Artists First Competitors

The Saint Louis Art Museum collects, presents, interprets, and conserves works of art of the highest quality across time and cultures; educates, inspires discovery, and elevates the human spirit; preserves a legacy of artistic achievement for the people of St. Louis and the world; and engages, includes, and represents the full diversity of the St. Louis community supporting it. The Saint Louis Art Museum was founded in 1879, at the close of a decade that saw the establishment of art museums in great cities across the eastern half of the United States. What began as a collection of assorted plaster casts, electrotype reproductions, and other examples of good design in various media rapidly gave way to a great and varied collection of original works of art spanning five millennia and six continents. Today the quality and breadth of the Museum’s collection secure for it a place among the very best institutions of its kind.

No longer need residents of St. Louis look beyond their own city for the finest in entertainment.” Since 1982, more than 20 million people have passed through the brass doors of the Fabulous Fox to see Broadway shows, Vegas performers, top pop, rock and comedy concert acts, country superstars, dance, family productions, gospel plays, and classic movies; and to attend tours, seminars, private parties, weddings, graduations and proms. The Fabulous Fox continues to provide St. Louis audiences with the best of everything and something for everyone.

Enriching lives and building community through the arts. COCA was founded in 1986 by Richard Baron, President of McCormack Baron Salazar Inc., in conjunction with the late Dorothy Dubinsky, Mark Twain Banks, Robert Orchard, the Sachs Fund and Trivers Associates. A $2 million renovation in 1985-86 transformed the former B’nai Amoona Synagogue in University City, designed in 1946 by renowned architect Eric Mendelsohn, into an ideal site for a community based arts center. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. COCA fulfills its mission by providing exceptional arts education to the St. Louis region through performances, exhibitions, and programs. COCA is the largest multidisciplinary arts institution in the St. Louis region and one of the premier community art centers in the nation. COCA annually serves 50,000 people throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, offering more than 500 classes, workshops, and camps in a multidisciplinary format that includes dance, music, drama, and visual arts; COCA’s Family Theatre Series brings innovative theatre and dance to patrons of all ages; and the Millstone Gallery presents exhibits of works by outstanding contemporary visual artists. Combining these activities with special events, performances by community groups, and more, COCA has become one of the most accessible arts venues in St. Louis.