Quinton Ward, an Arts and Education Council Katherine Dunham Fellow, has been named the Executive Director of the St. Louis Metro Market. The St. Louis Metro Market is a mobile, nonprofit farmer’s market that provides traditionally underserved communities access to fresh, affordable food. To keep prices low, St. Louis Metro Market partners with local growers and farmers committed to their mission and promoting healthy living across the bi-state community. Ward’s professional background is rooted in food access, community organizing, nonprofit development and the arts, experiences that he will put to good use as he leads St. Louis Metro Market.

During his time as a Katherine Dunham Fellow, Ward learned the basics of nonprofit arts management from fundraising to budgeting to marketing and grant facilitation. Since then his work has focused on social justice and community engagement—passions he explored during his time with the Saint Louis Zoo and the Creative Reaction Lab, an Arts and Education Council grantee and Centene Center for the Arts tenant. During his time with Creative Reaction Lab, he participated in the Community Design Apprentice Program, a project designed to help participants engage with issues of transportation and access in their communities.

A graduate of Webster University, Ward has been a team member at the Metro Market for the past three years, providing valuable insight into the program he now leads. 

“We always knew he was destined for a leadership role, said Arts and Education Council President and CEO Cynthia A. Prost. “Quinton’s passion for making our community better and the many accomplishments he has achieved makes him someone to watch. We can’t wait to see what he does next!”

The Katherine Dunham Fellowship is designed to provide African American undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to explore arts administration through mentorship and hands-on experience.

Applications for the 2021 Katherine Dunham Fellowship close Oct. 15.

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