VANESSA COOKSEY

VVanessa Cooksey is the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) third leader and first President and CEO appointed to the position in November 2020.

For more than three decades, the publicly-funded organization has allocated more than $100 million to individual artists and arts organizations, and has helped steer the recovery of the arts community in St. Louis during an economic downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two years after Cookey’s appointment, in November 2022, RAC announced a historical moment within the organization with the approval to direct $10.6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to artists and arts organizations in St. Louis. The plan for RAC to distribute the funds was supported by more than 100 arts leaders in the region.

“It is a culture of service that exists in St. Louis that makes this city special,” said Cooksey. “I have lived in many cities, from Atlanta, Denver, Austin to New Orleans, and I’m sure they all have a community spirit there, but what I find to be special about St. Louis is the known expectation of serving. There are many nonprofit organizations in our region that are working tirelessly to solve real community issues and people give up their time and energy to truly make a difference”

When asked about highlighting one St. Louis leader who has inspired and supported her leadership journey, Cooksey stated: “For every one person that I could call out, there would be four or five more leaders to add to the list that have been equally important in my leadership journey and my giving back in this community.”

Cooksey is a serious changemaker and has led innovative arts, education, technology and wellness initiatives reaching millions of children and adults over the course of her career. Most recently, she spoke on a panel at the Medical Humanities Program in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis exploring how segregation and discrimination continue to impact the wellbeing of the region’s diverse communities – and how art can help us heal.

“A great leader once told me that “oppression is no match for a fully creative human,” said Cooksey.

“We all must have equal access to creating and experiencing art. When you go to a museum, festival, or wherever you experience creativity, it helps facilitate healing and allows for a healthy escape that is known to reduce stress and anxiety and increase one’s selfawareness.

I want all citizens, all residents of St. Louis, to have access to a full creative life.”

RAC is continuing to push the mission of a full creative life for every St. Louisian by championing policies and practices that promote diversity, racial equity, accessibility, and inclusion in the arts.

“We have not created the environment that supports our young people thriving, and that responsibility should not be placed solely on the traditional nonprofit organizations or the school districts for the development, care and nurturing of our youth. We need all hands on deck. On this topic, we have partnered with 17 artists and arts organizations to create programming specifically for youth in downtown St. Louis. With the latest funding, we are investing a portion of those dollars to go to public art placemaking and other programs that will support young people, and we will continue to share our learnings and best practices across networks to make a sustainable impact.”

Cooksey is proud to be a part of a community of advocates striving to make the region a better place to live, work and play.

“St. Louis is a cultural hub that is admired nationwide,” said Cooksey. “The city has great opportunities to be involved in the arts from sculptures, paintings, music, literature, and film.

Leaning into individual creativity while creating space for that creativity to come to life and allow for a collective experience is required to move the region forward. Our sector has value, and advocacy supports engagement. Adding a human voice to this work will allow us to disrupt old narratives that don’t serve us anymore.”

For more information on RAC, visit www.racstl.org.