The Luminary in St. Louis is a leader in the field of socially engaged artistic practice. Located in a historic theater along the main thoroughfare of the economically and culturally diverse Cherokee Street neighborhood, the organization assists artists in undertaking meaningful and productive collaborations with the local community. The Luminary also sites ambitious new public works throughout St. Louis and produces a weekly arts publication. The Luminary is keenly attuned to the ambitions of artists and the needs of its local community. Its programs and publication provide space for global perspectives, shared methodologies, and critical reflection on socially engaged artistic practice. The Luminary nurtures collaborative exchange and provides opportunities for the creation of transformative new work.
The Luminary
Installation view, "Sarah Zapata: A Resilience of Things Not Seen," John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI, (March 1 - August 28, 2022). Courtesy of artist and John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Installation view, Black Quantum Futurism: Community Futures: Space-Time Liberation Lab (STL), The Luminary, St. Louis, MO (April 15 - July 15, 2023). Courtesy of The Luminary and Counterpublic.
Program view, Fair Housing Futures in STL workshop as a part of Black Quantum Futurism: Community Futures: Space-Time Liberation Lab (STL), The Luminary, St. Louis, MO (April 19, 2023). Courtesy of The Luminary and Counterpublic.
Curatorial Fellow Ciera McKissick, who will be curating the 2024 exhibit Considering St. Louis, an exhibition that confronts the region’s scarcity and highlights creative practice in the city. Image courtesy of zakkiyyah najeebah dumas oneal.
“The terrific range of project proposals we receive each year speaks to the mobile and porous disciplinary boundaries of contemporary art practice, and to the rich and inventive ways writers approach art today. They are alert to the urgent need to expand the conventions of art history and criticism with ideas from other discourses, such as black studies, transnational and diaspora studies, gender and women’s studies, and LGBT studies. The work of lesser known and overlooked artists and art communities continues to be mined, with writers articulating new ways to counter the striking imbalances of race, class and gender that continue to affect the arts and the culture industry.”