeneverettart

About the Artist: Jen Everett is an artist and teacher from Southfield, Michigan, currently based in Saint Louis, Missouri. Her practice moves between lens and time based media, installation and writing. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally at art spaces including Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, The Saint Louis Art Museum, Krannert Art Museum, The Baltimore Museum of Art, and SCAD Museum of Art. As a resident of St. Louis for almost twenty years, she is interested in highlighting the rich and often overlooked legacies of Black communities in St. Louis through her collection of found photographs.

About the Concept: My banner designs appropriate found photographs of Black people sourced from St. Louis are thrift stores. The snapshots have been cropped to focus on figures outside a home or in a neighborhood. There is a sense of pride in these pictures but also something unknown and inaccessible. I hope these images compel viewers to consider the complexity and beauty of the communities we inhabit and to affirm that they have a place here, even in the midst of uncertainty and change.

Location: Along Grand Boulevard between Sullivan and St. Louis Avenue

ANDREA HUGHES  |  @andrearealartjunkie

About the Artist: Andrea Hughes, a self-taught artist, also the director of the 14th Street Artist Community and the Zuka Art Guild president. A native St. Louisan, she was raised in the Fairground Park community, currently residing in Old North St. Louis. Andrea is an alum of the Community Arts Training (CAT) program sponsored by the Regional Arts Commission. She facilitates virtual art classes for senior citizens and paints murals for the “Doors of Old North” with local organizations. She was chosen “Community Impact Artist of 2022” by The St. Louis Visionary Awards, and muralist for the Delmar Street Mural Project.

About the Concept: My connection to the North Corridor Neighborhood is not just a physical location; it’s a vibrant tapestry of people, stories, and shared memories in the neighborhood where I grew up on Fair Avenue, my grandparents owned a Laundromat on W. Florissant Avenue, and members of my family lived within a block of one another’s home. Back then, small businesses provided many daily needs with little need to go outside the district. For me, art is a beacon of hope that can transcend limitations and bring back feelings of positivity. My artwork seeks to emulate the changing seasons, the way this approach of a vintage legacy provides a visual link to the past, present, and future. I enjoy creating artwork throughout St. Louis City, and the community has become more of a welcoming place for residents, businesses, and visitors.

Location: Along Grand Boulevard between St. Louis Avenue and Cottage Avenue

MARQUIS TERRELL  |  @Artbymarquisterrell

About the Artist: Marquis Terrell is a self-taught artist from St. Louis, Mo. He is skilled in graphite, colored pencils, pen, watercolor, spray paint, acrylic and oil paints. He co-founded Battle of the Arts which was a program designed to provide youth – particularly those that are either underrepresented – with safe, fun, and free art programs. His passion for helping younger artists stems from his personal experiences of overcoming doubt when he was a youth artist. He is also a former board member of St. Louis Artworks. He currently serves as the art curator for the Believe Project. My goal is to create a banner that will bring nostalgia to older people of the community– and also encourage the youth to research the history of their community.

About the Concept: The purpose of my design is to highlight the people who have been a part of the communities surrounding the Greenline Brickway North Connector. My goal within my design is to capture the feeling of the past, present and the future of this community. I grew up less than 5 miles away from the area of the North Connector. My fondest memory about that area was attending the annual Annie Malone parade before it was relocated to downtown. The origins of St. Louis being a baseball city began in North St. Louis. The St. Louis Cardinal played at Sportsman’s Park which was located where Herbert Hoover Boys Club is currently located. Grand Boulevard is one of St. Louis most popular streets and has been an entertainment hub since the 1800’s. My goals with each design was to capture the essence and beauty of North St. Louis.

Location: Along Grand Boulevard between North Market and Cass Avenue

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