Missouri Arts Council

09/30/2026

Judith I. Scott of Lee’s Summit has been making art for over six decades – experimenting from the start with mixed media and innovative techniques. She formed her 1970s life-size self-portrait from heavy-weight paper and India ink “BUT very strange drawing materials!” she told us. “Ink-soaked rags, pieces of meat, whatever was around that tickled my fancy at the moment!” You can enjoy the full range of her creativity at www.athingofbeauty.info. | missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists

09/29/2026

A free virtual workshop at 11 AM this Thursday from Mid-America Arts Alliance will tackle how artists can contribute to the issues and communities they care about without feeling futile and burning out. “How You Show Up: Choice & Care in Creative Action” will explore practical, sustainable ways to participate in meaningful change. It’s the first of M-AAA's 2026-27 series of three Future Pathways online workshops. These tend to fill up quickly; registration is open for the next two as well.

Led by Eepi Chaad, this free virtual workshop invites artists and creatives to explore practical, sustainable ways to turn their voice, skills, and values into public impact, without burning out.

09/28/2026

“I’m drawn to things that feel a little off: an unexpected color, an awkward shape, something beautiful that probably shouldn’t work but does,” says Ellie Kort: missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists This group of her own artwork is from the multi-artist exhibition in which she shared last fall at the Epsten Gallery in Overland Park, Kansas. On left is “Chaos,” one yard square. On right, top to bottom, are “Whey They Zig, You Zag,” “YOU,” and “Punkt,” each 8” x 8”. They’re all multimedia. elliekort.com instagram.com/ellie_kort

09/27/2026

“Know a Missouri town with a story worth telling?” asks Missouri Humanities . Then be sure to nominate them for the 2027 Small Town Showcase by this Thursday, October 1 at 5 PM! Every year, Missouri Humanities highlights the heritage and culture of five communities of 10,000 people or fewer with a film and podcast. So far, 25 towns have been featured, including two of our Missouri Arts Awards Creative Communities, Perryville in our 2024 awards, Chillicothe in 2016. Get the full info and nominations form at mohumanities.org/small-town-showcase.

09/26/2026

Brian Noel rings all sorts of variations on spindle-backed Windsor chairs, from classic to contemporary, but one thing is constant: he paints them. “Windsor chairs are traditionally painted as they are made up multiple types of wood,” he told us, “because of the attributes of the wood and the part it is used for. Like strong maple for legs, white or red oak for the headrest and arms because it bends well, eastern yellow pine for the seat because it is light but strong and carves well.” He coats the woods with milk paint – a mix including milk protein that’s been used not only since Colonial times for American furniture but all the way back to cave paintings! He gives many of his chairs a base coat “then a top coat that gets distressed back a little to reveal the layer underneath, giving the chair a depth in its look.” bearkatwood.com instagram.com/bearkatwood | missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists

09/25/2026

Our executive director Michael Donovan has been on the road yesterday to Kansas City, Chillicothe, and Mexico for visits with Missouri Humanities and several of our grantees. Here he is at KC MeltingPot Theatre with general manager Linda Williams on the set of “Jitney” by August Wilson. The play opened KCMPT's season on September 17 and runs through tomorrow. KCMPT’s mission is “to explore theatrical works, old and new, that feature complex stories of African American life as a lens through which we realize our shared humanity.”

09/25/2026

🚗 Arts events all over Missouri: This evening through Sunday in Kansas City is the landmark Plaza Art Fair. The event is almost as old as its location! The extravagant 14-block Country Club Plaza shopping district opened in 1923, and the art fair began in 1932 – the B&W photo is that very first fair! (Link in our first comment)

09/24/2026

“Nineveh is devastated. Who will bemoan her?” asked the Hebrew prophet Nahum 26 centuries ago when Nineveh, the lavish capital of the Assyrian Empire, was obliterated by war. That Biblical verse – and current events – inspired Judith I. Scott for her largescale multimedia “Nahum” in her “12 Minor Prophets” series. “I’d seen a newscast in 2017 about the Battle of Mosul during the War in Iraq,” she remembers. The city was left in ruins. Mosul is on the site of Nineveh. So Ms. Scott took the line from the Book of Nahum for her art. “While the source of my art is religious, its purpose is not indoctrination,” she says, “but to bridge the gap between humankind’s current condition and our search for meaning and purpose in a world characterized by abundance and lack.” www.athingofbeauty.info | missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists

09/22/2026

If you’re around St. Louis tomorrow (9/23), you can enjoy Malena Smith performing at 6:30 PM on the patio of the Olive + Oak/Perennial restaurants in historic Webster Groves (the Creative Community of our 2013 Missouri Arts Awards). And at any time, you’ll find no fewer than 25 live performances ❤️ by this singer/songwriter captured on video at her YouTube channel. They range from soul classics like Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” to “America the Beautiful” with members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. More links in our first comment 😊 Malena Smith Music

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