Introducing the St. Louis Artist of the Month

A regional initiative designed to unite art galleries and strengthen our artistic community by spotlighting the artists shaping the cultural future of St. Louis.

We are now accepting nominations every month through the 10th of each month. If your gallery or art
organization non-profit is located within a 30-mile radius of Downtown St. Louis, you are invited to
participate.

Nominate artists who:

  • Excel in their field of artistic practice
  • Demonstrate professional leadership
  • Have a positive impact on the St. Louis arts community
Submit a Nomination
STL artist of the month

Nominations are free and open to the public. Submit by 12:00 PM on the 10th of each month.

Galleries and arts organizations are encouraged to nominate on behalf of artists — and will be recognized for their support in the process.

Submitted nominations are reviewed and narrowed down to the top 3 finalists by a panel of artist-supporting businesses. This round evaluates artistic merit, community impact, and cultural contribution to St. Louis.

On the 12th of each month, the top 3 finalists are presented to a panel of 3 Art Professionals who vote to select the St. Louis Artist of the Month.

The winner is announced live on Studio STL on KTVI FOX 2 — airing at 9:00 AM and re-airing at 12:00 PM.

Each month, a new group of nominated St. Louis artists will be reviewed and voted on by a local panel of arts and community leaders. One winning artist will be selected monthly and honored as the St. Louis Artist of the Month.

The monthly winner will be officially announced on the #1 local lifestyle show in St. Louis, Studio STL, airing on KTVI Fox 2 at 9:00 AM and re-airing at 12:00 PM. This broadcast announcement will serve as the cornerstone of a multi-platform recognition effort designed to amplify the artist’s work and story.

Winning artists will receive extensive exposure, including:

  • A featured placement in ArtFusion Gallery’s “St. Louis Artist of the Month” Gallery
  • Monthly Live 4 Minute Interview on KTVI FOX 2, Studio STL.’
  • Inclusion on Fox2now.com Studio STL Page.
  • Inclusion on Fox 2 St. Louis YouTube Channel. (279k subs.)
  • Inclusion on FOX 2 Facebook Page. (1.1+million subs.)
  • Inclusion on Studio STL Facebook Page. (4.8k subs)
  • A dedicated feature on the ArtFusion Gallery websit
  • Promotion across ArtFusion Gallery’s social media platforms

Artist selection criteria will focus not only on artistic excellence, but also on the artist’s positive impact, community engagement, and contribution to the cultural fabric of St. Louis.

In addition to monthly recognition, all winners from each calendar year will be honored in a special group exhibition the following January at ArtFusion Gallery. This exhibition will celebrate the Best of St. Louis Artists from the previous year and will be supported by national press releases and comprehensive local marketing campaigns, further elevating St. Louis artists onto a broader stage.

This “St. Louis Artitst of the Month” award represents a powerful commitment to uplifting local talent, strengthening community connections, and positioning St. Louis as a thriving hub for artistic excellence.

Congratulations to Our Winning Artists

Alex Johnmeyer

June Artist of the Month

Alex Johnmeyer is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose vibrant realism blends personal narrative with saturated color, pop culture, and symbolism. Working in oil, watercolor, and acrylic, he often uses toys as storytelling devices to explore nostalgia, self-discovery, and living authentically as a transgender man.

18andCounting

May Artist of the Month

18andCounting (aka Stan Chisholm) has been a consistent, positive force in the St. Louis creative scene. He’s an original member of the Screwed Arts Collective, co-founder of Modular Mobb (a monthly synth meet-up), a regularly booked DJ, and the Artist in Residence with the SLU Prison Education Program.

Rich Brooks

April Artist of the Month

Rich Brooks’s art adventure started with three crayons: red, yellow, and blue. When he was four, a friend of the family asked him to draw a mountain with those three colors. He said he couldn’t—he didn’t have the right colors. The friend taught him how to blend, and he was hooked.

Bryan Walsh

March Artist of the Month

Bryan Walsh is an abstract painter based in St. Louis, MO. Moving fluidly between gestural and geometric abstraction, his work strikes a balance between energy and calm. Whether rendered in stark grayscale or saturated color, his paintings draw their cues from the shapes and hues of the natural world and the urban landscape.

Meet the Judges

Alicia LaChance

Contemporary Painter & Co-founder, Hoffman LaChance Contemporary

A self-taught St. Louis–based painter since 2002, LaChance has earned national and international recognition for her layered, process-driven work rooted in bold color and symbolic mark-making. Her large-scale public art includes a terrazzo installation at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and her pieces are held in major collections at Google, Estée Lauder, and the Mayo Clinic. She co-founded Hoffman LaChance Contemporary, hosting over 100 exhibitions and fostering connections between regional artists and curators worldwide.

John Joseph Hunn

Painter, Draftsman & Educator — BFA/MFA, Fontbonne University

Born and raised in St. Louis, Hunn’s figurative work explores spiritual and narrative themes through a contemporary lens, incorporating gold and palladium leaf to connect historical techniques with modern expression. He has exhibited at Webster University, Maryville University, Art St. Louis, and galleries in Chicago and California. A longtime educator at Webster University and St. Louis Community College, Hunn has shaped the next generation of St. Louis artists through both his practice and his teaching.

Fabio José Rodríguez

Visual Artist, Educator & Community Advocate — De Soto High School

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised between the Caribbean and the United States, Rodríguez draws from his Afro-Dominican heritage to explore race, migration, and belonging through painting and mixed media. Exhibited nationally and internationally, he is a cornerstone of St. Louis’s Latinx arts community. As an art instructor at De Soto High School and a dedicated youth advocate, Rodríguez uses art as a tool for dialogue, social consciousness, and community empowerment.

How It Works — Simplified 3-Step Layout

Step 1

Nominate by the 10th

Free. Open to galleries and art orgs within 30 miles of Downtown STL. When an artist receives 3 nominations in a single month, it is an automatic win. If there is a nomination tie, those nominees make it to the judging round.

Step 2

Top 3 finalists selected

A panel of artist-supporting businesses narrows nominations by artistic merit, community impact, and cultural contribution.

Step 3

Winner announced live

On the 12th, the 3 judges vote. Winner announced live on Studio STL, KTVI FOX 2 at 9 AM, re-airing at 12 PM.

Let’s Shape the Future of St. Louis Art

Immerse yourself in the heart of St. Louis’s art scene through ArtFusion. Whether as an artist, sponsor, vendor, or attendee, your participation brings life to our vision of a bustling, interconnected arts community.

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This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What is the Gallery name or Art Organization nonprofit name and address that is making the Nomination?

Gallery or Organization must be in a 30-mile radius of Downtown St.Louis.

Who is Gallery Representative that is making the Nomination?

Name of the Artist being Nominated and Age

Must be 18 or older (Artist must live in a 30-mile radius of Downtown St. Louis)

What positive impact has the artist had on the St. Louis community over the last 12 months?

Does the artist create a positive impact monthly, or bi monthly basis or quarterly basis?