Our Mission

CommUNITY Arts STL a 510(c)3 nonprofit organization that mobilizes the local arts community and their resources to aid

Saint Louis's anti-violence efforts

from tradegy to unity

On February 6, 2017 a local dancer, Rain Stippec, and a local fighter were ambushed by two gunmen in Soulard, Saint Louis.  Rain took eight bullets in the back and in just in the first week following the shooting, Rain underwent seven surgeries, most lasting upwards to 5 hours at a time.

In response to this tragedy, Rain's closest artistic friends decided to create a concert to help offset the climbing medical costs.  The concert to grew, to their surprise, to a two-weekend festival in Grand Center featuring

local arts and community organizations

Due to the overwhelming response of the arts community  the team of artists dared to continue using the arts to aid Saint Louis.

Listen

Listen to founder, Paige Walden-Johnson's personal storytelling session with Campfire at Home Podcast on how CommUNITY Arts came to be

More media

Follow our timeline of media from the beginning to our present

Our Team

Paige

Walden-Johnson

Saint Louis, MO

Founder

Executive Director

I am always looking for partnerships and collaborations, feel free to contact me to connect.

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Email:

communityartsstl@gmail.com

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Phone:

(513) 482-0931

With a BFA in Modern Dance and a minor in Psychology from Webster University, Paige believes in the power of the arts as a communicator, educator and healer.  She has performed with Collective Motion and Karlovsky and Company Dance as a company member, and in collaborative freelance work.  Her choreography has been featured by Ashleyliane Dance Company, St. Lou Fringe Festival, and Leverage Dance Theater, as well as a dance-for-film, To Cause a Dream, presented in Editions Futura gallery in Paris.

After experiencing the violence public health crisis second-hand, Paige decided to refocus her artistic career for the community. While working with the Violence Prevention Commission, local hospitals, law enforcement, and community agencies, Paige to shows Saint Louis how impactful an artist can be.

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In addition to her work with CommUNITY Arts, Paige is currently a dance educator and Director of CS Academy at Central Studio, a company dancer with Collective Motion Dance Company, and teaches virtual dance classes with Pianos for People.

Board of Directors

Emily Herman

Co-secretary

Emerson

Volunteer Team

Interested in joining our team? connect with us on Slack