St. Louis ArtWorks offers design for success
Apprentices learn business through art projects
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| Shawn Clubb photo/ Tashe Stefacek cuts the edge of a plastic bag, which she is fashioning into a shirt sleeve. She is working on a project to make fashion items out of plastic bags. |
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Right now, both of them are concentrating on art.
They are among area youths participating this summer in St. Louis ArtWorks, which provides work experience and arts education to teens in the area.While art is a big part of the program, few of the apprentices plan to eventually have a job in the art field, said Priscilla Block, executive director of St. Louis ArtWorks. Maybe 20 percent will seek work in those fields.“The rest enjoy making art and really need a job. They need the income,” Block said. “We have a vision of teaching the business of art.”
Stefacek, 16, of the Tower Grove South neighborhood, attends Rosati-Kain High School and enjoys photography, cinematography and painting. While she said she might choose graphic design or science for a career, she thinks she will be able to apply what she learns at ArtWorks to either.
There are four ArtWorks groups working on projects this summer at the Commerce Bank Science and Education Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 4651 Shaw Blvd. The group in which Stefacek is participating is working on textiles. They are working to turn plastic shopping bags into garments.
The group already has taken field trips to the Saint Louis Art Museum, the EarthWays Center and a landfill.
“We’re just trying to prove to people you can use plastic bags to produce items that don’t look like trash,” Stefacek said.
Lopez, 15, also of Tower Grove South, attends Bishop DuBourg High School. He is in a group that is designing a mural for the Missouri Foundation for Health, which has its offices at 1000 St. Louis Union Station.
His group met with the client to discuss what it wanted.
“It’s fun and I get to learn stuff,” Lopez said. “I expected it to be more like work, not this much fun.”
Martilla Davis, 16, of Gravois Park, attends Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School. She is in a group that is working on a sculpture to go outside the Cherokee Recreation Center at 3200 S. Jefferson Ave.
Davis plans to use art in her career. She’s thinking about designing tennis shoes.
“I can get paid to do something I love, so why not do it,” she said.
Block said a lot of what ArtWorks is teaching through art can be translated to the business world. This includes teaching apprentices how to introduce themselves and how to think of innovative ideas. She used the example of creating art with recycled materials.
“Entrepreneurs that are making a pretty penny are doing it using recycled materials. It’s a better, cheaper way of doing things,’ Block said. “If kids can learn to do that in an environment created through art, that can be translated into any other business skill.”
Stefacek said she is glad she got the opportunity to participate in ArtWorks.
“I’m not expected to be the most amazing artist,” she said. “This just gives you this opportunity to experience it.”
