St. Louis ArtWorks - Creating. Opportunities.

ArtWorks Disciplines

St. Louis ArtWorks is proud to announce our thirteenth season of employment in the arts for St. Louis teens and area artists. We will employ more than 130 youth and sixteen artists from six top arts teaching organizations, presenting eight different artistic disciplines which will complete corporate, foundation and individual commissions. ArtWorks will be at two locations this year; The Commerce Bank Science & Education Center at The Missouri Botanical Garden and the Centene Center for the Arts located in Grand Center.

ArtWorks 2007 Spring Discipline

"The Business of Art "
St. Louis ArtWorks begins its Spring 2007 Session in partnership with the Lutheran Foundation to produce note cards showcasing St. Louis SCORES. ArtWorks apprentices, aged 16-18, will design a series of images depicting the mission of St. Louis SCORES literacy and soccer program. The packs of cards will be sold to raise money to support St. Louis SCORES.
Teaching Artists: R. Shawn Williams, Dan May
Commissioning Client: Lutheran Foundation and St. Louis SCORES
Location: Centene Center for Arts and Education

ArtWorks 2007 Summer Disciplines

Our Community Through Printmaking, Painting & Collage - Apprentices will learn to view the world around them and record their visions in prints, paintings and drawings. They will visit the Saint Louis Art Museum to view examples of art created by internationally renowned artists to become inspired. Apprentices will learn the process of creating their own prints, drawings and paintings gaining valuable skills and knowledge of themselves that can be used throughout their lives. Teaching Organization: St. Louis Art Museum
Teaching Artists: Byron Rogers, Michael Lucas, Jennifer Doyle Client: Boomerang Press

A Room With A View –Apprentices will create an interactive window treatment that tells a story of people, place, and time. The theme: A Healthy community and personal responsibility. Apprentices will explore creative writing, typography and visual symbols. Teaching Organization: Springboard to Learning & Young Audiences Teaching Artists: Con Christeson, Melanie Daniels Client: Missouri Foundation for Health

Missouri Muralists - The Missouri Muralists will explore the community to create a ceramic mural that reflects the architecture, people and cultures of The Cherokee Business District and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Teaching Organization: Meramec Community College Teaching Artists: David Jafari, Gregg Bynum
Client: Cherokee Business District Association/Incarnate Word Foundation

SculptureScape 2007- Apprentices will design a series of figurative sculptures for the St. Charles Rock Road Metro Station in St. Louis Missouri. In addition to gaining experience working as a team for a client and developing a design, apprentices will gain understanding of the principles of visual organization and the function of art in public spaces. Teaching Organization: SIU - Edwardsville
Teaching Artists: Alan Kmetz, Nick Lang Client: Arts In Transit

The Art All Around Us - Landscape and Nature Photography - Apprentices will record nature as a photographer using the investigative eye of an artist. During field trips to the Saint Louis Art Museum, apprentices will view examples of photography created by internationally renowned artists gaining inspiration as they learn the process of creating their own landscape photography. Apprentices will learn the process of creating their own prints, drawings and paintings gaining valuable skills and knowledge of the environment that can be used throughout their lives. Teaching Organization: St. Louis Art Museum
Teaching Artists: Lois Ingrum, Kevin Pulley Client: The Confluence

The Young Upstarts: My Land? Your Land?...A Theatrical Exploration of American Democracy - Using song, dance, improvisation, research, personal narrative, and historical documents, the apprentices will create a performance piece about the history and challenges of American democracy. They will learn various aspects of production, including script development, performance techniques, rehearsal, public relations, booking, and touring. Teaching Organization: That Uppity Theatre Company Teaching Artists: Joan Lipkin, Sarah Shimchick, Sarah Thomas

The Shade Shelter Project - The Shade Shelter Project will be an investigation combining science and design. After learning about the principals and elements of three-dimensional design, the apprentices will apply this information to develop concepts for structures to provide shade at Science Corner. The St. Louis Science Center will then have the opportunity to choose which of the designs they will fabricate which will serve as both a sculpture and shade shelter for Science Corner at Kingshighway and Manchester Roads.
Teaching Organization: Washington University School of Art Teaching Artists: Yosafa Deutsch, Eric Nichols, Trina Van Ryn Clients: Boeing/St. Louis Science Center

ArtWorks 2006 Fall Discipline

"Public Art: Art in the Community"

Featured Commissions

Arts & Education Council commission "Architectural Luminaries"
Fall 2006

McCormack Baron Salazar commission
"Portraits in My Community"
Summer 2006

Commissioning A Work Of Art

Since 2001, St. Louis ArtWorks youth apprentices have completed commissioned art for corporate, foundation and individual clients. These commissions are an important educational tool for our apprentices and an important source of entrepreneurial support for our organization.

The opportunity for teens to meet with community leaders and be involved in a client interview to uncover the goals of each commission is a priceless experience in building job interviewing and communications skills. These valuable lessons provide a foundation of success for our apprentices’ future employment, no matter what field they may choose. ArtWorks is a healthy alternative to teen employment in a fast food job or “just looking for something to do” during out of school hours.

How does the commission process work?

Commissioning a work of art from St. Louis ArtWorks provides real paid employment for youth. Clients can support an artistic discipline in one of our summer programs by underwriting the salaries for 12 apprentices who will work on your commission. They are given a meaningful job, 5 hours a day, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. During this time, the group will design and complete a unique work of art in disciplines including photography, sculpture, painting, ceramics or graphic design. The donation cost for a summer program commission is $12,000. Additional fabrication costs may be necessary depending on the art work.

Another way clients can support St. Louis ArtWorks is through a graphics commission to support our spring program. Typical projects in this program include community note cards, calendars, reports, brochures, or display posters. Fall program commissions can support a particular event or cause. Fall 2006 apprentices are constructing commissioned architectural centerpieces for the Arts & Education Awards Banquet. Spring and fall programs typically employ apprentices for 6 hours a week for 10 weeks. Donation costs begin at $5,000.

90% of commission donations are eligible for Missouri Youth Opportunity Tax Credits. Please call Executive Director Priscilla Block at 314-289-4181 or visit www.stlartworks.org to learn more about a commission. This is a unique opportunity to help empower teens with a meaningful job and bring public art to your business or community.