Garrett SixOne Jackson | Mural on 24-foot tanker
for the Blue Cat Lounge at Alhonna Resort, Lake Ozark, Missouri
Jenny Molberg | Refusal, collection of poetry
Michelle D. Harvey | Don’t Dress for Dinner scenic design,
Stage West Theatre, Fort Worth, Texas
Gonz Jove | Entrance to Namás Té restaurant and gardens,
La Paz, Bolivia, sculpture and paintings
Our new Missouri Featured Artists for this March—plus all the others we’ve featured
Each month we bring you a new group of four creative people from all around the state. Sample their works here! Find even more on their own websites—just follow the links that we’ve set on their artwork and profiles.
Plus, still highlighted and linked on this page you’ll find more than 100 other artists, everyone we’ve featured since we began this program in December 2020. From Joplin to Kirksville, Cape Girardeau to Kansas City—jazz to jewelry, sculpture to dance—enjoy the limitless imaginations of creative Missourians!
Gonz Jove | panel from Art and Empowerment mural at Better Family Life, Inc. community center, St. Louis
Art and Empowerment—the largest Black History mural in Missouri—depicts the rich heritage of Africa and the African Diaspora from its origins through modern African American culture and events.
This panel portrays the early and mid 20th century. From left to right: Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, the 1917 New York City march protesting the deaths in the East St. Louis Riots (bottom), a scene from a mural by Charles White (top), the Harlem Renaissance, the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, Josephine Baker, George Washington Carver, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, scenes The Great Migration, and Arturo Schomberg.
muralist/fine artist /sculptor | St. Louis
My intention with my art is to liberate our minds from the societal limitations that obstruct our ability to recognize the human experiences we share.
I’m a human artist, a Bolivian native who immigrated to the U.S. at age 11. I hold a Fine Art degree, focusing on sculpture, painting, drawings, and murals. I believe murals create visual dialogues on social and cultural issues, and I approach my work with extensive research and planning. My passion for storytelling is evident in all my murals, carefully crafted to tell meaningful stories. I’ve collaborated with institutions such as the Saint Louis Art Museum and Craft Alliance, and created murals for public and private spaces, including Washington University in St Louis and Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in Bolivia. Recently, I completed Art and Empowerment, a 95-foot mural showcasing African American history at the Better Family Life community center in St. Louis. My work is intentional and always reflects my dedication to telling important stories through art.
Michelle D. Harvey | Ella Enchanted scenic design, Dallas Children’s Theater, Dallas, Texas
scenic designer and visual storyteller | Springfield
Scenic designers are world builders. The goal is to allow the audience to feel immersed in the story and connected to the characters.
I am a freelance scenic and projection designer for theatrical events, an artist, and educator. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from The Ohio State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in scenic design from the University of Arizona. As an assistant professor with the Missouri State University Department of Theatre and Dance, I teach a variety of theatrical design, art, and technical classes. I am a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829, a union and professional association for designers, artists, and craftspeople in the entertainment and decorative arts industries. Recent design credits include the scenic and video design for Xanadu with Tent Theatre in Springfield, Missouri; The Happy Elf for the Dallas Children’s Theater; and Men on Boats with Missouri State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
painter/muralist | Osage Beach
I have always loved to work as large as possible. Really putting my body and energy into the pieces.
I have always had a passion to create. Even as a child, I remember always drawing and coloring to pass the time. I’ve always loved how free creating makes you feel. In that moment where you’re in the state of mind where creation flows freely…that is where I thrive. As my abilities progressed, my art evolved, and throughout the years I am grateful to be able to say that my passion didn’t fade despite a few “bumps in the road.” Now, as an established painter and artist, I am ready to make the strides towards expanding my legacy and artistic endeavors while looking forward to sharing that with my family. The one thing that sets the biggest smile on my face is being able to share this passion with my own children and family. They are the ones I do this for and are my biggest support and biggest fans!
Jenny Molberg | The Court of No Record, collection of poetry, at Johnson County Courthouse, Warrensburg, Missouri
poet, professor, editor | Kansas City
Poetry is a way of saying the unsayable. When I write a poem, I think of it as one small voice in centuries-old dialogues about justice, empowerment, and the endless possibilities of language.
From an early age, books altered me, defined me, allowed me to exist in worlds beyond myself. Influenced by the brilliant writing of Sylvia Plath, Muriel Rukeyser, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, and countless others, I now have the enormous privilege to live a life of teaching, writing, and editing poetry. I am the author of three poetry collections, Marvels of the Invisible, Refusal, and The Court of No Record, and the editor of the Unsung Masters book, Adelaide Crapsey: On the Life & Work of an American Master. I am currently associate professor of creative writing at the University of Central Missouri, where I edit Pleiades: Literature in Context. I live in Kansas City with my partner, filmmaker and photographer Jonny Ulasien, and our two dogs, Dolly Parton and Brad Renfro.
Nela Navarrine
visual artist and media mixer
Joplin
Angel Brame
ceramic artist
Joplin
William Fields
nature photographer, writer, teacher, philosopher
Hermann
Cesar Lopez
artist and arts organizer
Kansas City
Lynnette Horn
painter
Branson
Douglas Dale
sculptor and fiber artist
St. Louis
Lanjiabao Ge
pianist, pedagogue
Kirksville
Steve Paul
writer etc.
Kansas City
Eddie Moore
keyboardist/producer
Kansas City
Michael Munster
nature and wildlife photographer
Joplin
Christine Riutzel
painter, muralist, interior designer
Hollister
Elinor Harrison
dancer/movement scientist
St. Louis
Wanda Taylor
color pencil artist
Cameron
Michael McClure
painter
Willow Springs
Randy Bacon
portrait photographer
Springfield
Simiya Sudduth
visual artist and art educator
St. Louis
Gregory Stout
novelist/railroad historian
Cape Girardeau
Cristina Núñez
painter
Columbia
Molly Simms
(not your typical) singer/songwriter
St. Louis
Nick Gadbois
surrealist, cement artist, innovator, career starter for other artists
Kansas City
Joshua Newth
painter
Cape Girardeau
Teri Moore
artist who draws
Augusta/Washington
Clarissa Knighten
jewelry artist/sculptor
Kansas City
Daniel Biegelson
writer, teacher, transparent eyeball
Liberty
Laurel DeFreece
painter, collage artist, photographer, encaustic artist, papermaker, printmaker, designer
Plattsburg
Paige Alyssa
singer, songwriter, producer
St. Louis
butch Murphy
metal sculptor
Bellair & Kansas City
Steve Wiegenstein
author, speaker, teacher
Columbia
Alicia Farris
painter of life, workshop instructor
Springfield
Kirk Decker
photographer
Lawson
Kendall Hart
sculptor, illustrator
Farmington
Kim Bouldin-Jones
mixed media artist and photographer
St. Charles
JT Daniels
artist/muralist
Kansas City
Lisa Franko
print and collage artist
Columbia
Jodie Sutton
encaustic artist
Ozark
W. Mark Akin
classical guitarist
St. Louis
Benjamin Parks
artist, painter
Kansas City
Mick Byrd
original songwriter, musician
Vienna
Yolanda (YORO) Newson
jewelry designer, fashion artist, wardrobe stylist, set creator
St. Louis
Jo Stealey
fiber and mixed media artist
Columbia
BT in America
musician, instrumental solo guitarist, music arranger
Stockton Lake Area
Michael Bauermeister
sculptor
Augusta
Kelley Carman
painter
St. Louis & Paris
Sheri Purpose Hall
author, spoken word artist
Kansas City
Karen E. Griffin, Art by .E Lewis
textile and performing artist, educator, tour manager, storyteller, speaker, co-author, radio co-host
Kansas City
Kaitlyn McConnell
Ozarks story sharer
Springfield
Ken Konchel
photographer
St. Louis
Ken Nichols
painter
Columbia
Joseph Puleo
filmmaker
St. Louis
Joha Bisone
painter
Kansas City
Linda Hoover
muralist, watercolorist, portrait artist, caricaturist
Houstonia
Limmie Pulliam
opera singer, arts activist
Kennett
Lee Copen
artist, teacher
Mountain View
Melissa Donoho
mix media artist
Kansas City
Vince Martin
musician
St. Louis
Dave Walker
fiber artist
Columbia
Joachim Knill
installation artist
Hannibal
Cheryl Eve Acosta
metalsmith, sculptor, jeweler
Kansas City
Andrew Batcheller
installation artist
Kansas City
Sukanya Mani
interdisciplinary artist
Ballwin
Dana Forrester
watercolor painter
Independence
Marco Rosichelli
conceptual artist
Kansas City
Candice Ivory
musician, vocalist, composer, visual artist
St. Louis
Janey Seamans Hale
painter
West Plains
Poet t.l. sanders
language artist, author, actor, educator, consultant, filmmaker
Kansas City
Priscilla Block
visual artist
St. Louis
Andy Thomas
painter
Carthage
Brie Duey
painter, magical realist
Bucklin
Denise Thimes
songstress, motivational speaker
St. Louis
Malcolm “Airbrush Assassin” McCrae
artist, author, speaker, entrepreneur
Southeast Missouri
Genevieve Flynn
silversmith, artist, educator
Kansas City
David Spear
muralist, illustrator, graphic/exhibit designer
Columbia
Mollie Chounard
painter
St. Ann
Eric Ordway
ceramic artist, potter, teacher
Columbia
Russell Nelson
designer, illustrator, watercolor artist, educator
Kirksville
Glyneisha Johnson
poly disciplinary artist, educator, community care taker
Kansas City
Allison L. Norfleet Bruenger
mixed media jewelry and assemblage artist
St. Louis
Kyle Selley
firework artist, visual artist, art educator
Kansas City
Lisa Bartlett
mixed media artist, painter
Columbia
Ray Cardwell
singer songwriter from the Ozarks
Jefferson City
Azaria Rianne Hogans
choreographer, dancer, educator
Springfield
Greg Holden
artist, photographer, inquisitive observer, thankful human being
Eureka
Patrick Rafferty
guitarist, teacher
Affton
Barb Byrne
fused glass artist
Pleasant Hill
Gary Cadwallader
painter of acrylics and watercolor
Warrensburg
Byron von Rosenberg
poet, illustrator, storyteller
Byrnes Mill
Regina Willard
contemporary impressionist
West Plains
Hyejin Cho
concert pianist, educator
Kirksville
Grant Kniffen
painter
Dardenne Prairie
Laura Bigger
artist, printmaker
Kirksville
Ralph Hepola
musician
Springfield
Jen Everett
interdisciplinary artist
St. Louis
James Douglas Cox
metal artist
Republic
Natalie Wiseman
visual artist
Joplin
Kevin Umaña
painter, ceramics sculptor
Kansas City
Nartana Premachandra
dancer, writer, storyteller
St. Louis
Wanda K. Tyner
glass artist
Lee’s Summit
F.C. Shultz
author, poet, reader
Webb City
Lindsey Dunnagan
visual artist
Kirksville
Brian Owens
soul musician/vocalist
St. Louis
Anand Prahlad
literary author, musician/songwriter, filmmaker, teaching artist
Columbia
Brenda Beck Fisher
painter, watercolorist, interpreter of the beauty in the world
Hannibal
Anne Garney
landscape painter, fauve, expressionist
Kansas City
Jeffrey Noonan
musician: performer, teacher, scholar
St. Louis
Whitney Manney
fashion and textile designer
Kansas City
Justin Hamm
poet, photographer, citizen of the American Middle West
Mexico
Robin Van Hoozer
artist, painter, maker of unusual things
St. Joseph
Bobby Norfolk
storyteller, author, teaching artist
St. Louis
What is the program’s goal?
The Featured Artists program promotes and supports individual artists and demonstrates the variety of creative Missouri talent.
How does the program work?
We feature four artists each month. We highlight and promote each month’s artists via the homepage of the Missouri Arts Council website, the Featured Artists page on the website, monthly email, social media, and links to the artists’ websites. Artists receive a $300 stipend/license fee to feature their work online. We appreciate the administrative support of Mid-America Arts Alliance.
Who is eligible?
Individual Missouri-resident artists of any medium with online work that they have ownership to license. (Groups are not eligible.) Mediums may include (but are not limited to) visual art, literature, music, video, dance, theater, storytelling, and traditional arts.
What kind of content on an artist’s website is required?
Our aim through all of our Featured Artists promotions, from our website to social media, is to drive people to the artist’s own website, where they can then learn more about the artist and experience more of the artist’s work. This means an artist’s website must have multiple examples of their work.
For film artists, this entails videos. For performing artists, this entails videos or audio recordings. These can be hosted on the artist’s website itself or at an exterior website. If the videos/recordings are not hosted on the artist’s own website, that website must provide a very obvious element that lets people know exactly where the art can be experienced online. The link to videos/recordings’ location must be clearly given. People must be able to listen to/watch the recordings/videos without any subscription, for free, such as on YouTube.
For literary artists, this entails text versions or performances of the artwork. Text versions of poetry should include the full poem. Text versions of fiction and non-fiction prose should feature substantial multi-paragraph excerpts, and more than one artwork must be excerpted. Both text versions and performances can be published/hosted on the artist’s website itself or at an exterior website. If text versions and performance videos/recordings are not published/hosted on the artist’s own website, that website must provide a very obvious element that lets people know exactly where the art can be experienced online. The link to the location of the text or the videos/recordings’ location must be clearly given. People must be able to listen to/watch the recordings/videos without any subscription, for free, such as on YouTube.
The website of Missouri’s 2021-2023 Poet Laureate, Maryfrances Wagner, is an excellent example of both entire poems published on the artist’s own site and of links to exterior sites where her poems can be read.
Artist’s biography: It is ideal, although not required, that the artist’s “about” biography on their website make their residence within Missouri explicit by specifying the town/city or region where they live.
May artists participate if they don’t have a website?
No; an effective website is an essential part of this program. Without it, there is nothing to promote, neither your work NOR a place to send people to benefit you.
While your Instagram, Facebook page, Twitter page etc. can supplement with social engagement, these sites do not effectively showcase your work, nor are they as easily accessed or managed as a website. Moreover, Instagram requires that viewers have their own Instagram account in order to view the content, so it is not a fully open platform. Therefore, having ONLY a social media page without ALSO having a website is not enough to be considered as a Featured Artist.
How do artists apply?
Propose your work for consideration via this online form. Support your application with links to your website and other online platforms where your work is located. No work may be sent as an attachment. Work that cannot be accessed online may not be considered. Artists retain full ownership and rights to their work. Artists will allow with their consideration a limited use right to feature their work on the Missouri Art Council website and other platforms. There is no fee to apply.
Artists should apply for the program ONLY ONCE. Applications are kept on file for future consideration.
How are Featured Artists selected?
The Missouri Arts Council staff selects artists with diverse demographics and locations throughout the state who are producing quality original work in a variety of art mediums and genres.
How will artists know if they are selected?
Artists will be contacted directly if they have been selected. If you are not contacted, do not despair! All applicants will continue to be considered as the program continues monthly.
How often should artists apply?
Artists need apply for this program ONLY ONCE. Applications are kept on file for future consideration.
How long will this program last?
We do not currently have a time limit set for this program.
