Pages Turning: The Art of St. Louis’s Streets
To the untrained eye, St. Louis may seem like a relatively bland city bogged down by memories of past greatness and a troubled social climate in the present. Upon closer inspection, however, one can see that St. Louis is bursting with communal pride on every street corner, parking lot and spare brick wall. The city is full of beautiful art and graffiti from Cherokee to Page to the riverfront. Some pieces were commissioned by nonprofits, while others grew naturally out of the hearts of citizens. Below you will find but a handful of these art exhibits. Explore them to your heart’s content on the page, and consider paying them a visit when you return.
Commissioned in 2011 by Better Family Life in St. Louis, these portraits by artist Chris Green adorn several abandoned homes along Page Blvd. in north St. Louis. The boards portray famous black activists, athletes and artists, many of whom hail from St. Louis.
This mural of the King of Rock and Roll, Chuck Berry, was actually commissioned by Vintage Vinyl before Berry died on March 18, 2017. When news of his death hit the Loop, the celebratory mural by Topcoat Sign Co. turned into a memorial.
St. Louis is home to many great black artists and athletes, with many of them finding their names on the Wall of Fame in Manchester. This mural fits right at home in The Grove, which features more commissioned street art than almost any other neighborhood in the city.
A budding St. Louis street art icon, “Merferd” is a half-tree, half-human being who occupies blighted street corners and unmarked billboards throughout the city. Merferd’s creator, Phillip Berwick, uses his cardboard cutouts and graffiti art to cover up street art that he deems unfit for viewing. His art often adorns abandoned buildings like this one on the corner of Gravois and Grand.
This mural of a gigantic monarch butterfly is dedicated to the city of Carondelet from the First Convent Sisters of St. Joseph.
In Forest Park, a black and white art wall was painted in order to capture the jazz era of St. Louis.
Throughout the Delmar Loop are multiple pieces of artwork that showcase people’s creativity. This wall in the Loop demonstrates the beauty of the riverfront.
Near Tower Grove Park, this mural depicting a stamp shows all the famous features that the city of St. Louis has to offer.
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About the Contributors
Lourdes Hindi, Contributor
Lourdes Hindi (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at SLU studying Health Sciences with a Biology minor and currently serving as a staff member for the Photo section of UNews. In her free time, Lourdes loves to play soccer and take pictures of the world around her.