The Business Side of St. Louis holds a reputation for supporting arts in all forms. Now, the region has made national news by being in the forefront of a new art concept—arts in the mall. Long a staple of mall shoppers, Crestwood Mall, now known as Crestwood Court, started declining before Dillard’s left in 2007, followed by another anchor, Macy’s, last year. While owners Centrum Properties have plans to redevelop the mall sometime in the future, to let such a landmark languish and fall into disrepair was not an option. Leisa Son, marketing and specialty director for Centrum, says “they did a lot of thinking and planning on what groups or organizations could utilize 200,000 square feet of vacant space within the scope of a traditional retailer. “We thought the arts would be a great way to reuse some of the space we had available,” she says. In fall 2008, Son contacted Jill McGuire, executive director of the Regional Arts Commission (RAC), with a proposal to lease space to artists. “We met with them and said we loved the idea,” McGuire says. “What we brought to the table was the knowledge and trust of the arts community, and what they brought was space in an environment where artists could make a living, have a studio, or have classes.” ART By Linda F. Jarrett The Birth of ArtSpace They held an open house and over 200 artists showed up. ArtSpace was born, and artists began moving in their equipment in January and February of 2009. Not only does this endeavor give the artists a place to showcase their talent, it also enables them to learn the business side of art. “The story is about this partnership between the artists and the arts group and a for-profit business and how that partnership can work and it works well for both,” McGuire says. “It’s been a great journey and I believe so strongly that arts mean business.” Show Me Handmade is a group of seven artists, each with a different talent such as jewelry, soaps, and cards. “This is our first year of doing this together,” says Sharon Wecker of Everlasting Crafty Creations. “When this space came open, we thought it was a good idea.” Jeane Vogel of Jeane Vogel Studios says this was the first time she had been able to show her work. “I usually have to do it in other art fairs or over the Internet. People would be amazed at what we have here. The community is our partner.” In addition to her fine art and portrait photography, Vogel now has a place to display her jewelry and ceramics. t Crestwood Court ArtSpace mixed with retail space. t Day Spring Improv. 56 . ST. LouIS CoMMERCE . january • February 2010 commerce-CS4.indd 56 12/28/09 9:41 PM