professional membership

Featured Member

Artistic banners decorate ArtSpace, a unique arts colony created in vacated retail space at Crestwood Court mall in St. Louis.

Special Partnership Creates Arts Colony in Suburban Mall

For a company that’s been producing plays in a church basement, owning a theater seemed beyond its wildest dreams. But thanks to ArtSpace, an unusual new arts colony found in the most unlikely environment of a suburban mall in St. Louis, MO, Avalon Theater Company has a beautiful 100-seat black box stage that makes you think you’re at an off-Broadway production.

ArtSpace is the unique partnership between Crestwood Court Mall and the Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis, MO. Faced with 100,000 square feet of vacant retail space due to planned redevelopment and the economic downturn, mall management needed a creative solution. Owner and former St. Louisan Sol Barket of Centrum Properties encouraged the staff to think about incorporating the arts and Leisa Son, director of specialty leasing, found RAC by Googling “arts groups.” 

“Do you think artists would like to rent space for a nominal fee?” she asked cautiously during her initial phone call. “Yes, yes, and yes!” was the enthusiastic response, explained Jill McGuire, executive director of RAC. “Artists are always in need of great space on a small budget. But no one was prepared for the overwhelming response by hundreds of people who attended the first open house.”

More than 65 groups will find homes in the 100,000-square-foot ArtSpace for galleries, studios, theaters, classrooms, offices, and storage at the incredibly low rent of $100 per month plus utilities.

The arts community responded quickly because of their respect for RAC, whose involvement gave credibility to the unusual project. For the last 24 years, artists have trusted the organization to promote their best interests. The staff, especially Deputy Director Dan Tierney has helped ArtSpace tenants with everything from leases to occupancy permits.

True to their profession, the artists are finding creative ways to use the space. A collaboration of dance organizations finds the pristine wooden floors from a high-end clothing store perfect for tap and Irish dancing. What were once dressing rooms for the Gap, now are dressing rooms for costume changes at the new theater. Artist Jeane Vogel washes paint brushes in the sinks where hairdressers used to wash clients’ hair. Display cases formerly filled with diamond jewelry now showcase hand-blown glass vases.

The mall managers, who are employed by Jones Lang LaSalle, have made an extraordinary commitment to the project in money, resources, time.  

What was once an empty wing of the mall is now vibrant with exciting window displays, colorful banners, and lots of cultural options. Parents drop their kids at arts classes, and stop to shop or get a cup of coffee. The mall receives daily inquiries from retailers wanting to take advantage of the new audience at the mall; and the arts groups are benefiting from the traditional shoppers.

“ArtSpace is changing the way the arts do business,” says McGuire. “We’ve been recognized as an impetus for economic development in urban areas of St. Louis during the last decade," McGuire adds. “But ArtSpace is suburban… and enormous. It's a very exciting opportunity to integrate arts into both the business and the residential community.”

Both McGuire and Son look forward to a time when St. Louisans will enjoy a real "New York day" at ArtSpace—shopping at galleries, stopping for lunch, catching a performance—and all in a mall with lots of free parking, no less!

To see a news story on ArtSpace from KSDK-TV go to http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?aid=92764.