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St. Louis ArtWorks Helps St. Louis Compete for All-America City Award
St. Louis ArtWorks Going to Tampa for National Competition
St. Louis, Missouri , May 13, 2008
- St. Louis ArtWorks, the 2007 winner of the YouthBridge Award in the SEIC competition, will take four apprentices, ED and board President to Tampa Florida to compete in the All- America City award along with the RCGA, Downtown Now and the Great Rivers Greenway community partners. YouthBridge invested in St. Louis Artworks to help venture fund their social enterprise, Boomerang Press.
"We are excited and proud to be part of this winning team" said Priscilla Block, Executive Director of St. Louis ArtWorks. Read below to learn more or see the May issue of Commerce Magazine at www.stlcommercemagazine.com.
Overview of All-America City Award
The All-America City Award is the oldest and most respected community recognition program in the country. The award recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and promote uncommon solutions. After submitting a detailed proposal in February on behalf of the region, our community was selected as one of 17 finalist communities.
The upcoming event in Tampa gives each of the finalists an opportunity to make a presentation and field questions about the region to the juried selection panel. Ten cities will be named 2008 All-America Cities at a special awards ceremony.
The awards are sponsored by the National Civic League each year, and this year marks the 59th anniversary. St. Louis last won in 1956.
2008 Finalist Communities
Goodyear, Arizona
Marana, Arizona
Cerritos, California
Aurora, Colorado
New Haven, Connecticut
Kissimmee/Osceola County, Florida
Sarasota County, Florida
Somerville, Massachusetts
Gladstone, Missouri
St. Louis Region, Missouri and Illinois
Lenoir, North Carolina
Reidsville, North Carolina
Akron, Ohio
Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania
Abbeville County, South Carolina
Selma, Texas
Caroline County, Virginia
St. Louis Projects
The proposal required our community to submit three projects that have significantly affected our community. The first two projects were required to be drawn from community challenges, and the third project needed to be reflective of what our community is doing for youth in the region. A brief summary of the three St. Louis projects is provided below.
PROJECT ONE: Downtown Now!
After a decline in the city’s population and the growth of the suburbs, combined with the waning industrial economy, our region’s center city deteriorated badly. To counteract the problem, a public/private partnership, which later became known as Downtown Now!, was formed to develop a revitalization plan for downtown St. Louis.
Mayor Francis Slay appointed co-chairs from the business, civic, and elected communities, and the city engaged national and local planners to spark both vision and investment for the city core. Since 1999, $4.26 billion has been invested downtown to revitalize historic buildings and neighborhoods, and to develop new residential units, restaurants, shops, and service businesses.
PROJECT TWO: St. Louis Regional River Ring
Spread out over two states and 16 counties, the region as a whole was disconnected. We lacked bike and pedestrian paths, making neighborhoods and parks accessible only by car. In order to reconnect communities, the Great Rivers Greenway District implemented an ambitious, grassroots-driven plan to create a series of greenway trails alongside the Mississippi, Meramec and Cuivre rivers to connect to the Missouri River in order to create a circle of paths. While the Ring is still being created one “project” at a time, completed portions are well-frequented and providing significant social, economic, and environmental benefits for the community.
PROJECT THREE: ArtWorks Enterprises
The first venture of ArtWorks Enterprises is Boomerang Press, a program that provides meaningful employment and job training for economically disadvantaged students age 14-19 through the world of art. Youth produce commissioned art with real-world clients. Through the process, they experience meeting with clients, preparing a budget, and working against a client deadline to learn crucial business and life skills – all while having fun being an artist.
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