ST. LOUIS, MO — The St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce it has received a $8,000 project grant for Creating Community With Art: Hodiamont Mural Project. This 9’ x 270’ mural will be at the intersection of Taylor Avenue and the Hodiamont Tracks (soon to be Hodiamont Greenway) in the Fountain Park neighborhood.
The mural is a living art project, which will begin with wayfinding establishing the Hodiamont Tracks and grow to include portraits of people of note in the neighborhood’s history and of personal significance to neighborhood residents. This mural is part of a larger initiative, a collaboration between the St. Louis Arts Chamber, SLACO, and several other community organizations, to activate vacant lots along the planned Hodiamont Greenway with art.
The Hodiamont Mural was designed by Mia Fiehler, a student artist and recent graduate from Webster Groves High School. Fiehler was the first student to participate in the St. Louis Arts Chamber’s artist mentorship program. St. Louis Arts Chamber Executive Director Sandy Brooks worked with Fiehler’s teacher on a individualized curriculum that had her learning about the neighborhood and working with community residents, while also learning project management skills in the public arts realm.
The St. Louis Arts Chamber was one of more than 90 arts programs and 85 individual artists to receive direct financial support from the Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis. This round of grants is the first one in nearly two years.
The St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce is honored to receive this grant, and looks forward to unveiling the mural later this Summer.