Bloomberg Philanthropies

St. Louis art project on a historic black community a finalist for national arts funding

Lois Conley of St. Louis grew up in Mill Creek Valley, where everything was in walking distance, and neighbors kept a close eye on each others’ children.

“You felt safe; You felt protected. Everybody knew everybody,” Conley said.

But in the late 1950s, the area between Union Station and Saint Louis University was condemned in the name of urban renewal. Families moved away and lost touch.

Now St. Louis is a finalist in a national contest that would help fund a public art project documenting the destruction of Mill Creek.

The St. Louis project is among 14 finalists chosen by The Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, a program designed to foster creative partnerships and economic growth in cities around the country.

“Maybe we can use this as a lesson about how we might do things differently in the future,” Conley said.

Continue reading at: stlpublicradio.org

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