Saint Louis Story Stitchers is very pleased to announce support of an Annual Discipline Minority Arts grant from Missouri Arts Council for the research and creation of a new conceptual work of art entitled Peace in the Prairie.
The project is also supported by a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health. The Foundation is a resource for the region, working with communities and nonprofits to generate and accelerate positive changes in health. As a catalyst for change, the Foundation improves the health of Missourians through a combination of partnership, experience, knowledge, and funding.
Story Stitchers started an exploration of native Missouri prairie lands with photo shoots and overnight trips to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Shaw Nature Reserve in 2016 and again in 2017.
When a person lives in an urban area where sirens, screeching tires, and gunshots can be heard nightly, how will their sense of self and world view change when that person experiences and explores native prairies?
Peace in the Prairie supports the research, creation and public presentation of a completed conceptual work of art by artists exploring the juxtaposition of violence in St. Louis’s urban environment and the peacefulness of Missouri’s natural prairie landscapes. The grant supports artists’ stipends, travel expenses and expenses for a public presentation.
The project expands the artistic body of work of African American artists in the Collective, addresses the community need of understanding violence while seeking peace, supports the exploration of new natural settings by both artists and audiences, and supports the greater understanding of Missouri’s unique natural heritage in its native prairie lands.
Leading artists in this project include Jamie KP Dennis, Reggie McNichols aka Ntegrity, Troy Anthony Swanson, Bobby Norfolk, Demil Johnson, and contributing artist Susan Colangelo.
The public performance followed by a Q&A will take place at the .ZACK Theater, 3224 Locust on Thursday, March 21st, 2019, sponsored in part by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation.
If you would like to contribute a story to this project’s archives, about violence or peace you have experienced in either the city or the prairie lands of Missouri, please contact Story Stitchers at storystitchers@gmail.com or call 314-899-9001.
We’d like to hear from you.
