The Unveiling on Monday, Aug. 3, Coincides with Missouri’s Primary Election on Aug. 4
During this summer of uncertainty and unrest, three St. Louis-area artists are collaborating on a street art mural to highlight the power of a single collective action: voting.
Artists Pacia Anderson, Brock Seals, and Jerry Stewart have been commissioned by the nonprofit Beyond Housing to create a mural at the 24:1 Cinema in Pagedale. The artists span three generations and bring three different perspectives, all rooted in the same foundation of creating a just and equitable world for everyone.
In their proposal for the artwork Vote = Voice, these talented professional artists highlighted their desire to use their skills and creativity to “amplify marginalized voices, affirm messages of resiliency and change, represent free creative expression, and bring light and color to the world.”
Their individual backgrounds include art-based youth development and education, culturally relevant commissioned work, inter-artist and organizational collaborations, direct social justice actions, and more. They work across a variety of mediums, on projects of all sizes and scales.
For the Vote = Voice project, they plan to complete their work in one night—Sunday, Aug. 2—and unveil the mural on Monday, Aug. 3, at 9AM. The timing is not coincidental: Missouri’s primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 4. The ballot includes important measures such as Amendment 2, which proposed to expand Medicaid in the state, as well as party primaries for offices including U.S. Representative, Missouri Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, and St. Louis County Executive.
The project demonstrates Beyond Housing’s commitment to elevating the voices of residents in the communities it serves in North St. Louis County. “We asked the artists to develop a design that depicts democracy, equity, and hope—and we’re so impressed with their plan for the mural,” said Reyna Spencer, the Director of Government and Community Relations. “Not only will it add an extra push for getting out and voting in the upcoming primary election, it will be a permanent reminder for other elections too, on Nov. 3 and beyond.”
Members of the 24:1 Community are invited to attend the unveiling ceremony on the Belrue Avenue side of the 24:1 Cinema and to share photographs of themselves at the mural, using the hashtag #VoteEqualsVoice.
The project includes the brightly lettered words “Vote = Voice” and a ballot box with the topics the artists feel matter most at this time, such as Medicaid expansion, the Census, and the democratic process.“The artists’ energy just radiates from this project,” said Chris Krehmeyer, CEO and President of Beyond Housing. “This mural is an exciting and beautiful way to rally voters around the Aug. 4 election and its direct impacts for our residents here in the 24:1 Community.”
More details will be available on the 24:1 Community Facebook page and our241.com.
About the Artists
Jerry Stewart is a practicing visual artist and art instructor in St. Louis who works across mediums to bring powerful, vibrant scenes and cityscapes to life through paintings and murals.
Brock Seals is an artist and musician in St. Louis whose work can be seen in varied places across the community, from exhibitions to street murals to custom shoes on the feet of athletes and singers.
Pacia Elaine Anderson uses written, spoken, and visual art as well as teaching to move her audiences toward contemplation and to affirm the connectedness of and divinity in us all.
