In the summer of 2020, boarded-up businesses were a familiar sight amid unrest surrounding calls for social justice. Jayvn Solomon and Tyson Baker saw the opportunity to support St. Louis Black artists by paying them to create art against the backdrop of these boarded-up windows. PaintedBlack STL was created to showcase and support Black artists through the pandemic and beyond.

The idea gathered momentum quickly, raising $15,000 in just a matter of weeks to pay for the supplies and to compensate artists. With so much interest from the community, Solomon and Baker needed support and a third partner, Charlie Tatum, joined the team. Since then, the excitement for the collective has not slowed down – partnerships and opportunities to support Black artists continued throughout 2020.

Most notably, PaintedBlack STL collaborated on two public experiences in 2020 with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, an Arts and Education Council operating grant recipient. Like many other arts organizations, the Festival’s plans for large gatherings and performances were put on pause. Instead, they shifted to experiences that people could enjoy in safe, social-distanced environments.

Experiences like “A Late Summer Night’s Stroll”, which offered a walking experience in Forest Park in August and September of 2020, loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The stroll combined music, dance and visual art offering a new way of experiencing both the story and the park. Fourteen Black artists from the St. Louis area were selected by PaintedBlack STL to create a series of arches along the trail through Forest Park. Each of the 12-foot-tall arches depicted the artists’ interpretation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

Their collaboration continued in December 2020 with “A Walking Xmas Carol,” an outdoor, self-guided immersive walking experience of Charles Dickens’ classic tale “A Christmas Carol” in the Central West End. Elaborate window displays were created by 16 PaintedBlack STL artists along with music from the “Q Brothers Christmas Carol,” a witty, hip-hop update of the holiday favorite.

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s Producing Artistic Director Tom Ridgely shared his perspective on their collaboration, “PaintedBlack STL is the most important new arts group in the region. A dazzling collective of visionaries showing us not just who we are, but who we ought to be.” He went on to say, “I can’t wait to see what they do next. It’s bound to blow us all away.”

In 2021, among other projects, PaintedBlack STL collaborated with Kranzberg Arts Foundation (KAF) when Sophie’s Artist Lounge re-opened at 3333 Washington. The inaugural exhibit in Sophie’s Gallery, FLY O’ER amplifies regional St. Louis artists (including PaintedBlack STL artists) who continue to lift and redefine visual art in expansive ways. The exhibit shifts and challenges the thought that St. Louis is just another “fly over'' city. PaintedBlack STL also created some of the tables in the new space.

Gina Grafos, Director of Visual Infrastructure at KAF shared her perspective on the artistic tables, "They have become instrumental in just the energy and vibe of Sophie's as a place for artists. It's been really phenomenal seeing how patrons are reacting to the pieces and also thinking about how [the tables] are works of art themselves." She added, "And it's just incredible to reimagine what's possible within what a painting can be and where a painting can land and where a painting can live."

The FLY O’ER exhibit is on view through February 28, with a closing reception happening Saturday, February 12 starting at 5 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. More details are available at kranzbergartsfoundation.org/sophies-artist-lounge.

Since 2020, PaintedBlack STL has been focused on working with primarily local Black artists and businesses to create paid, public facing creative opportunities, and on Monday, May 23, 2022, PaintedBlack STL will be honored as this year’s Arts Innovator for their inspired and innovative approach to the business of the arts and community engagement through the arts.

Did you know you can celebrate PaintedBlack STL with a St. Louis Arts Awards Tribute Gift? A tribute gift is a great way to honor and celebrate honorees. When a tribute gift is received, we will send an acknowledgment to the honoree indicated, notifying them of your thoughtful donation, but will not reveal the amount of the donation. Every gift is tax-deductible, and you will receive an acknowledgment of your donation. Make a gift here.