St. Louis residents are enjoying some bold new public art in their neighborhoods,
thanks in part to three artists with ties to St. Louis Community College (STLCC).
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
