ST. LOUIS ARTS CHAMBER  RECEIVES $30,000 GRANT TO TRANSFORM VACANT WEST END LOT INTO PARK AND PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION.

New park is part of initiative to use art and design to reduce gun violence in neighborhoods 

June 20, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ST. LOUIS, MO — The St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that it has received a $30,000 grant from Saint Louis MHB for the redesign and installation of a park and public art installation on a vacant lot at 5902 Clemens in the West End neighborhood. Renovation of the lot will begin on July 1, 2021 and is estimated to be completed around September 2021. 

“The Lot is a part of the design of the entrance of the West End Neighborhood, which residents see as a welcoming entrance,” says Sandy Brooks, Executive Director of the St. Louis Arts Chamber. “This grant will fund the first phase implementation for the new park surrounded by a resident vegetable garden, a master gardener’s landscape and greenscape with design and layout for paths, the foundation for the memorial house, and landscaping of the lot.”

This lot is just one of seven vacant lots the Arts Chamber is transforming into public spaces in partnership with 7 Together, a collaborative of local leaders in the seven neighborhoods along Delmar. The Arts Chamber has been working with Covenant Blu–Grand Center, Vandeventer, Lewis Place, Fountain Park, Academy–Sherman Park, Visitation Park, and the West End to bring artistic creativity to solutions identified by neighborhood residents. The goal of the vacant lot activation project is to reduce potential for illegal activities in the neighborhood by commissioning artists to redesign these unused spaces into parks, gardens, and other neighborhood priorities. Other community partners for the Vacant Lot Initiative include the West End CID, St. Louis ArtWorks, and Pocketparks.

The lot will feature an installation of a memorial house built of glass bricks, commemorating the neighborhood and its history. The house design and construction will be led by Sam Avery, an architect and Arts Chamber board member. With ten years of experience, Avery currently works for WA Architects based out of St. Louis and Cincinnati. He is currently assisting the architecture team for the new MLS stadium being constructed in St. Louis. 

The grant is from St. Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission (VPC) (https://www.stlareavpc.org), a regional effort to align, convene, and connect the organizations addressing gun violence prevention and reduction. VPC is an initiative of Saint Louis MHB (https://stlmhb.com), which grants tax dollars to non-profit organizations to provide high quality services that benefit City residents. 

About the St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce: Established in 2020, the St. Louis Arts Chamber is a membership-based collaborative of artists and patrons who are committed to establishing the greater St. Louis region as a premier arts destination. An advocate for all genres and mediums of the arts, the Arts Chamber aims to build a strong network of individuals and organizations with a shared interest in supporting professional growth, artistic expression, and community engagement.