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ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
We cultivate community at the intersection of public health and art to inspire intentional and creative living.
OUR VISION
A healthy Saint Louis community by supporting creative experiences with:
Positive social activities
for a healthy community
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Creative and mindful actions
for a healthy mind
Life long physical practice
for a healthy body
WHAT WE DO
Our programs for the Saint Louis CommUNITY
Our Team
JOIN OUR TEAM
Interested in joining our team to help our mission for arts access for all?
Board of Directors
Mary Ellen Bryan | President
Central Studio
Tambra Galarnyk
Central Studio
Emily Hermann | Treasurer
Waste Management
Abbie Hinrichs | Secretary
Ballet 314
Nichole Hunter
Central Studio
Paula Kelso | Vice President
Lewis and Clark Community College
Anne E. Lageson
Paule Camazine Blumenthal PC
Lisa LeMasters
Architect
Eliot Markman
Dentons US LLP
Shanton Russell
United States Air Force
Monica Sauer
EdTech
Megan Lee Slocum
Tech Soup
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Katie Stone
TierPoint
Our Impact
arts access for a creative Saint Louis
Measuring and evaluating the social impact of CommUNITY Arts STL is at the heart of how we grow and serve. We work intentionally to gather data that reflects the real changes our programs create—informing our approach, guiding the best outcomes for our families, and ensuring we stay true to our mission. Through both qualitative stories and quantitative data, we track who we reach, the programs they engage with, and the creative milestones they achieve.
Every data point, every story, and every smile helps us understand—and expand—the ripple effect of creativity in our community.
driving change in the Saint Louis community by:
facilitate and sponsor art education experiences for underserved communities
build strategic partnerships with key local organizations to increase impact
Produce annual arts experiences to catalyze a ripple effect community awareness and action
provide performances opportunities fair wages to local artists
Vet and train community members to recognize and provide resources to those who need it the most
commissions artistic collaborations with local arts companies
"100% reported of CAB kids increased confidence in sharing ideas while in the program"
- Community Arts Bus data, 2024-25
Inspiration:
CommUNITY Arts Festival (CAF) was created in reaction the ongoing epidemic of violence plaguing Saint Louis. After the shooting of Rain Stippec n 2027, CAF aimed to harness the power of the arts community to heal, educate, and empower those affected by community violence.
OUR STORY
A TALE OF TWO NON PROFITS
Our organization is an amalgamation of two local non profits join together to activate the arts community to build a more intentional and empathetic Saint Louis. Through performances, in-school and after school arts education we bring social- emotional concepts to our community to cause a ripple affect of kindness to all in Saint Louis.
Inspiration:
10 local professional dancers looking for a creative outlet joined together to build choreographic works that inspire human connection and intentional living.
10 local professional dancers looking for a creative outlet joined together to build choreographic works that inspired others under the name Collective Motion
JANUARY 2006
Collective Motion
Collective Motion evolved to include Social-Emotional Learning arts curriculum for local schools that brought stories to life through Pages to Pirouettes.
MARCH 2009
Collective Motion
February 6, 2017 a local dancer, Rain Stippec was ambushed by two gunman, shooting her 8 times in the back. Sparking the gathering of local artists support her recovery
FEBRUARY 2017
CommUNITY Arts Festival
Collective Motion expanded Pages to Pirouettes and established Literacy & Arts programming in the bi-state area
JUNE 2017
Collective Motion
To help raise money to offset Rain Stippec's medical costs, the first annual CommUNITY Arts Festival hosted two weekends of performances, arts workshops, and violence prevention education in Grand Center. Performances featured Saint Louis Dance Theater (formerly The Big Muddy Dance Company), Ashleyliane Dance Company, St. Louis Symphony players, Lindenwood University, SIUE, and many more.
September 2017
CommUNITY Arts Festival
February 2018
CommUNITY Arts Festival
CommUNITY Arts Festival officially becomes a 501(c) 3 organization.
August 2018
CommUNITY Arts Festival
Launched pilot program serving first responders, law enforcement, and hospital professionals who work with our affects of community violence through Arts Anonymous.
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September 2019
CommUNITY Arts Festival
Launched the CommUNITY Arts Bus Program (CAB) connecting youth impacted by violence to existing local arts programs and with safe reliable transportation.
Pages to Pirouettes become DanceArts incorporating interactive Theater, dance, and visual arts with storytelling that provide personal tools for positive decision making throughout life.
July 2020
Collective Motion
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April 2021
Amidst the pandemic, CommUNITY Arts Festival and Collective Motion merged to consolidate resources and increase our the impact of the arts for the St. Louis region under the name CommUNITY Arts STL.
October 2020
CommUNTY Arts Festival
CommUNITY Arts adopted the stumpery garden at the Vandeventer Meditation and Healing Garden Park
CommUNITY Arts STL
in the news
Daily Inspiration: Meet Paige Walden
Voyage STL | January 7, 2026
My biggest constant in life has always been dance. Since I was five years old, movement has been my language — the way I’ve made sense of the world.
Meet Paige Walden and Mary Ellen Bryan
Bold Journey | August 6, 2024
We recently connected with Paige Walden and Mary Ellen Bryan and have shared our conversation below. Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do? Learn More
St. Louis-area arts volunteers provide transportation...
St. Louis Public Radio | January 8, 2024
St. Louis-area volunteers are working to heal the community from violence through free visual and performing arts classes. CommUNITY Arts Bus provides tuition and transportation scholarships to kids in the St. Louis area from low-income families — some as young as 3 who are immediately impacted by violence. Learn More
CommUNITY Arts Bus (CAB) Offers Free Transportation, Tuition for St. Louis Youth
HEC-TV | September 5, 2019
CommUNITY Arts STL is a nonprofit that connects kids from Washington University's Life Outside of Violence (LOV) initiative to arts programs across St. Louis. By covering tuition costs and providing free transportation (via CAB, the CommUNITY Arts Bus), CommUNITY Arts STL breaks down barriers and provides an opportunity to take classes in dance Learn More
Healing Through Art
STLMADE | April 2019
In a large multi-purpose room at the back of the Thomas Dunn Learning Center, Paige Walden-Johnson helps Erin McGrath Rieke lay long sheets of white paper across a table and atop the floor. A career dancer, Walden-Johnson seems to glide effortlessly as she gathers paper plates for Rieke Learn More