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Courtesy of MK Stallings
UrbArts Opening
Billy Bill at UrbArts.
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Courtesy MK Stallings
UrbArts Opening
A group photo from VerbQuake, UrbArts youth poetry slam program
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Courtesy of MK Stallings
UrbArts Opening
UrbSLAM champion Chris Ware at Legacy Books and Café
The revolution has hit St. Louis.
It’s in the gut-wrenching words of a teenager who is rhythmically declaring the sociological issues that are disquieting him.
It’s in the painting crafted by an ambitious young woman who is expressing her deepest hopes for the future of her generation through her brush.
It’s in the UrbArts organization, and what founder MK Stallings calls the artistic revolution, which finally has a brick-and-mortar home in North St. Louis.
This Friday, June 21, UrbArts opens its 2,300-square foot storefront in the Crown Square development in Old North St. Louis. The venue will host poetry readings, poetry slams, workshops and gallery showcases, and further UrbArt's mission to create a vibrant artistic platform for the youth and artists of St. Louis.
Since 2001, UrbArts has provided the city’s kids and teenagers with an avenue to express their identity and artistic mentors for them to model their careers after.
Stallings says most of the art and written works center on articulating the societal concerns that the artists perceive in their communities.
“We want to create a space where artists can give voice to the issues that trouble them and oppress them,” he says.
Drawing inspiration from the Black Artists Group, the grassroots nonprofit hosts programs for the poetry, creative writing, visual arts and music mediums.
With funding from a grant from the VerbQuake foundation and community support, UrbArts now has a literal space for its efforts.
More than the typical showcase of talent, Stallings hopes this venue will teach artists ways to commercialize their work.
“By creating a gallery space for community artists, we essentially are creating an opportunity for them to experiment with their craft as well as giving them the knowledge about how to monetize their art,” Stallings says.
But a nonprofit arts venue helps more than just those with artistic ability in the community.
“We provide St. Louisians with beauty,” he says. “We all want to be affirmed, to be heard, to be understood, even if it is someone else who is giving voice to our experience in a meaningful way.”
UrbArts is welcoming people of all ages and artistry levels to be part of its new venture.
“There are so many people who are artists who are closeted by professional conversation,” Stallings says. “But so many people have interest in the arts and just never had a platform or the privilege to be able to explore that part of themselves. We hope those people will find the space they need in our new venue.”
UrbArts is located at 2600 North 14th Street. The space opens Friday, June 20, with an evening reception, with events scheduled throughout the day on Saturday, June 21, including an 8 p.m. ticketed event featuring VerbQuake Youth Poetry Slam champion teams: Gateway STEM and K-Word of Kirkwood High School. UrbArt’s Summer hours (through October 4) are Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, go to urbarts.org.
