The mission of Arts & Faith St. Louis is to build a harmonious St. Louis by establishing an ongoing, intentional relationship between the arts and the faith communities.
The arts have a unique power to inspire thoughtful discussion among diverse audiences, to bring people together, and to bridge divides through shared experiences. Read more...
Grand Center Arts Academy Peace Project
Arts & Faith St. Louis collaborated with teachers, faculty and students in a juried art competition on the theme of Peace. Eleven talented student artists were presented with the Peace provocation and created visual art expressing the theme.
The school's Spring Exhibition begins on May 10, 2024 with an artists' reception from 3:30-6:00 pm at the Grand Center Arts Academy, 711 North Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63103.
Arts & Faith St. Louis thanks Head of School Dr. Shane Hopper, Visual Art Department Chair Katherine Valleroy, and teacher Justin Lehman for making possible the Peace project.
Grand Center Arts Academy students with Head of School Dr. Shane Hopper, Visual Art teachers Kate Valleroy and Justin Lehman, and David Brinker and Paul Reuter of Arts & Faith St. Louis.
KYLA PATRICK
“FLOWING WITH THE LILIES”
Digital Art
MAGDALENA PANIAN
12th Grade
"THE PERFECT FREQUENCY”
Mixed Media
Listening to music is something that brings me a great deal of peace. When my mind is too chaotic, I can put in earbuds and give it something to focus on through a song. A sensation of calm radiates outwards from the origin of the sound waves as my brain follows the imagery accompanying a particular piece of music. In this context, I think of my mind as a pool of turbulent water, unruly until the “perfect frequency” comes along and soothes it into organized ripples.
MALYZJA GREEN
10th Grade
“ WHERE BLOSSOM AND INNER PEACE IS HELD”
Photograph
Plants to me are a sign of peace. It’s connected to Mother Nature which is around all of us. Flowers are one of my favorite things to photograph because every plant or item can tell its own story in its own way. So I took a picture of these flowers in this vase, and this particular flower caught my eye because it was different. So I took many different pictures of the flower and picked this angle to get a close up on the flower and as well see the details on it.
MALYZJA GREEN
10th Grade
“WHERE BLOSSOM AND INNER PEACE IS HELD”
Photograph
Plants to me are a sign of peace. It’s connected to Mother Nature which is around all of us. Flowers are one of my favorite things to photograph because every plant or item can tell its own story in its own way. So I took a picture of these flowers in this vase, and this particular flower caught my eye because it was different. So I took many different pictures of the flower and picked this angle to get a close up on the flower and as well see the details on it.
EMMA DEATON
12th Grade
“CALM WATERS ”
Digital Art
I find the ocean to be a peaceful place, and watching waves flow or ocean creatures swimming puts my mind at ease. I wanted to portray the soft shapes of jellyfish and the cool blues of dark water to share the same calm I feel from following these endless curving lines.
KIRSTYN TOBLER
10th Grade
“A WORLD OF FLORALS”
Clay and Watercolor
This piece was inspired by nature and the wonders that comes with it. Seeing nature, growing flowers, and partaking in the amazing world outdoors are just some things that bring me peace and I decided to take that love and pour it into this work. The colors and flowers represent the ones found in my personal Garden, which really makes this piece special.
LUCILLE COREY
11th Grade
“SERENE SOLITUDE”
Photograph
My piece is inspired by the freedom that I see in birds and the pleasure that must come with that freedom. I admire their ability to go anywhere, and the tranquility they must feel being able to fly with no one around and nothing to trouble them. I especially love how this particular cardinal looks so content and at peace with being alone.
JADA MABRY
11th Grade
“MUSICAL DREAMS”
Photograph Canon EOS R50
The inspiration for peace was an old picture I drew. It was a concept for another person's assignment back in 8th grade and I wanted to help, but they never used it so I did it myself to prove how awesome it would be. I used LED lights and a backdrop with my Canon EOS R50. Musical Dreams. This photo was influenced by how music can take you into a different world.
ANDREW C.
11th Grade
“PEACE”
Ceramic Clay, Watercolor, Paint Marker
I deeply enjoy letter and font art and making the ceramic three-dimensional word was a fun challenge to express PEACE. I wanted to add connections and bar structure and make it interesting to look at instead of just a plain font style. Graffiti art makes me feel free to express myself and is my favorite kind of self-expression.
MIKAYLA JORDAN
11th Grade
“INTROSPECT”
Photograph, Canon EOS R50
My main inspiration behind the photo was journaling and the concept of introspection. I use journaling as a way to express practically everything I think and or experience internally. Since there’s so much, I wanted to portray that by giving the illusion of a world comprised of all of my journaling entries, and or thoughts.
ASHLEY SANCHEZ MADRIGAL & CAMIL DOUTHIT
9th Grade
“PEACE BELLS”
Mixed Media, Clay, Watercolor
Our project was inspired by working together and working with clay. Clay is peaceful to work with. We liked working with the peaceful bells and watercolors. The bells make us feel peaceful. When we hear the bells the sound reminds us of music notes working together like people do.