STLCC Artists Help Paint the Town

March 27, 2025

Posted by School of Communication, Design and Creative Arts in Programs and Pathways

More than 100 artists submitted proposals last March for the St. Louis Mural Project (STLMP), a joint initiative of the City of St. Louis and the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RACSTL) utilizing $1.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Thirty artists and collaborative teams were selected to paint 28 murals, two in each of the city’s 14 wards, and by July the works were complete. Among the chosen muralists were Brian Lathan, adjunct professor of printmaking at Forest Park, Meramec student Brock Seals and Jason Spencer, a graduate of Florissant Valley’s fine arts program.

Professor gains mural experience alongside students.

Entitled “I Said to Myself, Let Them Eat Cake,” Lathan’s mural animates the brick face of a building beside an open, grassy lot at the intersection of Texas and Cherokee streets in Ward 7. Surreal, whimsical, and shot through with bold blue, orange, and pink, the dreamscape depicts a boy drinking through a straw and a girl balancing a bite of frosted layer cake on a fork while a massive ocean swell rises behind them. What’s on the subjects’ minds—that is, dramatically popping out the top of their heads—are illustrations of St. Louis vernacular row houses in a style that nods to Dr. Seuss.

Lathan said the project gave him his first opportunity to express his printmaking sensibilities on a comparatively epic scale. “One of the main obstacles you run into as a beginning muralist is that many people who have walls to be painted are hesitant to give you the opportunity if you don’t have the specific experience,” he explained, referring to how the STLMP removed such barriers by working directly with aldermen and business owners.

“So, when this [STLMP] opportunity came along, there was no doubt that I was going to apply,” Lathan said. Upon learning he was selected for the project, he immediately shared the news with his Forest Park students. “They oftentimes would see me working on the sketch and mocks during open lab hours—they saw me plan and separate colors,” he said. “Eventually, I offered them the chance to work on the mural with me.”

When the time arrived to put brush to brick, Lathan said, “I essentially worked my image a little like a paint-by-numbers or a coloring book. This allowed [the students] to paint in large shapes of color without fear of messing up.”

Student’s artwork reaches new heights to inspire youth.

Meramec student Seals’ mural “Little Palette, Big Dreams,” at 410 N. Tucker Blvd. in Ward 14 downtown, portrays a smiling kid in jeans and a white t-shirt. The boy wears a Cardinals’ ballcap but holds a brush and painter’s palette in his hands rather than a baseball mitt and bat.

Seals said he wanted the mural to speak directly to youth like his nephew, who posed for the piece, encouraging them to pursue creativity. “When I was young, doing art was always kind of a hobby or just scribbling. I didn’t know it was something you could actually do professionally.”

Seals, who started rapping at age 9 and ran a successful t-shirt company with a friend in high school, won a scholarship to study fashion at Columbia College Chicago but returned home after a year. He learned to paint at STLCC-Florissant Valley, where he earned an associate degree [RW1] in studio arts before transferring and graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ department of art and design. Although flourishing with his music, paintings and custom sneaker business, Seals recently returned to STLCC-Meramec to study graphic design.

Seals said a happy childhood memory of regularly passing by a mural in his neighborhood has stuck with him. “I didn’t understand it at the time, but I was inspired by public art,” he said. “Now that I’m at the point where I understand what it can do, I want to create those moments for more young kids. I want to inspire them.”

As for his own motivation, Seals said mural work spurs him to continue growing as an artist. “It’s definitely propelling me forward because I’m seeing the new heights, new opportunities that never existed.”

Living, breathing art for a growing neighborhood.

In a RACSTL-produced video, Spencer, who goes by the artist name Killer Napkins, said 1970s French sci-fi illustration inspired the style of his mural, “Atomic Flower of Light,” at 4140 Manchester Ave. in Ward 9’s Grove neighborhood. The artwork is trippy, kinetic, and saturated with color, an alien landscape with giant red-capped mushrooms and mutant plants springing up from the mossy ground, all lit by bolts of neon pink, blue, and yellow emanating from the sun—or rather, the atomic flower. “What I pictured here was a new living, breathing life planet,” he said, “and I kind of thought of it as analogy for the community of The Grove planting their seeds, growing, spreading.”

Project celebrates artists, St. Louis’ neighborhoods

“The STLMP is shining a spotlight on artists, identifying them as muralists and inspiring them to create even more artwork for our residents to enjoy,” said Tracey Morgan, ARPA for the Arts lead at RACSTL, who managed the project.

“The program highlights the unique character of neighborhoods where the murals reside,” Morgan said. “They don’t just beautify the city—they also celebrate and elevate the cultural identity that makes St. Louis special.”

STLMP’s lasting impact

Although STLMP’s 28 works were all complete by last July, Morgan said the project will have lasting impact. “The murals are a gift that keeps on giving,” said Morgan. “This initiative has fostered connections among residents, artists and business owners, sparking plans to engage with the murals in various ways such as neighborhood block parties or shared selfies in front of the art.”

Lathan, who lives and has his studio nearby his mural, said he’s been gratified to observe how it has become both an attraction for visitors and a part of daily life in the Cherokee neighborhood. “No matter the circumstance, every time I see it, I am still filled with hope and joy and excitement for the mural and for future mural opportunities,” Lathan said.

Visit the St. Louis Mural Project for the complete list of artists and a map for locating all 28 murals in the city’s 14 wards.