November-December 2017 Happenings

NOV-DEC 2017

THE 2018 ST. LOUIS ARTS AWARDS January 22, 2018

Chase Park Plaza

Letter from the President Dear Friends, As we enter the holiday season, many of us will gather with friends and family to celebrate. This issue of Happenings is a celebration of the people, organizations and ideas that inspire us and our region year-round.

Every January, 600 people gather with the Arts and Education Council (A&E) at the Chase Park Plaza to celebrate the best and brightest of our community at the St. Louis Arts Awards. I am always inspired by the sheer number of fascinating individuals and organizations committed to the arts in this community. I invite you to learn more about each of the 2018 Honorees (p. 3) and the ripple effects they are sending throughout the region. I hope you will join us January 22 to celebrate these deserving honorees in person. You can get your tickets at KeepArtHappening.org/2018ArtsAwards.

A&E is committed to fostering the next generation of inspiring individuals and

organizations in our arts community. Our programs and services — made possible by your gifts to A&E — provide the resources needed throughout our region to promote creativity and keep art happening. For example, A&E’s grant programs, like the Monsanto Rural Community Arts Fund (p. 7) and Maritz Art Education Fund for Teachers (p. 8), provide the financial resources needed to promote access to the arts in our rural communities and elementary to high school classrooms.

Sometimes what we need to be our most creative selves to come up with

inspiring ideas and solutions can be as simple as space and conversation. To that end, this winter, we will celebrate the opening of the Catalyst Innovation Lab (p. 10), underwritten by the Centene Charitable Foundation, in A&E’s Centene Center for the Arts at the heart of the Grand Center Arts District.

This holiday season, A&E is thankful for you. Your generosity makes it possible

for art to inspire and for our region to celebrate creativity every day. Together, we make the St. Louis region a vibrant place to live, learn, work and play. Thank you!

Sincerely,

ON THE COVER: 2018 St. Louis Arts Awards honorees (clockwise, from left): Dennis M. Reagan, Keith Tyrone Williams, Gene Dobbs Bradford, Johnetta Haley, Art on the Square, Saint Louis Fashion Fund and World Wide Technology.

For more on the 2018 St. Louis Arts Awards honorees, see p. 3.Photo

by ProPhotoSTL.

Cynthia A. Prost President and CEO P.S. Consider giving the gift of the arts this season! A&E’s ARTS Card makes an excellent choice for the hard-to-buy-for family member or friend. ARTS Cards also make great employee recognition options while supporting an outstanding organization. Visit KeepArtHappening.org/Give or contact Scott Giffen at 314.289.4013.

ABOVE: 2018 St. Louis Arts Award created by Sam Stang. For more on the artist, see p. 5. Photo by Switch.

Impact: Celebrate:

7

3 2018 St. Louis Arts in Arts Awards honorees 2

8 Invest: Maritz

ccelerate: 10 ACatalyst

rural grantees

communities announced

Innovation Lab opens

2018 St. Louis Arts Awards honorees represent inspiration from across the region

Meet the 2018 St. Louis Arts Awards honorees

ach January, the Arts and

E

Johnetta Haley

Education Council (A&E) offers

Music Educator

more than 600 attendees an

Lifetime Achievement in the Arts

escape from the dark, dreary depths of

Johnetta Haley, 94, spent 50

winter to gather together for an illumi-

years teaching music from early

nating, exciting and inspiring evening

childhood to graduate level, first

at the St. Louis Arts Awards.

at Lincoln High School in East St.

Since 1992, A&E has presented this

Louis in 1945 then at Meacham

premier social event of the season to

Park’s Turner Junior High School

honor the artists, educators, philan-

and Kirkwood’s Nipher High

thropists, corporate citizens and arts

School, where she was one of four

organizations whose outstanding tal-

African-American teachers hired

ent, creativity, ingenuity and a sincere

following the historic Brown v

dedication to the arts and arts educa-

Board of Education ruling. Haley

tion make our region such an exceptional place in which to live, learn, work and play. The evening is filled with amazing performances, extraordinary impact stories, laughter, applause and the opportunity to connect around a shared love of the arts.

The contributions of the 2018 honorees individually are remarkable, but when taken as a whole, these artists, educators, leaders and organizations represent so much worth celebrating in our region. They are prime examples of how when the arts thrive, our kids, our community, our economy and our region thrive.

Among the honorees are educators Johnetta Haley, Lifetime Achievement in the Arts recipient, and Keith Tyrone Williams, Art Educator of the Year.

Haley was one of four AfricanAmerican teachers hired by the Kirkwood School District to desegregate the schools in 1955 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision in Brown v Board of Education (1954).

She taught students of all ages from early childhood through graduate level in her fifty year career and inspired the lives and careers of many, including former students Michael Hamilton, co-founder of STAGES St. Louis, and

All photos by ProPhotoSTL unless otherwise noted.

CELEBRATE:

Dr. Stan Ford, internationally renowned

served on the faculty and adminis-

pianist and professor at Universität

tration at Southern Illinois University

Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

Edwardsville for twenty-two years.

Williams studied under the legend-

Former students include Michael

ary dancer and social activist Katherine

Hamilton of STAGES St. Louis,

Dunham and is now one of few in the

internationally acclaimed pianist Dr.

world certified to teach the Dunham

Stan Ford of Universität Mozarteum

Technique. He teaches musical theatre

Salzburg and Dwayne Buggs of

and dance at the Grand Center Arts

Central Visual and Performing Arts

Academy following a successful career

High School, among others.

on Broadway. As Williams puts it, though, he is teaching much more than dance and musical theatre; he teaches the whole individual as he “guides young people to think outside their box.”

While educators like Haley and Williams use the arts to inspire our chil-

Dennis M. Reagan

dren, the arts are also a source of inspi-

The Muny

ration for civic pride, as is the case with

Lifetime Achievement in the Arts

honorees Dennis M. Reagan, Gene Dobbs Bradford and Art on the Square.

One of the most lauded cultural gems in St. Louis is The Muny, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary season in 2018. Lifetime Achievement in the Arts honoree, Dennis M. Reagan, has led The Muny as President and CEO the last 26 of those seasons. In fact, 2018 will mark Reagan’s 50th anniversary at The Muny, where he started as a trash picker as a teenager.

Dennis M. “Denny” Reagan is president and CEO of The Muny. 2018 marks Reagan’s 50th year with The Muny and coincides with the outdoor theatre’s 100th summer season.

Reagan began at The Muny as a member of the clean-up crew as a teenager then advanced to wardrobe dresser, stage crew, runner, courier, office clerk, office manager, manager of theatre operations and assistant general manager.

continued on page 4 3

2018 St. Louis Arts Awards continued from page 3 More than 372,000 attendees from

prime examples of how when the arts

attended a Muny production during the

thrive, our economy thrives. While

Jazz St. Louis

2017 season, but under Reagan’s lead-

drastically different in size and focus,

Excellence in the Arts

ership, The Muny is about more than

both SLFF and WWT are investing in

Gene Dobbs Bradford is president

sheer numbers. It has become a cor-

creativity and innovation in our economy.

and CEO of Jazz St. Louis, a position

nerstone of multi-generational family

Gene Dobbs Bradford

In January 2017, SLFF launched their

he has held since 1999. Under his

traditions and a place where everyone

signature program, the Saint Louis

leadership, Jazz St. Louis has grown

on stage, behind stage and in the audi-

Fashion Incubator, with six designers

into a world-class, world-renowned

ence truly matter, instilling a sense of

recruited from around the country

jazz institution named one of the

community pride among all involved.

interested in relocating their businesses

ten great jazz clubs in the country

Photo courtesy Keith Tyrone Williams.

Support of the Arts, respectively, are

across St. Louis and the country

That community pride is also appar-

to St. Louis. Now three of those design-

by Wynton Marsalis in USA Today.

ent in Excellence in the Arts honoree

ers are looking at staying in St. Louis

Jazz St. Louis’ education and com-

Gene Dobbs Bradford. As President

beyond the two-year residency

munity outreach programs have

and CEO of Jazz St. Louis since 1999,

program. Through partnerships with

blossomed during Bradford’s tenure

Bradford has spearheaded the organi-

retailers, seamstresses, textile design-

and the organization has helped

zation’s efforts to preserve the legacy

ers and other creative industries,

make the Grand Center Arts District

of one of St. Louis’ most cherished art

SLFF and its Incubator are creating a

a destination with the opening of

forms — jazz. Under Bradford’s leader-

ripple effect in the economy beyond

the Harold and Dorothy Steward

ship, Jazz St. Louis’ education pro-

bringing fashion designers back to the

Center for Jazz in 2015. In addition

grams have blossomed, as has their

Washington Avenue garment district.

to Jazz St. Louis, Bradford directs

physical space in the Grand Center Arts

the arts management and leadership

District with the opening of the Harold

spectrum in terms of size is World

department at Webster University.

and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz in

Wide Technology. The multi-billion dol-

2015. Jazz St. Louis’ performance series

lar corporation headquartered in

at Jazz at the Bistro is now recognized

Maryland Heights regularly demonstrates

among the top in the country, signaling

its support for the arts through generous

to the greater arts community that St.

sponsorships, led by co-founder and

Louis is proud of its rich cultural heri-

chairman David Steward. Beyond its

tage — and for good reason.

corporate philanthropy, though, is a

Keith Tyrone Williams

Likewise, Art on the Square began in

At the other end of the economic

commitment to fostering a creative

2002 as a free art fair in Belleville, Ill.

workforce and economy in St. Louis.

aimed at driving foot traffic to the

Creative thinking increasingly drives

Metro East town. Over the course of

business and WWT understands that,

A proud East St. Louis native, Keith

the last 16 years, though, the Arts

which is why they have created an envi-

Tyrone Williams teaches dance and

Collaboration honoree has done much

ronment among their employees and

musical theatre at the Grand

more than attract tens of thousands of

clients in their Advanced Technology

Center Arts Academy. He per-

arts supporters to downtown Belleville

Center, Hackathons and new Global

formed, directed and choreo-

each year. Through a variety of com-

Headquarters that invites creative

graphed throughout the United

munity partnerships with schools, civic

thinking every day.

States and extensively in Europe

organizations and corporations, Art on

following his training under the

the Square has inspired a lasting and

proud to celebrate these outstanding

legendary dancer and social activ-

meaningful sense of civic pride for

honorees at the 2018 St. Louis Arts

ist Katherine Dunham at East St.

Belleville, bolstered by the #1 national

Awards and how they embody A&E’s

Louis’ Performing Arts Training

rankings and millions of dollars in eco-

central tenet that when the arts thrive,

Center. Williams is among the few

nomic impact.

our city and our region thrive.

Grand Center Arts Academy Art Educator of the Year

people certified to teach the world

And finally, Saint Louis Fashion Fund

The Arts and Education Council is

For more information about the 2018

renowned Dunham Technique, and

(SLFF) and World Wide Technology

St. Louis Arts Awards and tickets, visit

served as co-writer and appeared

(WWT), the 2018 honorees for Arts

KeepArtHappening.org/2018ArtsAwards.

in the historic documentary on

Startup of the Year and Corporate

Dunham Technique with the Library of Congress.

4

Photo courtesy Switch.

About the Artist Glass artist Sam Stang (b. 1959 in Northfield, Minn.) created the 2018 St. Louis Arts Award. Stang attended Washington University in St. Louis from 1980 – 84 and was a student of Fritz Dreisbach at Penland School of Crafts in 1983 and of Lino Tagliapietra at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Stang was a founding partner of Ibex Glass Studio (1985 through 1991) and started Augusta Glass Studio in Augusta, Mo. in 1992, which he still operates as a sole proprietorship.

“All of my pieces are made by using traditional European glassblowing techniques. With the murrini pieces, I begin by making glass rods, which are patterned in cross-section. The rods are cooled and cut into thin pieces and arranged on an iron plate, which is then heated to fuse the murrini. This is then rolled into a tube on the end of a blowpipe and shaped into the final form. Every piece I make is entirely produced hot at the furnace. The banded bowls are blown as separate sections and fused together. This technique, known as incalmo, requires a great deal of skill and cooperation.

I work with at least one assistant and often with a team of three experienced glassblowers.”

2018 St. Louis Arts Award.

For more information on Sam Stang, visit samstang.com.

Saint Louis Fashion Fund

Art on the Square

World Wide Technology

Arts Startup of the Year

Arts Collaboration

Corporate Support of the Arts

Saint Louis Fashion Fund, founded in

Founded in 2002, Art on the Square

World Wide Technology, co-founded

May 2014, is a nonprofit focused on

in Belleville, Ill. consistently ranks #1

by Dave Steward and Jim Kavanagh in

bringing the business of fashion back

nationwide in the renowned Art Fair

1990, serves as an exemplary corporate

to St. Louis through entrepreneur-

Source Book. The annual event involves

citizen with its support of numerous St.

ship-driven, community-building and

the collaboration of hundreds of artists

Louis arts and culture institutions,

educational initiatives. Located in St.

and volunteers, the city of Belleville,

including Opera Theatre

Louis’ historic downtown garment dis-

local merchants and vendors, corpo-

of Saint Louis, Center of Creative Arts

trict, Saint Louis Fashion Fund strives

rate sponsors and local and regional

(COCA), the Arts and Education Council

to build and catalyze a thriving ecosys-

musical talent. In its 15 years, Art on

and Jazz St. Louis, among others.

tem to foster the growth of fashion

the Square has grown beyond just the

Additionally, WWT invests in the

and creative industries in St. Louis. Its

annual fair in May in downtown

creativity of its own workforce, recog-

signature program, the Saint Louis

Belleville. Through collaborations with

nizing that creativity drives business

Fashion Incubator, launched in January

schools and municipal partners, Art on

development.

2017 with six designers recruited from

the Square’s mission has broader

around the country to build their

impact in the community and region.

businesses in St. Louis in a two-year residency program.

5

EVENT CO-CHAIRS

SUSAN BLOCK AND JOHN H. RUSSELL

THANK YOU TO THESE GENEROUS SPONSORS, PATRONS AND EVENT HOSTS! PRESENTING SPONSOR

STAGE & ENTERTAINMENT SPONSORS

ARTS STARTUP OF THE YEAR SPONSOR

PRINCIPAL SPONSORS

ART EDUCATOR OF

CORPORATE SUPPORT

GIFT

PRODUCTION

THE YEAR SPONSOR

OF THE ARTS SPONSOR

SPONSOR

SPONSOR

NANCY & KEN KRANZBERG

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS

PRINCIPAL

PRINCIPAL

SPONSOR – DENNY REAGAN

BENEFACTORS

BENEFACTOR

LYNNE & JIM TURLEY

MAJOR BENEFACTORS

CHUCK & JAN MUELLER Board of Directors

TABLE SPONSORS Arthur & Helen Baer Charitable Foundation BKD LLP Fox Associates Grand Center Arts Academy, Confluence Charter Schools HOK Mike Isaacson and Joe Ortmeyer Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts Webster University Jim and Merry Mosbacher Opera Theatre of Saint Louis RubinBrown LLP Saint Louis Fashion Fund Sally and Terry Schnuck Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Thompson Coburn LLP University of Missouri–St. Louis HONOREE LUNCHEON SPONSOR Regional Business Council PATRONS Sandy Blasingame and Gary Hall Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Galvin Barbara Bushman Goodman Mr. and Mrs. David M. Hollo Carol and Tom Voss

6

EVENT HOSTS Nora Akerberg Cathy and Jim Berges Sandy Blasingame and Gary Hall Susan Block Sara and Jack Burke Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Ciapciak Clark and Jeanie Davis Kim and Tim Eberlein Leonard T. Eschbach Gretta Forrester Cheri and Ron Fromm Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Galvin Terrance J. Good Barbara Bushman Goodman Sheila Greenbaum and Gary M. Wasserman Miran Halen Mr. and Mrs. David M. Hollo Kelly Hummert Mike Isaacson and Joe Ortmeyer Kim and Brendan Johnson Mrs. Henry O. Johnston Joanne and Alan Kohn Nancy and Ken Kranzberg Linda and Paul Lee Sally S. Levy James and Merry Mosbacher John Nickel

Timothy and Kara Graziano O’Leary Penny Pennington and Mike Fidler Paul Reuter John H. Russell Peter E. Sargent Elizabeth Gentry Sayad Sally and Terry Schnuck Connie Peterson Schnuck Don Senti Mary Ann Srenco Michael and Carol Staenberg Carol and Tom Voss Caren A. Vredenburgh Franklin F. Wallis Roseann Weiss TRIBUTES & CONTRIBUTIONS Cathy and Jim Berges Dr. William H. Danforth Gretta Forrester Cheri and Ron Fromm Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Goldstein Sheila Greenbaum and Gary M. Wasserman Mrs. Henry O. Johnston Charles MacKay Connie Peterson Schnuck Franklin F. Wallis Roseann Weiss *as of October 23, 2017

INVEST:

Arts foster community and connection in rural counties Photo courtesy Looking Glass Playhouse

O

ne of the special aspects of our region’s vibrant arts community is that it extends beyond the city into the surrounding rural counties. For more than a decade, the Arts and Education Council (A&E), in partnership with Monsanto Fund, has grown the arts in those rural communities through the Monsanto Rural Community Arts Education Program.

One community that has benefitted from this funding is Lebanon, Ill., which is home to two of A&E’s rural grant recipients — Looking Glass Playhouse (LGP) and The Hettenhausen Center for the Arts (The Hett). Though different in programming and size, both play a major role in the artistic growth of the community.

Founded in 1973, LGP is one of the oldest theatre companies in the region.

LGP director Gigi Dowling Urban attributes the company’s success and strong support from the community to its inclusive, “something for everyone” approach. LGP places a special emphasis on providing theater education to Lebanon’s youth.

“What I think differentiates the Playhouse’s approach is that while we offer a traditional all youth program each summer, we also emphasize regular

Looking Glass Playhouse’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

season shows that can include children,” explained Dowling Urban.

“Community theater is one of the only places where children and their parents can create together,” Dowling Urban continued. “You go watch your child’s soccer games, you attend your child’s band concert, but at the Playhouse [children and parents] can both appear in a play or musical; it is a shared bonding experience and families attest to how special those times are for them not only artistically but emotionally.”

The Hett has a similar commitment to the region through its diverse programming and community outreach, including World Fest, a two-year program that brought international music groups to the

Photo courtesy Hettenhausen Center for the Arts

Mongolian group Anda Union performs at Lebanon Elementary School through the Hett’s participation in World Fest.

area for performances at schools, senior centers and other community venues.

Peter Palermo, director of The Hett, recalls being particularly touched by one group’s visit. “To go to an East St. Louis middle school with a group of Israeli musicians, and watch those kids just sit there rapt, just glued to the performance, filled my heart with so much joy.”

Now that the World Fest program has ended, Palermo has begun brainstorming ideas for similar types of community outreach.

“We’re talking to some artists, and we’re also going to start working on a series that we build for students to come [to the Hett] on busses for field trips,” said Palermo. “There’s nothing like that really happening over [in Lebanon], so I think there’s a demand.”

Through their programming and outreach and the support of programs like A&E’s Monsanto Rural Arts Fund, LGP and The Hett are proving that the arts do more than entertain. They create a gathering place for rural communities to connect and exchange ideas, and are testament to the fact that quality arts and culture opportunities extend beyond the big city.

For more information on the Monsanto Rural Community Arts Education Program, visit KeepArtHappening.org/MonsantoRuralArts.

For more information on Looking Glass Playhouse visit lookingglassplayhouse.com.

For more information on The

Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, visit mckendree.edu/the_hett.

7

INVEST:

2017-18 Maritz Arts and Education Fund grantees announced, enhancing creativity across bi-state

R

esearch studies show that

(Collinsville, Ill.) will use its grant to

incorporating the arts into a

incorporate STEM (science, technology,

child’s education enhances their

engineering and mathematics) in the

overall academic performance and

music classroom. During the six-hour

helps foster a thriving and culturally

camp, students will design musical

to help students at Maplewood

vibrant community. Since 2009, the Arts

instruments using 3D design software,

Richmond Heights Elementary School

and Education Council’s (A&E) Maritz

produce their designs with a 3D printer,

(St. Louis) make connections to who

Arts and Education Fund for Teachers

create electronic synthesizers using cir-

they are as people and gain a powerful

has provided more than $220,000 to

cuit boards and write music using

sense of self confidence. In this program,

individual schools and teachers to sup-

Blockly coding language.

students will create clay models of them-

port projects and opportunities that encourage creativity in the classroom.

The following 14 schools from across

Griscom Public School’s (St. Louis)

selves and transfer them into short

In School Art Classes will provide

movies via stop-motion technology to

school arts activities for detained youth

show their bodies in motion.

the bi-state region will receive grants

in the St. Louis City Juvenile Detention

Mehlville High School (St. Louis)

for classroom-based projects in the

Center, encouraging creative skills and

students will convert a vacant theatre

2017-18 academic year. The projects,

allowing them to gain confidence in

storage room into a space for young

funded in full by A&E’s Maritz Fund for

their new talents through the produc-

theatre designers to learn industry

Teachers grants, represent a diverse

tion and presentation of their work.

standard software and equipment. This

range of creative activity from theatre

Hazelwood North Middle School

to printmaking to stop-motion anima-

(Florissant, Mo.) will use its grant to

allow students in Advanced Design

tion for elementary through high

provide art supplies for students to cre-

classes to create and work in a collabo-

school students.

ate murals, mosaics and other creative

rative environment and gain a wide

Digital and Advanced Photography

pieces. Hazelwood North’s goal for this

range of theatrical experiences.

students at Alton High School (Alton,

project is to reach its full potential and

Ill.) will create stop-motion animation

serve as an inspiration to its students

Elementary School (High Ridge, Mo.)

videos using a series of photographs

and the surrounding community.

will take a field trip to Laumeier

for their Claymation Stop-Motion

The Bodies in Motion program aims

Designers’ Makers Space Program will

Third grade students from Murphy

Sculpture Park (an A&E grantee) to

Animation Project. This project will help students work collaboratively and utilize technology in an art medium reflective of the 21st century.

Buder Elementary School’s (St. Louis) Bookmaking in the Classroom project will allow students to make a variety of books that let them express themselves artistically and through their writing. The aim of this project is to help students unlock their creativity and forge a personal connection to reading, writing and making art.

Central Intermediate School (Roxana, Ill.) will bring new light, new life and new colors into the music room with its Rainbow Ukulele unit. Through this program, students will learn to read music, achieve success and have their lives brightened with the light and joy of music.

Collinsville High School 8

Two self-portraits created by students at Griscom Public School through a program funded by a 2016 Maritz Fund grant provided by A&E.

inspire creative thinking and self-expres-

REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley

sion. While at the park, students will explore scale, space, balance, proportion and angles made by the sculptures in relation to nature.

Normandy Schools Collaborative (St. Louis) will use its grant to add ten keyboards to its Elementary Piano Lab program, which was first funded by the Maritz Arts and Education Fund in 2014.

Through this grant, elementary school

NOV-DEC 2017 Looking for your ARTS Card deals?

Below are just a few upcoming events.

Find all your ARTS Card deals online at KeepArtHappening.org.

students will have the opportunity to explore music theory, performance and composition through piano.

Normandy Schools 7th and 8th Grade Center (St. Louis) will also receive a grant to support its Speech, Drama and Debate Team. The funding will be put toward the middle school speech and debate tournament as well as the fall and spring middle school productions.

Special School District – Ackerman School (Florissant, Mo.) will put on a production of “North Pole Follies,” a one of a kind musical designed to showcase students’ abilities and allow them to enjoy the experience of performance, music and art. Maritz funds will

JAZZ ST. LOUIS Russell Gunn’s “Blackhawk Revisted” featuring Jimmy Cobb

WHEN: Nov 29-Dec 24 DISCOUNT: 2-for-1 tickets with ARTS Card Nov 29-Dec 8 In this winning and witty sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the bookish middle child of the Bennet family finally has her day. Austen fans and first-timers alike will find much to love in this alluring comedic tale.

WHEN: Nov 15-16 DISCOUNT: 2-for-1 tickets with ARTS Card (9:30pm performance only) East St. Louis-raised Russell Gunn turns the clock back to salute Miles Davis’ legendary stint at San Francisco’s famed Blackhawk club.

Gunn’s quintet features legendary drummer and Miles Davis alumni Jimmy Cobb, who performed the original run with Davis in 1961.

SAINT LOUIS BALLET The Nutcracker

WHEN: Dec 15-23 DISCOUNT: $10 off tickets with ARTS Card Gen Horiuchi’s The Nutcracker has become a St. Louis favorite with dazzling costumes, sets and special effects. The large professional cast of company dancers and special guests swells with students from the school of the Saint Louis Ballet in children’s roles. The holiday favorite is performed to the traditional Tchaikovsky score.

ARTS Card about to expire? Renew online at KeepArtHappening.org/Give.

be used to purchase costumes, set pieces, production technology, art supplies, music and instruments.

University City School District (University City, Mo.) will integrate art and science and help students make connections in a creative way through Printing Nature, a program in which students collect a variety of leaves and use them to create an art project that demonstrates their understanding of plant structure.

Warrior Ridge Elementary (Warrenton, Mo.) will use its grant to grow its Teaching Artistic Behavior (TAB)based art class. Using this technique, students develop, plan and produce an original idea for an art piece, allowing them to dive into their passions, inter-

Give the gift of the arts this season!

ests and ideas that help them grow.

A&E’s ARTS Card makes a great holiday

For more information about these grantees and all of A&E’s grant programs, visit KeepArtHappening.org/Grant-Programs.

gift. Visit KeepArtHappening.org/Give to get one today!

9

Photo by Peter Newcomb Photography

A&E NEWS:

Board member named Most Influential Business Woman

O

n August 11, the Arts and Education Council (A&E) celebrated board member Janet Newcomb at the St. Louis Business Journal’s Most Influential Business Women luncheon. Newcomb was honored for her work as senior vice president and market director at PNC Bank. Since 2011, Newcomb has served on A&E’s board, where she currently serves as co-chair of the Advancement Committee.

Janet Newcomb (third from left) with A&E staff, board members and partners at the 2017 Most Influential Business Women luncheon sponsored by the St. Louis Business Journal.

IN MEMORIAM:

Priscilla “Pris” Robb McDonnell

T

he Arts and Education Council (A&E) mourns the passing of a founding contributor since the organization’s inception in 1963. Priscilla “Pris” McDonnell and her late husband, Sanford N. “Sandy” McDonnell, were tireless advocates for the arts. Mrs. McDonnell was a founding member of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 1975, served as President of the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association and Community Music School, and on the boards of the Bach Society of Saint Louis, the Washington University in St. Louis Friends of Music, Saint Louis Art

Museum, The Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries and The National Society of Arts and Letters.

In addition to serving in leadership capacities on A&E’s board of directors, Mrs. McDonnell also served on the St. Louis Arts Awards committee for several years. To honor Alice Gerdine’s 2003 St. Louis Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, the McDonnells made a generous lead gift to establish the “Alice Gerdine Legacy Fund” that helped A&E build its operating reserves.

In 2005, Mrs. McDonnell received a St. Louis Arts Award for Lifetime

Priscilla “Pris” McDonnell at the 2005 St. Louis Arts Awards.

Achievement in the Arts for her tireless commitment to building and expanding our region’s artistic and cultural vibrancy.

A&E’s Catalyst Innovation Lab to open With lead support from

T

his November, the Arts and Education Council (A&E) officially opens the Catalyst Innovation Lab in its Centene Center for the Arts, an arts incubator in the heart of the Grand Center Arts District.

Inspired by the arts and driven by a community in transition, the Catalyst Innovation Lab is a space to gather, collaborate, learn and exchange ideas on creativity for more arts and cultural innovation.

Programming in the Catalyst Innovation Lab will include a monthly series of cross-sector conversations around creativity, A&E’s bi-monthly Arts Marketers series and the Arts Leadership Management Academy, featuring the monthly Executive Directors’ Roundtable. Tenant organizations of the Centene 10

With design support from

Center for the Arts have complimentary access to the Catalyst Lab. The Catalyst Lab will be available for rent for board meetings, brainstorming sessions and events beginning in Spring 2018.

The official opening of the 1,900-square-foot Catalyst Lab concludes Phase I of the renovation of the Centene Center for the Arts. Phase II, a renovation of the entrance and lobby of the Centene Center, begins in January 2018. The Catalyst Innovation Lab is made possible with lead support from the Centene Charitable Foundation and design support from HOK. For more information about the Catalyst Innovation Lab, visit KeepArtHappening.org/CatalystLab.

Circle of Giving

Centene Center for the Arts 3547 Olive Street St. Louis, MO 63103-1014 p 314.289.4000 f 314.289.4019

August 1 – September 30, 2017 $50,000 and above Centene Charitable Foundation PNC Foundation $15,000 - $49,999 Monsanto $10,000 - $14,999 Mr. and Mrs. James S. Turley $2,500 - $9,999 Arthur & Helen Baer Charitable Foundation Mr. and Mrs. James G. Berges Sara and Jack Burke Mr. and Mrs. Leonard T. Eschbach Fox Associates LLC Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Galvin HOK Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts Webster University Stanley and Lucy Lopata Charitable Foundation Mr. and Mrs. James E. Mosbacher, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Terry E. Schnuck Regional Business Council Staenberg Family Foundation Thompson Coburn LLP University of Missouri – St. Louis $1,000 - $2,499 Ms. Sandy Blasingame and Mr. Gary L. Hall Mr. and Mrs. Jack L. Cahill Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Ciapciak Mr. Stephen E. Cupples Dr. William H. Danforth Ms. Margretta Forrester Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Galvin Mr. Terrance J. Good

Ms. Barbara Bushman Goodman Ms. Sheila Greenbaum and Mr. Gary M. Wasserman Mr. and Mrs. David Loe Drs. Dan W. and Susan L. Luedke Ms. Penny Pennington and Mr. Mike Fidler World Chess Hall of Fame $500 - $999 Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Allen, Jr. Mr. William R. Bay Mr. and Mrs. John D. Doyle Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Eggleston Mrs. Evan R. Goldfarb Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Goldstein Mr. Frank J. Guyol, III Mr. and Mrs. David W. Halen Mrs. Sally C. Johnston Mr. David C. Joyner Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence P. Katzenstein Mr. and Mrs. Alan C. Kohn Mrs. Ann Lee Konneker Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Lause Mrs. Sally S. Levy Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Martin Mrs. Marian Nunn and Mr. Thomas Wendel Dr. and Mrs. Gordon W. Philpott Mr. Thomas Polcyn Mr. and Mrs. Kurt E. Reitz St. Louis Development Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Mark Sableman Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Senti Mr. and Mrs. Jason P. Thein Mr. Stanley Walch Ms. Roseann M. Weiss Ms. Kathy A. Wisniewski

In Tribute

2017 Board of Directors CHAIR Leonard T. Eschbach VICE CHAIR C. Brendan Johnson SECRETARY Peter Sargent TREASURER Ruth Saphian MEMBERS Nora Akerberg Susan Block

Sheila Burkett Chris Cedergreen Chris Dornfeld Diane R. Drollinger Terrance J. Good Barbara B. Goodman Kristin J. Guehlstorf Jason Hall Marcela Manjarrez Hawn Nicole Hudson Kenneth Kranzberg

Linda Lee Janet Newcomb Shawn Schukar Donald M. Senti Mary Ann Srenco Susan A. Stith Kit Sundararaman Andrew Trivers Carol J. Voss Caren Vredenburgh EX-OFFICIO Cynthia A. Prost

2017 Young Friends of the Arts Board of Directors MEMBERS Kate Maxson

Danielle Smith Adam Stanley

Vanessa Vasquez Jay Willibrand

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Scott D. Giffen

WORKPLACE GIVING CAMPAIGN MANAGER Heather Edwards

Staff PRESIDENT & CEO Cynthia A. Prost VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS Susan Rowe Jennings VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT Kate Francis

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Emily Hellmuth CONTROLLER Joseph Soer

*Boards and Staff as of October 15, 2017

OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATOR Tonya Hahne DATABASE MANAGER Lanisha Thomas COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Aynsley Hensgen

Peter H. Bunce* • Ann M. Corrigan Joseph E. Corrigan • Barbara Grace* Karen J. Isbell • James A. Krekeler Glenn Sheffield • Judith Cozad Smith Jane Stamper* Trust • Michael W. Weisbrod • David P. Weiss *deceased

August 1 – September 30, 2017 In honor of Gene Dobbs Bradford and the Saint Louis Fashion Fund Ms. Sheila Greenbaum and Mr. Gary M. Wasserman In honor of Dennis M. Reagan Mrs. Sally C. Johnston In honor of Keith Tyrone Williams Roseann Weiss

In honor of Robert Manchester Rowe Mr. and Mrs. James F. Weidman In honor of Gene Dobbs Bradford Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Goldstein In honor of Dennis Reagan and Gene Dobbs Bradford Gretta Forrester, Forrester Family Fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation

To make your gift to the A&E, visit KeepArtHappening.org or contact Kate Francis, Vice President of Development, at (314) 289-4003 or Kate-F@KeepArtHappening.org.

Tenants of the Centene Center for the Arts Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis African Heritage Association of St. Louis, Inc. African Musical Arts American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Association of American Voices Bach Society of Saint Louis Cinema St. Louis Circus Flora Creative Reaction Lab Equally Represented Arts (ERA)

Flow Gateway Men’s Chorus Make Music St. Louis, Inc. Open Studio Network Prison Performing Arts Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble (SATE) SPP Productions Belladona Magazine St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association Upstream Theater YoungLiars

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Centene Center for the Arts 3547 Olive Street St. Louis, Missouri 63103-1014

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