Regional Arts Commission

Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis
Regional Arts Commission
Formation 1985 (1985)[1]
Headquarters St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates 39°00′31″N 92°12′26″W / 39.0085026°N 92.2071062°W / 39.0085026; -92.2071062
Region
St. Louis
Services Grants, Education, Fellowships, Promotion, Community
Affiliations Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Incarnate Word Foundation, Gateway Foundation, Wells Fargo
Staff
Felicia Shaw
Website racstl.org

Regional Arts Commission or RAC is an organization located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States promoting arts and culture in the region.[2]

Regional Arts Commission is the largest funder of arts in the St. Louis region.[3]

RAC has awarded more than 7,000 grants totaling more than $300 million USD.[3]

In 2018, the commission received $6.4 million in tax money. $3.8 million were awarded through a grants process to the arts community including 125 organizations, including the largest grantee at $413,276 USD for the St. Louis Symphony, and the smallest grant of $500 USD to an individual working the arts. Another large portion of that money is used for a program called the Community Arts Training Institute, a program to teach people how to use use arts to effect change in their community. RAC also supports local conferences, events and workshops. And the rest of the funds support operations including salaries and building costs.[3][4]

The current director is Felicia Shaw since 2015. She worked previously at San Diego's Commission for Arts and Culture as a program director. She is originally from St. Louis and moved back to St. Louis in 2018 to lead RAC.

History

The Regional Arts Commission was founded in 1985.[1][5]

In 2015, Felicia Shaw took over as the director from the previous one, Jill McGuire.[4]

Criticism

Shaw arrived on the job in 2015, and made it a priority to improve the transparency of the granting process and make a more fair system for dispersal of funds:

"That anyone had the impression that their tax money was locked up in a system of nepotism, whether that's true or not, was unsustainable," Shaw explains.[3][4]

Evoke, The Big Reveal and Creative Vision for St. Louis

In 2018, RAC led a series of sessions to get feedback from the local St. Louis community, called "Evoke", or the "Evoke Sessions".

In 2018, RAC announced in press event titled, The Big Reveal, the first comprehensive creative vision for St. Louis, a 90 page report and website, created through a $250,000 USD study paid for from RAC's marketing budget and corporate donations.[6][7][5][8][6]

In 2018, effects of the change in granting process effected some groups.[9]

The Sound of St. Louis

In September 2018, with the last minute cancellation of the annual St. Louis music festival, LouFest, The Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., Gaslight Records, Venture Cafe, Regional Arts Commission, Fabricatorz Foundation, and Express Scripts sponsored a showcase called The Sound of St. Louis featuring over 15 local musical acts at The Grendel in Grand Center Arts District, St. Louis.[10] The acts performing at the Sounds of St. Louis include Ben Reece’s Unity Quartet, Bob DeBoo, The Burney Sisters, DJ AgileOne, Dracla, Grace Basement, Jesse Gannon, Kasimu-tet, Kevin Bowers' Nova, The Knuckles, Mo Egeston, Owen Ragland, Ptah Williams, The River Kittens, Scrub & Ace Ha, and Tonina.[11]

St. Louis Art Place Project

In 2018, along with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation and the Incarnate Word Foundation, RAC created the St. Louis Art Place Project as a way to provide inexpensive housing and studio space to artist's in the St. Louis Gravois Park neighborhood.[3]

Current

In 2018, Theatre Communications Group received a grant from RAC in support of the Third Round of Rising Leaders of Color program.[12]

In 2018, the RAC received a grant from the Gateway Foundation to help students who want to get into arts administration.[3]

In 2018, RAC received a $1 million USD grant from Wells Fargo to develop new curriculum under the Lincoln Center plan.[3]


References

  1. 1 2 "Regional Arts Commission Official Website About". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  2. ↑ "Regional Arts Commission Official Website". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Friswold, Paul (19 September 2018). "The Regional Arts Commission Is Making Big Changes, with a Bold Plan to Transform St. Louis". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Jeremy D. Goodwin (11 July 2018). "Regional Arts Commission awards $3.8 million in grants, but cuts many groups". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  5. 1 2 Heuer, Alex (14 September 2018). "Regional Arts Commission report calls for more collaborating, using arts to improve communities". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 Jeremy D. Goodwin (17 September 2018). "Regional Arts Commission calls for St. Louis arts groups to tackle social ills". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Jeremy D. Goodwin. "Regional Arts Commission calls for St. Louis arts groups to tackle social ills". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "Regional Arts Commission to make 'big reveal'". 11 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  9. ↑ Wilson, Calvin (17 August 2018). "Regional Arts Commission changes leave theater troupes concerned about funding". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  10. ↑ "Alternative events happening around St. Louis after LouFest cancellation". KMOV. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Kevin (5 September 2018). "Several LouFest bands to be showcased at 'The Sound of St. Louis' Sunday". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  12. ↑ {{cite news| title=TCG Announces Third Round of Rising Leaders of Color |url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2018/06/11/tcg-announces-third-round-of-rising-leaders-of-color/ |accessdate=23 September 2018|newspaper=[[American Theatre] |date=11 June 2018}}

See also

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